Punctuation

John 9 — Did God Cause The Blind Man To Be Born Blind?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17 ESV

John 9 is the account of Jesus healing a man born blind, and the man’s hassles with the Jews thereafter. Most English translations of verse 3 are like the ESV below. It seems God caused the man to be born blind so He could heal him.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:1-5 ESV

John 9:3 BibleHub – BibleGateway – BlueLetterBible

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
KJV

Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
NASB

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed and illustrated in him.”
AMP

Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.
AMPC

But is this really the case? Would God cause someone to be born blind just so He could heal him years later? As my pastor in the 1980’s said, “God doing this borders on child abuse.” The pastor said there is no punctuation in the Greek manuscripts, and the translators didn’t always get the punctuation right. He suggested an alternate punctuation. Here is the base ESV text again.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:1-5 ESV

Alternate Punctuation Development

The disciples ask Jesus a question

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus answers their question

“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents.”

Jesus starts a NEW TOPIC

“But that the works of God might be displayed in him ⁴we must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”

This is original and re-punctuated ESV text.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents. But that the works of God might be displayed in him ⁴we must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Alternate punctuation of John 9:1-5 ESV

I replaced a comma with a period, deleted a period, and changed the capitalization of two words. But IMO these trivial changes make a HUGE difference in meaning: God did not cause the man to be born blind! The Contemporary English Version translators essentially agree too.

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind since birth. ²Jesus’ disciples asked, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?”

³“No, it wasn’t!” Jesus answered. “But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him. ⁴As long as it is day, we must do what the one who sent me wants me to do. When night comes, no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light for the world.”
John 9:1-5 CEV

On the other hand, the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition translators decided the Greek text means God did cause the man to be born blind.

As He passed along, He noticed a man blind from his birth.

²His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?

³Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.

⁴We must work the works of Him Who sent Me and be busy with His business while it is daylight; night is coming on, when no man can work.

⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the world’s Light.
John 9:1-5 AMPC

Which interpretation is correct? You decide!

Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
Acts 17:11 BSB

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 NASB

I propose these lessons.

Beware of basing your theology on punctuation!
If you can’t read the original language, read multiple translations.
Some parts of the Bible are unclear on purpose so we will press in to God for correct understanding. (Proverbs 25:2, Revelation 1:6)
Always pray for Holy Spirit guidance before Bible reading and Bible study. (John 16:13)

Jesus is coming very soon. Be ready!

⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 NKJV

³²“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! ³⁴Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
Matthew 24:32-35 NKJV

³⁴“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. ³⁵For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34-36 NKJV

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

More About Punctuation

It is my understanding that the original manuscripts of the Bible do not have punctuation. The translators added punctuation as made sense to them. But do they always get it right? Consider this well-known quote from Isaiah, and the same words with alternate punctuation.

When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Isaiah 59:19c KJV

When the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Adapted from Isaiah 59:19c KJV

Quite different meanings, eh? Were the KJV translators correct, or is the adapted form correct? You decide. 🙂

This next example comes from a sermon I heard in the 1980’s. It is one of the few sermons from long ago that I remember well, because it had a great impact on my thinking and understanding. The pastor spoke on John 9:1-5. It starts with the disciples asking Jesus a question about a man who was born blind.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ²And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
John 9:1-2 NKJV

This is how the NKJV translators rendered Jesus’ response.

³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. ⁴I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:3-5 NKJV

The pastor said that the punctuation the translators chose makes God to be a child abuser, inflicting blindness on a baby in the womb so He could heal him later! The pastor proposed different punctuation:

³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, ⁴I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Adapted from John 9:3-5 NKJV

In this example the translators’ choice of a comma instead of a period and a new sentence has a dramatic and drastic difference in meaning. With the comma, God caused the man to be born blind. With the alternate punctuation, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Which is correct? You decide.

I urge everyone to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when reading the Bible, so He can point out passages where the translators didn’t get the punctuation right, or where alternate punctuation brings more understanding and insight.

Disclaimer: I have been taught in sermons that there is no punctuation in the Bible’s manuscripts. But I am not a Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek scholar. Please do your own research!

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 NASB

Jesus is coming very soon. Be ready!

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

“Pray That …” and/or “Pray, That …”

It is my understanding that the original manuscripts of the Bible do not have punctuation. So the translators added punctuation as made sense to them. But do they always get it right? Consider this question of the disciples to Jesus.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ²And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
John 9:1-2 NKJV

This is how the NKJV translators rendered Jesus’ response.

³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. ⁴I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:3-5 NKJV

I prefer a slightly different set of punctuation, because I haven’t found much other Biblical support for God being the cause of someone being born blind.

³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, ⁴I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Adapted from John 9:3-5 NKJV

I made just three trivial changes, but the meaning seems drastically different.

1 & 2) ‘parents sinned, but’ to ‘parents sinned. But’
3) ‘revealed in him. I must work’ to ‘revealed in him, I must work’

Therefore I try to be careful that my doctrine is not based on translators’ punctuation, which may not always be right.

Recently I’ve been thinking about Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1.

¹⁵Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
Ephesians 1:15-21 NKJV

If God gives me wisdom, revelation, enlightened eyes of understanding, the knowledge of the hope of His calling, etc., etc., what else do I really need? It seems like praying for a “higher level spiritual understanding” like Paul’s prayer will answer many “lower level” issues.

So I’ve been thinking about several places where Jesus said, “Pray that …” In this instance it makes sense to pray what He said to pray.

“And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 24:20 NKJV

Now consider this “Pray that …” passage.

When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:40 NKJV

If I put a comma after “Pray” it changes the meaning to me.

When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray, that you may not enter into temptation.”
Adapted from Luke 22:40 NKJV

The Scripture is from Jesus prayers in the garden of Gethsemane, and He expected Peter to pray for an hour.

⁴⁰Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? ⁴¹Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:40-41 NKJV

Did Jesus expect the disciples to pray “Do not let me enter into temptation” over and over and over for an hour? That seems contrary to His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
Matthew 6:7 NKJV

So I think the translators got it right in this verse.

“And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 24:20 NKJV

But I think they missed a comma in this verse, and this is how it should read.

When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray, that you may not enter into temptation.”
Adapted from Luke 22:40 NKJV

My advice is to be careful building doctrine on punctuation. 🙂

Jesus is coming very soon. Be ready!

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Dead Sea Scrolls Photo Credit

Ephesians 2:8-10 Repunctuated

It is my understanding that the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament have no punctuation. Nor do they have chapter and verse numbers. Therefore for your meditation here is Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV with different punctuation and no verse numbers. I have come to understand this passage as one paragraph, and grace, faith and good works are equally important.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (not of works, lest anyone should boast,) for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Punctuated this way I think it is more obvious that grace, faith and good works are all part of salvation. Sometimes I wonder if some people read the Bible with their eyes closed. Here is more of Paul on good works.

¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹²teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ¹³looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14 NKJV

This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
Titus 3:8 NKJV

Jesus spoke about works too.

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Revelation 2:1-2 KJV

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Revelation 2:5 KJV

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:8-9 KJV

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Revelation 2:12-13 KJV

And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Revelation 2:18-19 KJV

Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Revelation 2:22 KJV

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 2:26 KJV

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Revelation 3:1 KJV

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Revelation 3:2 KJV

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Revelation 3:7-8 KJV

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Revelation 3:14-15 KJV

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Revelation 22:11-12 KJV

I don’t know why some seem so opposed to good works. They are what happens when we abide in Jesus!

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
John 15:4-8 KJV

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

The KJV of John 9:1-4 makes God seem like a child abuser to our modern ears.

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
John 9:1-4 KJV

That is, God made the man be born blind just so Jesus could heal him later. This doesn’t fit very well with the God I have come to know in the rest of the Bible.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12 ESV

It is my understanding that the original texts did not have punctuation. Three of the four Greek texts I checked at this site have no punctuation in the Greek. Image

The translators added the English language punctuation. In this case I think they could have done a better job. This is my re-punctuation of the passage.

The stage is set

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

The disciples ask a question

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus answers the question

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents.

Jesus talks about His ministry

But that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day. The night cometh, when no man can work.

This re-punctuation makes a lot more sense to me.

The man’s blindness had nothing to do with sin. Period. Full-stop. End of thought.
Jesus worked His works so the blind man could see.

Punctuation is the only difference in these two.

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents. But that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day. The night cometh, when no man can work.

I like my punctuation better. I don’t have to try to accept a child-abusing God.

Hat tip to Charles Nieman.

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.