Rivers of Living Water
“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.” John 7:52 · Berean Standard Bible
The Pharisees lash out at Nicodemus: Are you from Galilee too? They tell him to check Scripture because no prophet comes from Galilee, which is actually not even true.
When they cannot win the argument, they attack the person. And in their rush to dismiss Jesus, they get their own Bible wrong.
The Pharisees respond to Nicodemus with hostility and an incorrect claim about Scripture.
Prejudice makes smart people say dumb things. The Pharisees were so determined to reject Jesus that they made claims about Scripture that were simply wrong. Bias is blind, even among scholars.
The Pharisees respond with ad hominem attack, asking whether Nicodemus is also from Galilee, and challenging him to search (eraunēson) the Scriptures to verify that no prophet arises from Galilee, an historically inaccurate claim (cf. Jonah from Gath-hepher).
The claim that no prophet comes from Galilee is factually wrong (Jonah, Nahum, and possibly others were Galilean), revealing that prejudice rather than scholarship drives their opposition.
The Pharisees respond to Nicodemus with a personal attack and a factually incorrect theological claim, exposing the irrationality of their opposition.
Rather than address Nicodemus' valid legal point, the Pharisees attack his character and make a claim that their own Scriptures contradict. Their rejection of Jesus has led them to misrepresent the Bible they claim to protect.
50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked,
51“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”
52“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
53Then each went to his own home.
Read all of John 7 — Jesus appears at the Festival of Tabernacles and divides the crowd. Some say he's a prophet, some say he's the Messiah, and some want him arrested.
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