SEV Biblia, Chapter 7:15
Y se maravillaban los judíos, diciendo: ¿Cmo sabe ste letras, no habiendo aprendido?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 7:15
Verse 15. How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?] The Jewish learning consisted in the knowledge of their own scriptures, and the traditions of their elders. In this learning our blessed Lord excelled. No person ever spoke with more grace and dignity, or knew better how to make a more proper use, or a happier application, of Jewish allegories and parables; because none ever penetrated the sense of the Scriptures as he did; none ever cited them more successfully, or ever showed their accomplishment in so complete and satisfactory a manner. As these branches of learning were taught at the Jewish schools, and our Lord had never attended there, they were astonished to find him excelling in that sort of learning, of which they themselves professed to be the sole teachers.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 15. And the Jews marvelled , etc.] Both at the matter, and manner of his doctrine; it was such, as never man spake; his words were so gracious, and there were such truth and evidence in them, and they were delivered with such power and authority, that they were astonished at them: saying, how knoweth this man letters ? or the Scriptures, as the Arabic and Persic versions render it; which are called holy letters, ( 2 Timothy 3:15); according to which, the sense is, that they were surprised at his knowledge of the Scriptures, that he should be conversant with them, and be able to interpret them, and give the sense and meaning of them, in so full and clear a manner, as he did: or else the sense is, how came this man to be such a learned man? whence has he this wisdom, and all this learning which he shows? as in ( Matthew 13:54). So a learned man is in ( Isaiah 29:11), said to be one that rpsh [dwy , epistamenov grammata , knows letters, as the Septuagint there translate the Hebrew text; but how Christ should know them, or be a learned man, having never learned , was surprising to them: that is, he had not had a liberal education, but was brought up to a trade; he was not trained up at the feet of any of their Rabbins, in any of their universities, or schools of learning; and in which they were certainly right. Modern Jews pretend to say he had a master, whom they sometimes call Elchanan f300 , but most commonly they make him to be R. Joshua ben Perachiah f301 : with whom they say, he fled into Alexandria in Egypt, for fear of Jannai the king: and one of their writers f302 , on this account, charges the evangelist with a falsehood: but who are we to believe, the Jews who lived at the same time with Jesus, and knew his education and manner of life, or those that have lived ages since?
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-24 - Every faithful minister may humbly adopt Christ's words. His doctrin is not his own finding out, but is from God's word, through the teaching of his Spirit. And amidst the disputes which disturb the world, if any man, of any nation, seeks to do the will of God, he shal know whether the doctrine is of God, or whether men speak of themselves. Only those who hate the truth shall be given up to error which will be fatal. Surely it was as agreeable to the design of the sabbath to restore health to the afflicted, as to administer an outwar rite. Jesus told them to decide on his conduct according to the spiritual import of the Divine law. We must not judge concerning any by their outward appearance, but by their worth, and by the gifts an graces of God's Spirit in them.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ εθαυμαζον 2296 5707 V-IAI-3P οι 3588 T-NPM ιουδαιοι 2453 A-NPM λεγοντες 3004 5723 V-PAP-NPM πως 4459 ADV-I ουτος 3778 D-NSM γραμματα 1121 N-APN οιδεν 1492 5758 V-RAI-3S μη 3361 PRT-N μεμαθηκως 3129 5761 V-RAP-NSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
15. Letters (grammata). See on v. 47.
