John Chapter 1, Verse 11
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11: εις τα ιδια ηλθεν και οι ιδιοι αυτον ου παρελαβον
11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
11: He came unto his own: and his own received him not.
εις τα ιδια ηλθεν
This (see on Jn 19:27) is literally "He came to His own home." And the following words, "His own received Him not," would well describe His rejection by His own kinsfolk and neighbours in Galilee, according to the saying that a prophet has no honour in his own country (Mk 6:4, Mt 13:57, Lk 4:24; cf. Jn 4:44). But the thought of this verse is larger. The world did not know Him, did not recognise Him for what He was (v. 10). But when He came in the flesh, He came (elthen) to "the holy land" (2 Macc 1:7, Wis 12:3), to the land and the people which peculiarly belonged to Yahweh and were His own (Ex 19:5, Deut 7:6). In coming to Palestine, rather than to Greece, the Word of God came to His own home on earth. Israel were the chosen people; they formed, as it were, an inner circle in the world of men; they were, peculiarly, "His own." He was "not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt 15:24). "His own" intimate disciples did indeed receive him (see Jn 13:1 Jn 17:6ff for hoi idioi), but the thought here is of His own people, Israel. The Fourth Gospel is the Gospel of the Rejection; and this appears thus early in the Prologue (cf. Jn 3:11, Jn 5:43)
και οι ιδιοι αυτον ου παÏελαβον
It is not said that Israel did not "know" Him, as is said of the "world" (v. 10); but Israel did not receive Him in welcome (cf. Jn 14:3 for this shade of meaning in paralambano. Like the Wicked Husbandmen in the parable (Mk 12:1, Mt 21:33, Lk 20:9), Israel knew the Heir and killed Him.
He came unto his own. His own land or country. It was called his land because it was the place of his birth, and also because it was the chosen land where God delighted to dwell and to manifest his favour. See Isa 5:1ff. Over that land the laws of God had been extended, and that land had been regarded as peculiarly his, Ps 14719, Ps 14720.
His own. His own people. There is a distinction here in the original words which is not preserved in the translation. It may be thus expressed: "He came to his own land and his own people received him not." They were his people, because God had chosen them to be his above all other nations; had given to them his laws; and had signally protected and favoured them, Deut 7:6, Deut 14:2.
Received him not. Did not acknowledge him to be the Messiah. They rejected him and put him to death, agreeably to the prophecy, Isa 53:3f
