John 7:49
ESV
But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."
NIV
No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them."
NASB
But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed!'
CSB
But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed."
NLT
This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!'
KJV
But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
NKJV
But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”
What does John 7:49 mean?
According to the Pharisees, only those whom God has blessed will obtain knowledge. Since they—as they see it—hold superior knowledge of God's law, this means all others are "cursed." This makes for an easy, if irrational, excuse to ignore any other perspectives. In the prior verse, the Pharisees openly declared that their judgment was the first and only necessary reason to reject certain ideas. If the Pharisees don't believe it, they seem to say, then it's not worth believing.This tantrum was set off when men sent to arrest Jesus (John 7:32) came without Him and with comments on His impressive speech, instead (John 7:46). For the arrogant Pharisees, the only possible explanation is that those who don't reject Jesus are deceived (John 7:47), ignorant (John 7:48), and backwards (John 7:52).
In the modern era, we can make the same type of error. This happens if we hold our denomination, sect, church, or group to be infallible and reject those who disagree simply because they are not "one of us."
