A.T. Robertson Commentary John 7:42

"Hath not the scripture said that the Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" — John 7:42 (ASV)

The scripture (η γραφη). The reference is to Mic 5:2, the very passage quoted by the chief priests and scribes in response to Herod's inquiry (Matthew 2:6). This ignorance of the fact that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem belongs to the Jews, not to John the author of the Gospel.