So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "Give glory to God" isn't about thanking God for the healing; it's a solemn demand for the man to tell the absolute truth, as if under oath, because the religious leaders already decided Jesus was a sinner. They used this ancient oath formula not to elicit praise for God's work, but to pressure the man into confessing a supposed fraud.
So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The religious leaders, frustrated after questioning the healed man's parents, bring him back a second time. They press him again to attribute his healing solely to God, implicitly urging him to denounce Jesus as a sinner and admit to a hoax, rather than acknowledging Jesus' divine power. This renewed interrogation happens shortly after Jesus had already healed the man and been challenged by these same leaders regarding the Sabbath.
When the religious leaders pressed the healed man, they used a phrase that sounds like praise but was a demand for confession. What's really behind their words?
The phrase "Give glory to God" (or "Give God the praise") in this verse carries a double meaning.
A Demand for Truth
On one hand, it's a solemn oath, an adjuration. Just like Joshua urged Achan to "give glory to God" before confessing his sin (Joshua 7:19), the leaders were demanding the man confess any supposed 'fraud' or 'collusion' in his healing. They wanted him to admit he was lying.
An Attempt to Reframe the Miracle
On the other hand, they hoped he would "give glory to God" by attributing his cure to God alone, implicitly rejecting Jesus. They wanted him to say God used some means, but not Jesus, whom they labeled a "sinner." This was their tactic to deny the miracle's true source.
The leaders declared, 'We know that this man is a sinner.' What gives them such certainty, and why is their assertion so crucial to their argument?
The emphatic "We know" from the religious leaders wasn't just an opinion; it was a declaration of their authoritative judgment.
Their Basis for Knowing
Their certainty stemmed from their interpretation of Jesus' actions, specifically His work on the Sabbath. They had already concluded in verse 16 that "this man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." For them, breaking the Sabbath was a clear sign of sinfulness and a disqualifier from divine authority.
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Undermining Jesus' Authority
By asserting their knowledge that Jesus was a "sinner," they aimed to discredit Him entirely. If Jesus was a sinner, then His miracles couldn't be from God. This premise allowed them to dismiss the undeniable healing of the blind man and pressure the healed man to deny the source of his sight.
Faced with the leaders' pressure and pronouncements, the man who was once blind held onto one simple, powerful fact. What was it?
In the face of intense scrutiny and the declared 'knowledge' of the religious authorities, the healed man’s testimony remained unwavering. His strength came from his personal experience.
Personal Testimony Over Authority
When pressed, he didn't engage with their theological arguments about Jesus being a sinner. Instead, he focused on the undeniable reality: "Whether he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). His personal encounter with Jesus was more real and convincing than their pronouncements.
The Power of Changed Lives
His consistent testimony, even when facing ridicule and threats, highlights the transformative power of Jesus' work. He couldn't deny the reality of his sight, and he attributed it directly to the one they condemned. His simple, factual witness stands in stark contrast to their biased assumptions and fear-driven judgment.
Understand the original words
hamartōlos · Greek Noun/Adjective
A term used in Scripture to describe a person who misses the mark of God's standard of righteousness. It often implies a state of rebellion, moral failure, or spiritual uncleanness in the sight of God.
didōmi doxa tō theō · Greek Verb phrase
An expression used in a legal or religious context to demand an oath of truthfulness. It means to speak the truth before God, acknowledging that God knows the facts and that one should not lie.
This encounter highlights the intense scrutiny and pressure faced by early followers of Jesus. The religious leaders, bound by their traditions and hostility, used the phrase 'Give glory to God' not to encourage true worship, but as an oath to extract a confession of fraud, demonstrating their desperate attempt to discredit Jesus.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
Jesus encounters a man blind from birth and heals him, an act that challenges religious authorities and sets the stage for conflict.
c. AD 30-33
Interrogation of the Healed Man
The man, having been healed on the Sabbath, is questioned by the religious leaders who are hostile to Jesus.
c. AD 30-33
Excommunication of the Man
Unable to shake the man's testimony, the religious leaders expel him from the synagogue for defending Jesus.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Seeks Out the Exiled Man
Jesus finds the man who has been cast out and reveals His divine identity to him more fully.
This passage uses the same phrase, 'Give glory to God,' as a solemn adjuration for someone to confess the truth, mirroring the religious leaders' attempt to make the formerly blind man recant his testimony about Jesus.
1 Samuel 6:5The Philistines used a similar expression, 'Give glory to the God of Israel,' to implore the Israelites to tell the truth about why the ark was causing them trouble, highlighting the phrase's use in seeking honest acknowledgment of divine power or action.
Jeremiah 13:16This verse calls for giving glory to the Lord before He brings darkness, serving as a call to acknowledge God's sovereignty and power, which parallels the leaders' demand for the man to acknowledge the 'truth' (as they saw it) before divine judgment.
Luke 12:8-9Jesus contrasts boldly confessing Him before others with denying Him, showing that acknowledging Christ's divine work, even in the face of opposition, brings glory to God, unlike the denial the leaders were pushing for.
1 Peter 4:11This verse emphasizes that all things should be done for God's glory, a stark contrast to the religious leaders' manipulative use of the phrase to deny Jesus's divine work and force a confession against their own convictions.
vincentJohn 9:24: "Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner."
Give God the praise (δὸς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ)Rev., give glory to God. Compare Joshua 7:19; 1 Samuel 6:5. This phrase addressed to an offender implies that by some previous act or word he has done dishonor to God, and appeals to him to repair the dishonor by speaking the truth. In this case it is also an appeal to the restored man to ascribe his cure directly to G…
bensonJohn 9:24: "Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner."
John 9:24-29 . Then again called they the man — The court, finding that nothing could be learned from the man’s parents, by which the miracle could be disproved, called the man himself a second time, and tried, by fair words, to extort from him a confession to the disparagement of Jesus. They said, Give God the praise — If the cure was really wrought in the mann…
The phrase "Give glory to God" isn't about thanking God for the healing; it's a solemn demand for the man to tell the absolute truth, as if under oath, because the religious leaders already decided Jesus was a sinner. They used this ancient oath formula not to elicit praise for God's work, but to pressure the man into confessing a supposed fraud.
The religious leaders, frustrated after questioning the healed man's parents, bring him back a second time. They press him again to attribute his healing solely to God, implicitly urging him to denounce Jesus as a sinner and admit to a hoax, rather than acknowledging Jesus' divine power. This renewed interrogation happens shortly after Jesus had already healed the man and been challenged by these same leaders regarding the Sabbath.
The religious leaders, frustrated after questioning the healed man's parents, bring him back a second time. They press him again to attribute his healing solely to God, implicitly urging him to denounce Jesus as a sinner and admit to a hoax, rather than acknowledging Jesus' divine power. This renewed interrogation happens shortly after Jesus had already healed the man and been challenged by these same leaders regarding the Sabbath.
"So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”" — The phrase "Give glory to God" isn't about thanking God for the healing; it's a solemn demand for the man to tell the absolute truth, as if under oath, because the religious leaders already decided J…
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Last reviewed October 2026