John 9:20

Study note

Setting — The healed man’s parents address the Pharisees who previously questioned them about their son’s sight. They respond immediately after being asked how the formerly blind man now sees.

The words — ἀπεκρίθησαν (apekrithēsan) means “answered,” and εἶπαν (eipan) means “said,” both recording a direct verbal reply. The particle οὖν (oun) translates “therefore,” structurally linking their statement to the interrogators’ preceding question.

The thread — This pattern of restrained testimony appears in Acts 4:19-20 and Matthew 22:21, where figures facing authority limit their claims to observable facts or direct citations. The parents’ refusal to speculate mirrors the biblical practice of deferring to the primary witness.

Why it lands — The verse requires readers to recognize that factual acknowledgment does not equal theological explanation. It asks the reader to accept that deferring to the subject’s own voice is a valid response to authority.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.