John 9:8

Contemporary English Version

The man's neighbors and the people who had seen him begging wondered if he really could be the same man.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
His neighbors and some others who had seen him begging said, "Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The neghboures and they that had sene him before how that he was a begger sayde: is not this he that sate and begged?

Hebrew Names Version
The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, "Isn't this he who sat and begged?"

International Standard Version
Then the neighbors and those who had previously seen him as a beggar said, "This is the man who used to sit and beg, isn't it?"

New American Standard Bible
So the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, "Is this not the one who used to sit and beg?"

New Century Version
The neighbors and some people who had earlier seen this man begging said, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?"

Update Bible Version
The neighbors therefore, and those that saw him previously, that he was a beggar, said, Isn't this he that sat and begged?

Webster's Bible Translation
The neighbors therefore, and they who before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?

English Standard Version
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?"

World English Bible
The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, "Isn't this he who sat and begged?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then the neighbours and they who had seen him before, when he was blind, said, Is not this he who used to sit begging?

Weymouth's New Testament
His neighbours, therefore, and the other people to whom he had been a familiar object because he was a beggar, began asking, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And so neiyboris, and thei that hadden seyn him bifor, for he was a beggere, seiden, Whether this is not he, that sat, and beggide?

English Revised Version
The neighbours therefore, and they which saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?

Berean Standard Bible
At this, his neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging began to ask, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?"

Amplified Bible
So the neighbors, and those who used to know him as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"

American Standard Version
The neighbors therefore, and they that saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?

Bible in Basic English
Then the neighbours and others who had seen him before in the street, with his hand out for money, said, Is not this the man who got money from people?

Complete Jewish Bible
His neighbors and those who previously had seen him begging said, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?"

Darby Translation
The neighbours therefore, and those who used to see him before, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that was sitting and begging?

Etheridge Translation
But his neighbours, and they who had seen (him) aforetime as he begged, said, Is not this he who sat and begged ?

Murdock Translation
And his neighbors, and they by whom he had before been seen begging, said: Is not this he, who sat and begged?

King James Version (1611)
The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seene him, that he was blinde, said, Is not this he that sate and begged?

New Living Translation
His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?"

New Life Bible
Neighbors and others had seen him begging. They said, "Is not this the man who sat and begged?"

New Revised Standard
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe the neighbours and they that had seene him before, when he was blinde, sayd, Is not this he that sate and begged?

George Lamsa Translation
His neighbors and those who had seen him before begging, said, Is not this he who used to sit down and beg?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The neighbours, therefore, and they who used to observe him aforetime - that he was, a beggar, were saying - Is not, this, he that used to sit and beg?

Douay-Rheims Bible
The neighbours, therefore, and they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said: Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said: This is he.

Revised Standard Version
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
So, the neyghbours, and they that hadde seene hym before when he was blynde, sayde: Is not this he that sate and begged?

Good News Translation
His neighbors, then, and the people who had seen him begging before this, asked, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?"

Christian Standard Bible®
His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit begging?”

King James Version
The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?

Lexham English Bible
Then the neighbors and those who saw him previously (because he was a beggar) began to say, "Is this man not the one who used to sit and beg?"

Literal Translation
Then the neighbors and those who formerly saw him, that he was blind, said, Is this one not the one who had sat and begged?

Young's Literal Translation
the neighbours, therefore, and those seeing him before, that he was blind, said, `Is not this he who is sitting and begging?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The neghbours and they that had sene him before, that he was a begger, sayde: Is not this he that sat, and begged?

Mace New Testament (1729)
the neighbours therefore, and they who before had seen him begging, said, is not this he that used to sit begging?

THE MESSAGE
Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, "Why, isn't this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?"

New English Translation
Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously as a beggar began saying, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?"

New King James Version
Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind [fn] said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
All his neighbors and those who had known him when he was blind couldn't believe their own eyes. They asked, "Isn't this the beggar who we used to help because he was blind?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?"

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?"

Contextual Overview

⁸ The man's neighbors and the people who had seen him begging wondered if he really could be the same man. ⁹ Some of them said he was the same beggar, while others said he only looked like him. But he told them, "I am that man." ¹⁰ "Then how can you see?" they asked. ¹¹ He answered, "Someone named Jesus made some mud and smeared it on my eyes. He told me to go and wash it off in Siloam Pool. When I did, I could see." ¹² "Where is he now?" they asked. "I don't know," he answered.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Is not: Ruth 1:19, 1 Samuel 21:11

sat: 1 Samuel 2:8, Mark 10:46, Luke 16:20-22, Luke 18:35, Acts 3:2-11

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 10:11 - when all Luke 16:3 - to beg John 9:19 - Is this Acts 9:21 - Is not

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him,.... For it seems the blind man was not a stranger, one that came out of the country to the city to beg; but a native of Jerusalem, that had long lived in a certain neighbourhood in it, and was well known to be what he was;

that he was blind; the Alexandrian copy, and one of Beza's exemplars, and the Vulgate Latin version read, "that he was a beggar"; to which agree the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions: wherefore they

said, is this not he that sat and begged? they particularly remark his begging posture; he was not laid all along, as the lame man in Acts 3:2; nor did he go from door to door, as others were used to do, but he sat in some certain place, as blind men generally did; see

Matthew 20:30.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The neighbours ... - This man seems to have been one who attracted considerable attention. The number of persons totally blind in any community is very small, and it is possible that this was the only blind beggar in Jerusalem. The case was one, therefore, likely to attract attention, and one where there could be no imposture, as he was generally known.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 9:8. That he was blind — Ὁτι τυφλος ην: but, instead of this, προσαιτης, when he begged, or was a beggar, is the reading of ABC*DKL, seven others, both the Syriac, both the Arabic, later Persic, Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Sahidic, Gothic, Slavonic, Vulgate, eight copies of the Itala, and some of the primitive fathers. This is in all probability the true reading, and is received by Griesbach into the text.

Beggars in all countries have a language peculiar to themselves. The language of the Jewish beggars was the following: זבי כי Deserve something by me - Give me something that God may reward you. רכי ני זכי גר מך O ye tender-hearted, do yourselves good by me. Another form, which seems to have been used by such as had formerly been in better circumstances, was this: סכי כי מה הוינא אסתכל בי מה אנא Look back and see what I have been; look upon me now, and see what I am. See Lightfoot.