Charles Ellicott Commentary John 7:53

"And they went every man unto his own house:" — John 7:53 (ASV)

The section which follows (John 7:8–53:11) is one of the most striking instances of an undoubted addition to the original text of the Gospel narratives. We shall find reason to believe that it belongs to the Apostolic age, and preserves to us the record of an incident in the life of our Lord, but that it has not come to us from the pen of Saint John. (Compare to Excursus B: Some Variations in the Text of Saint John’s Gospel.) While, therefore, it is printed in the text here, our text being a reprint of the Authorized Version, without addition or alteration, the reader will observe that it is an insertion which breaks the order of the discourse, and in working out the line of thought will bear this in mind.

And every man went unto his own house.—This is not to be taken, then, as marking the close of the discussion in the Sanhedrin. It joins the inserted section with something which has preceded, but we have no means of judging what this was.