Bible Strands
John 9:36
“Who is He, Sir?” he replied. “Tell me so that I may believe in Him.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The healed man responds to Jesus immediately after the Pharisees expel him, following Jesus' direct inquiry about belief in the Son of Man.
The words — The reply centers on τις (tis, "who") and ἐστιν (estin, "is"), structuring the man's request for identity. He addresses Jesus as κύριε (kurie, "Sir" or "Lord"), marking a shift from casual inquiry to reverent petition.
The thread — The necessity of knowing the object of faith runs through Romans 10:14, which links calling on God to believing in Him, while Proverbs 30:3 and Song of Solomon 5:9 frame the pursuit of divine knowledge as a distinct human endeavor.
Why it lands — The text records the man demanding Jesus' identity as the explicit condition for belief. It asks the reader to treat concrete knowledge of Christ as the non-negotiable foundation for faith.
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
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
Cross-references
- Romans 10:14 How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?
- Proverbs 30:3 I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
- Song of Solomon 5:9 How is your beloved better than others, O most beautiful among women? How is your beloved better than another, that you charge us so?
- Matthew 11:3 to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
- John 1:38 Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”