John 9:32

Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.

Since {G1537} the world began {G165} was it {G191} not {G3756} heard {G191} that {G3754} any man {G5100} opened {G455} the eyes {G3788} of one that was born {G1080} blind {G5185}.

In all history no one has ever heard of someone’s opening the eyes of a man born blind.

Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.

Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind.

John 9:32 (KJV) stands as a powerful testament from the man born blind, who was miraculously healed by Jesus. His statement, delivered to the questioning Pharisees, highlights the extraordinary nature of Jesus's work and implicitly points to His divine authority.

Context

This verse is part of a larger narrative in John Chapter 9, which details Jesus healing a man born blind. After Jesus performed this profound miracle by anointing the man's eyes with clay and sending him to wash in the pool of Siloam (John 9:7), the healed man became a subject of intense scrutiny from the Jewish religious leaders. The Pharisees, unwilling to acknowledge Jesus's power or divine origin, repeatedly questioned the man, his parents, and eventually the man again, attempting to discredit the miracle and Jesus Himself. In this verse, the man, with growing spiritual insight, boldly declares the unprecedented nature of his healing, directly challenging their skepticism.

Key Themes

  • The Unprecedented Miracle: The man's declaration emphasizes that never in human history had such a healing occurred. This was not merely a healing but the opening of eyes that had never seen, making it a unique sign of divine power.
  • Divine Authority of Jesus: For the man born blind, this unparalleled miracle was clear evidence that Jesus was not an ordinary man, but one sent from God, possessing extraordinary power and authority. His statement is a direct implication of Jesus's Messianic claims and divine nature.
  • Spiritual Blindness vs. Physical Sight: Ironically, while the physically blind man gains sight and spiritual understanding, the Pharisees, who claim to see and understand the Law, remain spiritually blind to the clear evidence of God's work before them (John 9:40-41). The healed man's testimony serves as a stark contrast to their unbelief.

Linguistic Insight

The phrase "Since the world began" translates the Greek ek tou aiōnos (ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος). This is a strong expression, meaning "from eternity" or "from the age." It's not merely "within recorded history" but emphasizes an absolute, unprecedented nature of the event, reinforcing the idea that such a miracle had never happened before in all of time.

Significance and Application

John 9:32 serves as a powerful piece of evidence for Jesus's identity as the Son of God and the promised Messiah. The miracle of opening the eyes of one born blind was understood in Jewish tradition as a sign of the Messiah (e.g., Isaiah 35:5). The man's simple, yet profound, statement cuts through the theological debates of the Pharisees, pointing directly to the undeniable work of God. For us today, this verse reminds us to recognize and acknowledge God's unique and powerful work in our lives and in the world. It encourages us to have the same clear-sighted faith as the healed man, trusting in Jesus as the Light of the World, even when others refuse to see.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Isaiah 64:4

    For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

  • Job 20:4

    Knowest thou [not] this of old, since man was placed upon earth,

  • Revelation 16:18

    And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great.

  • Luke 1:70

    As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

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