{"id":9096,"date":"2026-04-23T07:04:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T05:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/answers\/ioan-9-21-byl-e-plnoleten-toest-na-kolko-hodyna\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T23:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T21:30:13","slug":"kakvo-oznachava-toi-e-plnoleten-v-ioan-9-21-y-na-kolko-hodyny-e-byl-chovekt","status":"publish","type":"answers","link":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/answers\/kakvo-oznachava-toi-e-plnoleten-v-ioan-9-21-y-na-kolko-hodyny-e-byl-chovekt\/","title":{"rendered":"What does \u201che is of age\u201d mean in John 9:21, and how old was that person?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Pharisees asked the parents of the man born blind about the miracle, they answered: \u201cHe is of age; ask him\u201d \u2014 and this expression reveals an important detail about the context of the interrogation.<\/b> Scripture does not specify the exact age \u2014 but the Greek expression \u201c\u03b7\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u201d<\/i> clearly conveys the idea: he is already an adult and bears personal responsibility for his words.<\/p>\n

What does the Greek expression mean<\/h2>\n

\u201cHe is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.\u201d John 9:21<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Greek \u201ch\u0113likian echei\u201d literally translates as \u201che has maturity\u201d or \u201che has reached the proper age.\u201d It is not a legal formula with an exact number, but a description of a person who is already able to answer for his own words<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In Jewish practice, a boy became a \u201cbar mitzvah\u201d (son of the commandment) at age 13 \u2014 from that point he was personally responsible for keeping the law. Most likely, this man was much older, because he begged at the temple<\/i> and was well known in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Why did the parents answer this way<\/h2>\n

\u201cHis parents said these things because they feared the Jews.\u201d John 9:22<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The next verse explains everything: the parents were afraid<\/b>. The synagogue authorities had declared that whoever confessed Jesus as the Messiah would be put out. Therefore, while confirming the fact of the healing, the parents avoid a theological assessment and shift the responsibility onto their son.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is of age\u201d is not simply a description of age. It is a way to protect themselves<\/i>: he is an adult, let him speak for himself.<\/p>\n

A spiritual contrast: the parents and the son<\/h2>\n

The healed man himself behaves quite differently. He does not hide. At the repeated interrogation he answers with irony and confidence:<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you also want to become His disciples?\u201d John 9:27<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And in the end \u2014 he worshiped Jesus as the Son of God. His \u201ccoming of age\u201d proved to be not in the legal but in the spiritual sense<\/b>: he had matured enough to see and acknowledge Christ when even those who had known him all his life were afraid.<\/p>\n

Practical meaning<\/h2>\n

This detail in the narrative reveals an important truth: spiritual maturity is not an age category. It is measured by the readiness to testify of Christ even when it costs dearly. To recognize Him in your life and not be ashamed of it \u2014 this is true \u201ccoming of age\u201d for a believer.<\/b><\/p>","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"faq_question":"\u041a\u0430\u043a\u0432\u043e \u043e\u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0430\u0432\u0430 \u201e\u0442\u043e\u0439 \u0435 \u043f\u044a\u043b\u043d\u043e\u043b\u0435\u0442\u0435\u043d\u201c \u0432 \u0419\u043e\u0430\u043d 9:21 \u0438 \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043e\u043b\u043a\u043e \u0433\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043d\u0438 \u0435 \u0431\u0438\u043b \u0447\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a\u044a\u0442?","bible_refs":"John 9:21, John 9:20-22, John 9:8, John 9:11, John 9:17, John 9:38, Numbers 1:3","answer_lang":"ru","source_question":"\u0439\u043e\u0430\u043d 9:21 - \u0431\u0438\u043b \u0435 \u043f\u044a\u043b\u043d\u043e\u043b\u0435\u0442\u0435\u043d, \u0442\u043e\u0435\u0441\u0442 \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043e\u043b\u043a\u043e \u0433\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043d\u0430?"},"answer_topic":[145],"class_list":["post-9096","answers","type-answers","status-publish","hentry","answer_topic-other"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answers\/9096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answers"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/answers"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"answer_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answer_topic?post=9096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}