Ἰωάννην 7:15

Greek Modern Translation

Και εθαυμαζον οι Ιουδαιοι, λεγοντες· Πως ουτος εξευρει γραμματα, ενω δεν εμαθεν;

Parallel Translations

Byzantine/Majority Text
και εθαυμαζον οι ιουδαιοι λεγοντες πως ουτος γραμματα οιδεν μη μεμαθηκως

SBL Greek New Testament (2010)
⸂ἐθαύμαζον οὖν⸃ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· Πῶς οὗτος γράμματα οἶδεν μὴ μεμαθηκώς;

Tischendorf 8th Edition
ἐθαύμαζον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· πῶς οὗτος γράμματα οἶδεν μὴ μεμαθηκώς;

Textus Receptus (1550/1894)
και εθαυμαζον οι ιουδαιοι λεγοντες πως ουτος γραμματα οιδεν μη μεμαθηκως

Westcott/Hort UBS4 (1881)
εθαυμαζον ουν οι ιουδαιοι λεγοντες πως ουτος γραμματα οιδεν μη μεμαθηκως

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

marvelled: John 7:46, Matthew 7:28, Matthew 7:29, Matthew 22:22, Matthew 22:33, Luke 2:47

How: Matthew 13:54, Mark 6:2, Mark 6:3, Luke 4:22, Acts 2:7-13, Acts 4:11, Acts 4:12

letters: or, learning, Amos 7:14, Amos 7:15

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 10:11 - Is Saul Psalms 22:6 - a reproach Isaiah 29:12 - I am not Isaiah 50:4 - as the John 7:27 - we know Acts 4:13 - were 1 Corinthians 14:16 - unlearned

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Jews marvelled,.... Both at the matter, and manner of his doctrine; it was such, as never man spake; his words were so gracious, and there were such truth and evidence in them, and they were delivered with such power and authority, that they were astonished at them:

saying, how knoweth this man letters? or "the Scriptures", as the Arabic and Persic versions render it; which are called "holy letters", 2 Timothy 3:15; according to which, the sense is, that they were surprised at his knowledge of the Scriptures, that he should be conversant with them, and be able to interpret them, and give the sense and meaning of them, in so full and clear a manner, as he did: or else the sense is, how came this man to be such a learned man? whence has he this wisdom, and all this learning which he shows? as in Matthew 13:54. So a learned man is in Isaiah 29:11, said to be one that יודע הספר, επισταμενος γραμματα, "knows letters", as the Septuagint there translate the Hebrew text; but how Christ should know them, or be a learned man,

having never learned, was surprising to them: that is, he had not had a liberal education, but was brought up to a trade; he was not trained up at the feet of any of their Rabbins, in any of their universities, or schools of learning; and in which they were certainly right. Modern Jews pretend to say he had a master, whom they sometimes call Elchanan o, but most commonly they make him to be R. Joshua ben Perachiah p: with whom they say, he fled into Alexandria in Egypt, for fear of Jannai the king: and one of their writers q, on this account, charges the evangelist with a falsehood: but who are we to believe, the Jews who lived at the same time with Jesus, and knew his education and manner of life, or those that have lived ages since?

o Toldos Jesu, p. 5. p Juchasin, fol. 159. 1. Ganz Tzemach David, par. 1, fol. 21. 1. & 24. q R. Isaac Chizzuk Emuna, par. 2. c. 46. p. 435.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Knoweth this man letters - The Jewish letters or science consisted in the knowledge of their Scriptures and traditions. Jesus exhibited in his discourses such a profound acquaintance with the Old Testament as to excite their amazement and admiration.

Having never learned - The Jews taught their law and tradition in celebrated schools. As Jesus had not been instructed in those schools, they were amazed at his learning. What early human teaching the Saviour had we have no means of ascertaining, further than that it was customary for the Jews to teach their children to read the Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:15; “from a child thou (Timothy) hast known the holy scriptures.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 7:15. How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? — The Jewish learning consisted in the knowledge of their own scriptures, and the traditions of their elders. In this learning our blessed Lord excelled. No person ever spoke with more grace and dignity, or knew better how to make a more proper use, or a happier application, of Jewish allegories and parables; because none ever penetrated the sense of the Scriptures as he did; none ever cited them more successfully, or ever showed their accomplishment in so complete and satisfactory a manner. As these branches of learning were taught at the Jewish schools, and our Lord had never attended there, they were astonished to find him excelling in that sort of learning, of which they themselves professed to be the sole teachers.