Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
His brethren (oi adelfoi autou). "His brothers" (half-brothers actually), who "were not believing on him" (oude episteuon eiv auton) as stated in verse John 7:5. They were hostile to the Messianic assumptions of Jesus, a natural attitude as one can well see, though at first they were friendly (John 2:12).
Depart hence (metabhqi enteuqen). Second aorist active imperative of metabainw, to pass to another place (John 5:24; John 13:1). It was impertinence on their part.
That thy disciples also may behold (ina kai oi maqhtai sou qewrhsousin). Final clause with ina and the future active indicative of qewrew. Jesus had many disciples in Judea at the start (John 2:23; John 4:1) and had left it because of the jealousy of the Pharisees over his success (John 4:3). The brothers may have heard of the great defection in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:66), but the advice is clearly ironical.
Which thou doest (a poieiv). To what works they refer by this language we do not know. But Jesus had been away from Galilee for some months and from Judea for a year and a half. Perhaps the brothers of Jesus may actually have been eager to rush Jesus into the hostile atmosphere of Jerusalem again.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 7:3:
John 5:20
John 7:1
John 7:8
John 7:8
1 John 3:14
1 John 5:20
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