Then again called they the man that was blind,.... That had been blind. After they had examined his parents, and could get nothing from them for their purpose, they try a second time what they could do with the son:and said unto him, give God the praise; a phrase used when confession of sin was required; see Jos 7:19; and this may be the meaning of it here; confess this fraud and imposture before the omniscient God, the searcher of hearts, and in so doing glorify that perfection of his.
One and the same word, hdy, signifies both to confess the truth of anything, as a sinful action, Pr 28:13, and to give thanks and praise to God for any mercy and blessing, Ps 45:17. Some take this to be the form of an oath, and that the Pharisees adjured the than by the living God, that he would tell the truth, and discover the cheat and collusion used in this affair of receiving his sight; and thought hereby to have deterred him from speaking of this benefit he had received from Christ, especially in such a manner as to reflect any honour upon the author of it.
Or the sense may be, if this really is matter of fact, that thou wast born blind, and hast received thy sight by the means of this man, give all the glory of it to God, to whom alone it is due, and not to him.
God sometimes works by wicked instruments, when the glory of what is done ought not to be ascribed to them, but to him.