“Who goeth about to kill thee?”
The full verse · John 7:20 · KJV
The , Thou a : goeth to ?
Asked by
Crowd: the people (KJV) at the feast of tabernacles who heard Jesus in the temple; Gill thinks they were country people who knew nothing of the rulers' plans (John 7:20)
The Scene
Teaching in the temple during the feast, Jesus has just asked His hearers, "Why go ye about to kill me?" (John 7:19).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe crowd seems to have thought Jesus was imagining things. Barnes suggests these were "perhaps some of the people who were not aware of the designs of the rulers," and that since they saw no effort to kill Him, "they supposed that this was the effect of derangement." Gill agrees that they seem to be "the country people, who came from Galilee and other parts," and that "they could not believe that any man, or body of men, would be so wicked" as to try to kill so harmless a person. Their question is a flat denial: no one is trying to kill you.
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus does not defend Himself against the charge of having a devil. Gill says He went on "taking no notice of their passion, reproach, and blasphemy." He points them back to the cause of the hostility: "I have done one work, and ye all marvel" (John 7:21), His healing on the Sabbath. He shows that they circumcise on the Sabbath (John 7:22-23), and tells them, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). Then some of Jerusalem confirm what the crowd denied: "Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?" (John 7:25).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe KJV word "people" translates ochlos, "crowd," which is why the ESV says "The crowd answered." Gill distinguishes these from "them of Jerusalem" (John 7:25), who lived in the city and knew more of the rulers' plans.
"Thou hast a devil" translates daimonion echeis, "you have a demon." Barnes explains that here it means "Thou art deranged or mad," and points to John 10:20, where some said, "He hath a devil, and is mad." The same charge comes up again in John 8:48, 52.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe crowd judged by what they could see, and what they saw told them nothing. Jesus knew what was hidden. The plot was real (John 5:18; 7:1, 25), and the crowd's confidence was simply ignorance. Jesus' answer ends with a call to judge "righteous judgment" rather than by appearance (John 7:24).
The charge that Jesus had a devil would follow Him through John's Gospel (John 8:48; 10:20). John also records the answer others gave: "These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" (John 10:21). Jesus met insult with patience and kept speaking the truth.
Look Closer
Was the crowd right that no one sought to kill Jesus?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, when people misjudge me, how can I answer with truth and patience instead of returning the insult?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The crowd was sure of itself because it judged by what it could see. When are you most tempted to judge "according to the appearance" (John 7:24)?
- Tell about a time you were sure about a situation and later learned you did not have the whole story.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Be slow to judge from appearances. The crowd was certain no one wanted to kill Jesus, and they were wrong. They filled the gap in their knowledge with an insult. Jesus' answer is His command: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).
When you are the one misjudged, Jesus shows another way. He did not trade insults or demand an apology. He went back to the real issue and kept telling the truth.
This doesn't mean ignorance excuses everything. The crowd did not know about the plot, but they still chose to call Jesus possessed rather than listen to Him. Not knowing the whole story is a reason to ask questions, not to accuse.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?”
“If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?”
“Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?”
“How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?”