Bible Strands
John 9:23
That was why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — His parents speak to the Pharisees during the second interrogation of the healed man, responding to their demand for a confession of Jesus as the Messiah. They defer to the healed man's own testimony because they fear synagogue expulsion.
The words — ἡλικία (hēlikia) denotes maturity or age of accountability, marking the transition from parental authority to personal responsibility. The parents use this concept to justify their refusal to answer the interrogators directly.
The thread — The same deferral to personal testimony appears in John 9:21, where the parents earlier decline to explain the miracle and instruct the interrogators to ask the healed man directly.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to weigh the cost of silence against the demand for public confession. It presents a concrete choice between self-preservation and acknowledging a witnessed miracle.
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.
The Greek words
King James Version
Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
Cross-references
- John 9:21 But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”