Charles Ellicott Commentary John 10:35

"If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken)," — John 10:35 (ASV)

If he called them gods.—The argument is another example of Hillel’s famous First Canon of Interpretation—that the greater may be inferred from the less. The pronoun “he” (He) refers probably to God (see Note on John 10:34), or the rendering may be “it,” as referring to “law”—i.e., the Psalm.

Unto whom the word of God came—i.e., the word declaring, You are gods, and pointing back to the time indicated by, I said, when each one was set apart to be a representative of God, and in that he had His authority to bear also His name.

The scripture cannot be broken.—More literally, cannot be loosened. Compare Notes on Matthew 5:18-19, and for the word rendered “broken” see also in this Gospel John 5:18; John 7:23.