The Promise of the Spirit

37 On the last and most important day of the festival,(A) Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me[a](B) and drink!(C) 38 The one who believes in Me,(D) as the Scripture(E) has said,[b] will have streams of living water(F) flow(G) from deep within him.” 39 He said this about the Spirit.(H) Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit,(I) for the Spirit[c] had not yet been received[d][e] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The People Are Divided over Jesus

40 When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “This really is the Prophet!”[f](J) 41 Others said, “This is the Messiah!” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does He? 42 Doesn’t the Scripture(K) say that the Messiah comes from David’s(L) offspring[g] and from the town of Bethlehem,(M) where David once lived?” 43 So a division(N) occurred among the crowd because of Him. 44 Some of them wanted to seize Him,(O) but no one laid hands on Him.

Debate over Jesus’ Claims

45 Then the temple police(P) came to the chief priests(Q) and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why haven’t you brought Him?”

46 The police answered, “No man ever spoke like this!”[h](R)

47 Then the Pharisees responded to them: “Are you fooled(S) too? 48 Have any of the rulers(T) or Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed!”

50 Nicodemus(U)—the one who came to Him previously, being one of them—said to them, 51 “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?”(V)

52 “You aren’t from Galilee(W) too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”[i](X)

[53 So each one went to his house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.(Y)

Footnotes

  1. John 7:37 Other mss omit to Me
  2. John 7:38 Jesus may have had several OT passages in mind; Is 58:11; Ezk 47:1-12; Zch 14:8
  3. John 7:39 Other mss read Holy Spirit
  4. John 7:39 Other mss read had not yet been given
  5. John 7:39 Lit the Spirit was not yet; the word received is implied from the previous clause.
  6. John 7:40 Probably the Prophet in Dt 18:15
  7. John 7:42 Lit seed
  8. John 7:46 Other mss read like this man
  9. John 7:52 Jonah and probably other prophets did come from Galilee; 2Kg 14:25

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival,(A) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.(B) 38 Whoever believes(C) in me, as Scripture has said,(D) rivers of living water(E) will flow from within them.”[a](F) 39 By this he meant the Spirit,(G) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.(H) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.(I)

40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”(J)

41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?(K) 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants(L) and from Bethlehem,(M) the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided(N) because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.(O)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”(P) the guards replied.

47 “You mean he has deceived you also?”(Q) the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?(R) 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

50 Nicodemus,(S) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”(T)


[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]

53 Then they all went home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.(U)

Footnotes

  1. John 7:38 Or me. And let anyone drink 38 who believes in me.” As Scripture has said, “Out of him (or them) will flow rivers of living water.”