Charles Ellicott Commentary John 1:24

"And they had been sent from the Pharisees." — John 1:24 (ASV)

They which were sent.—The best manuscripts omit the relative, and the verse thus becomes, “And they had been sent from the Pharisees.” (For an account of the Pharisees, see Note on Matthew 3:7.) The statement is made to explain the question which follows, but it should be observed that in this Gospel, where the Sadducees are nowhere mentioned, the term “Pharisees” seems to be used almost in the sense of “Sanhedrin.” (John 8:3; John 11:46; John 11:57.)