John 7:44
ESV
Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
NIV
Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
NASB
And some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
CSB
Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.
NLT
Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.
KJV
And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
NKJV
Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
What does John 7:44 mean?
Several instances in the Gospels record Jesus being targeted for arrest but escaping. Some of those events have a supernatural feel to them. For example, when Jesus is cornered on a tall, narrow, walkway but still manages to evade capture (John 10:23–24, 39). Others seem mundane. Here, Jesus is in the middle of a deeply divided, highly emotional crowd. Those looking to arrest Him might be enraged, but that does not make them stupid; angry commoners taking Jesus by force is liable to start an all-out riot (John 7:30).The wording of this passage suggests that it is the crowd, not necessarily the authorities, who are intimidated by the crowd. Separately, there is a group of officials, sent by the Pharisees, who are on their way to arrest Jesus (John 7:32). These men will not follow through on that mission, but their reasoning has more to do with Jesus' words than the prospect of a riot (John 7:45–46).
