John 9:24 → Joshua 7:19

When Achan's theft came to light, Joshua urged him, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him" (Joshua 7:19). To give God glory was to tell the truth before Him, and Achan did: "I have sinned against the LORD" (7:20). The rulers' "Give glory to God!" (John 9:24) uses the LXX's own words (δὸς δόξαν, G1325 + G1391; θεός, G2316), so the verbal tie is strong, though it comes as a stock formula on the characters' lips, not as John's appeal to Joshua. Here it is turned inside out. Achan was pressed to confess his own sin; the healed man is pressed to brand another a sinner, "We know that this man is a sinner." He refuses to say more than he knows, "I was blind, but now I see!" (John 9:25), and so gives God glory in the true sense, by telling the truth. The scene ends where real confession ends: told who the Son of Man is, he says, "Lord, I believe," and worships Jesus (John 9:38). A formula used to silence a witness becomes the setting for a confession of Christ, and the glory God receives is a man who sees and adores.