John 10:20 (KJV)

Passage

And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

Nearby Context

John 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

John 10:19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

John 10:20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

John 10:21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

John 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "hath", "devil", and "hear". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "There was a division therefore again among..." into verse 21's "Others said These are not the words...", so "said" and "hath" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.