John Gill Commentary John 7:52

"They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." — John 7:52 (ASV)

They answered and said unto him
Being displeased with him, and as reproaching him, though they could not deny, or refute what he said:

are you also of Galilee ?
a follower of Jesus of Galilee, whom, by way of contempt, they called the Galilean, and his followers Galilaeans, as Julian the apostate after them did; for otherwise they knew that Nicodemus was not of the country of Galilee;

search and look ;
into the histories of former times, and especially the Scriptures:

for out of Galilee arises no prophet ;
but this is false, for Jonah the prophet was of Gathhepher, which was in the tribe of Zebulun, which tribe was in Galilee; see (2 Kings 14:25) (Joshua 19:10Joshua 19:13Joshua 19:16) .

And the Jews ^F26 themselves say, that Jonah, the son of Amittai, was, (Nwlwbzm) , of "Zebulun", and that his father was of Zebulun, and his mother was of Asher ^F1 ; both which tribes were in Galilee:

and if no prophet had, as yet, arose from thence, it did not follow that no one should arise: besides, there is a prophecy in which it was foretold, that a prophet, and even the Messiah, the great light, should arise in Galilee; see (Isaiah 9:1Isaiah 9:2) ; and they themselves say, that the Messiah should be revealed in Galilee; (See Gill on John 7:41).

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FOOTNOTES:

• F26: T. Hieros. Succa, fol. 55. 1,
• F1: Bereshit Rabba, sect. 98. fol. 85. 4.