Then came the Jews round about him, and said to him, How long do you make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Then came the Jews round about him, and said to him, How long do you make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us plainly.
The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.
Then the Jews came round him, saying, how long are you going to keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, say so clearly.
Then came the Jews around him, and said to him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.
The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, "How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.
How long dost than make us to doubt? - Or, How long dost thou kill us with suspense? Ἑως ποτε την ψυχην ἡμων αιρεις, literally, How long wilt thou take away our life? Mr. Markland would read αιωρεις for αιρεις, which amounts nearly to the same sense with the above. The Jews asked this question through extreme perfidiousness: they wished to get him to declare himself king of the Jews, that they might accuse him to the Roman governor; and by it they insolently insinuated that all the proofs he had hitherto given them of his Divine mission were good for nothing.
Tell us plainly - The Messiah was predicted as a shepherd. Jesus had applied that prediction to himself. They supposed that that was an evidence that he claimed to be the Messiah. He also performed miracles, which they considered as evidence that he was the Christ, John 7:31. Yet the rulers made a difficulty. They alleged that he was from Galilee, and that the Messiah could not come from thence, John 7:52. He was poor and despised. He came contrary to the common expectation. A splendid prince and conqueror had been expected. In this perplexity they came to him for a plain and positive declaration that he was the Messiah.