Albert Barnes Commentary John 7:27

"Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no one knoweth whence he is." — John 7:27 (ASV)

However, they proceeded to state a reason why they supposed that he could not be the Messiah, whatever the rulers might think.

We know this man, where he is from. We know the place of his birth and residence.

No one knows where he is from. From Matthew 2:5, it appears that the common expectation of the Jews was that the Messiah would be born at Bethlehem. However, they had also imagined that after his birth he would be hidden or taken away in some mysterious manner, and appear again from some unexpected quarter.

We find allusions to this expectation in the New Testament, where our Saviour corrects their common notions. For instance, Matthew 24:23 states: Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. And again, Matthew 24:26 says: If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth; behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not.

The following extracts from Jewish writings show that this was the common expectation: "The Redeemer shall manifest himself, and afterward be hidden. So it was in the redemption from Egypt. Moses showed himself and then was hidden."

Thus, commenting on the passage from Song of Solomon 2:9—My beloved is like a roe or a young hart—they say: "A roe appears and then is hidden; so the Redeemer shall first appear and then be concealed, and then again be concealed, and then again appear."

"So the Redeemer shall first appear and then be hidden, and then, at the end of forty-five days, shall reappear, and cause manna to descend." (See Lightfoot).

Whatever may have been the source of this opinion, it explains the passage. Furthermore, it shows that the writer of this gospel was well acquainted with the opinions of the Jews, however improbable those opinions were.