Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Where is thy Father? (pou estin o pathr sou). "The testimony of an unseen and unheard witness would not satisfy them" (Vincent). Bernard understands the Pharisees to see that Jesus claims God the Father as his second witness and so ask "where," not "who" he is. Augustine has it: Patrem Christi carnaliter acceperunt, Christ's human father, as if the Pharisees were "misled perhaps by the Lord's use of anqrwpon (verse John 8:17)" (Dods). Cyril even took it to be a coarse allusion to the birth of Jesus as a bastard according to the Talmud. Perhaps the Pharisees used the question with double entendre, even with all three ideas dancing in their hostile minds.
Ye would know my Father also (kai ton patera mou an hdeite). Conclusion of second-class condition determined as unfulfilled with an and second perfect active of oida used as imperfect in both condition and conclusion. See this same point made to Philip in John 14:9. In John 14:7 Jesus will use ginwskw in the condition and oida in the conclusion. The ignorance of the Pharisees about Jesus proves it and is due to their ignorance of the Father. See this point more fully stated in John 5:36-38 when Jesus had his previous controversy in Jerusalem. In John 7:28 Jesus said that they knew his home in Nazareth, but he denied then that they knew the Father who sent him. Jesus will again on this occasion (John 8:55) deny their knowledge of the Father. Later he will deny their knowledge of the Father and of the Son (John 16:3). The Pharisees are silenced for the moment.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
John 5:31
John 7:28
John 8:55
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