John 5:1

Syriac Peshitta (NT Only)

ܒ݁ܳܬ݂ܰܪ ܗܳܠܶܝܢ ܗܘܳܐ ܥܰܕ݂ܥܺܕ݂ܳܐ ܕ݁ܺܝܗܽܘܕ݂ܳܝܶܐ ܘܰܣܠܶܩ ܝܶܫܽܘܥ ܠܽܐܘܪܺܫܠܶܡ ܀

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

John 2:13, Exodus 23:14-17, Exodus 34:23, Leviticus 23:2-4, Deuteronomy 16:16, Matthew 3:15, Galatians 4:4

Reciprocal: Judges 21:19 - a feast Luke 19:26 - That unto John 6:4 - General John 11:55 - passover

Gill's Notes on the Bible

After this there was a feast of the Jews,.... After Christ had been in Samaria, which was four months ago, John 4:35, and had been in Galilee for that time, and had cured the nobleman's son, and had done other mighty works, the time came on for one of the three festivals of the Jews; either the feast of Pentecost, as some think; or as others, the feast of tabernacles; or rather, the feast of the passover, so called, in John 4:45 since John is very particular, in giving an account of the several passovers, in Christ's ministry:

and Jesus went up to Jerusalem; according to the law of God, which obliged all the males to appear there at that time; and to show his compliance with it, and obedience to it, whom it became to fulfil all righteousness; and this he did also, that he might have an opportunity of discoursing, and doing his miracles before all the people, which came at this time, from the several parts of the land.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A feast - Probably the Passover, though it is not certain. There were two other feasts - the Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles - at which all the males were required to be present, and it might have been one of them. It is of no consequence, however, which of them is intended.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER V.

The man who had been diseased thirty-eight years healed on

the Sabbath day, 1-9.

The Jews cavil, persecute Christ, and seek to kill him, because

he had done this cure on the Sabbath, 10-16.

Our Lord vindicates his conduct, and shows, from the testimony

of the Father, the Scriptures, John the Baptist, and his own

works, that he came from God, to be the light and salvation of

the world, 17-39.

He reproves the Jews for their obstinacy, 40;

hatred to God, 41, 42;

pride, 43, 44;

and disbelief of their own law, 45-47.

NOTES ON CHAP. V.

Verse John 5:1. A feast — This is generally supposed, by the best critics, to have been the feast of the passover, which was the most eminent feast among the Jews. In several excellent MSS. the article is added, η εορτη, THE feast, the grand, the principal festival. Petavius supposes that the feast of Purim, or lots, is here meant; and one MS. reads η σκηνοπηγια, the feast of Tabernacles. Several of the primitive fathers believe Pentecost to be intended; and they are followed by many of the moderns, because, in John 7:2, mention is made of the feast of Tabernacles, which followed Pentecost, and was about the latter end of our September; and, in John 10:22, mention is made of the feast of Dedication, which was held about the latter end of November. See Bp. Pearce. See John 10:22.

Calmet, however, argues that there is no other feast with which all the circumstances marked here so well agree as with the passover; and Bp. Newcome, who is of Calmet's opinion, thinks Bp. Pearce's argument concerning the succession of the feasts to be inconclusive; because it is assumed, not proved, that the three feasts which he mentions above must have happened in the same year. See much on the same subject in Bp. Newcome's notes to his Harmony, p. 15, c.

Lightfoot has observed, that the other evangelists speak very sparingly of our Lord's acts in Judea. They mention nothing of the passovers, from our Lord's baptism till his death, excepting the very last: but John points at them all. The first he speaks of, John 2:13 the third, John 6:4; the fourth, John 13:1; and the second in this place: for although he does not call it the passover, but a feast in general, yet the circumstances agree best with this feast; and our Lord's words, John 4:35, seem to cast light on this subject. See the note there.