=9, 10. The ruler of the feast.= The same word as _governor of the feast_, in the preceding verse. Among the Greeks and Romans, a ruler of the feast (_symposiarch_) was commonly chosen, usually by lot, who regulated the whole order of the festivities, proposed the amusements, etc. A reference in the Apocrypha (Eccles. 32:1, 2) indicates that the same practice prevailed among the Jews. There is no ground for supposing the ruler of the feast in this case to have been other than a guest, who occupied this honorary office.--=But the servants knew, they having drawn the water.= Not merely, _the servants which drew, knew_; the reason of their knowledge is indicated; they knew because they had themselves filled the jars with the water, and drawn it out.--=Called the bridegroom.= Called out to him, probably across the table. The language which follows is sportive, and characteristic of such an occasion of festivity.--=Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men are drunken, then that which is worse.= The verb rendered in our English version “have well drunk” is literally _are drunken_. It is in the passive voice. This does not necessarily imply that in the East men counted on the inebriacy of their guests, and for that reason provided the best wine first, still less that the guests here were intoxicated. “The man says only in joke, as if it were a general experience, what he certainly may have often observed.”--(_Meyer._) The ancient commentators have observed the difference between the feasts of the world and the feasts of Christ; the world gives its best wine at first, and when men have become intoxicated with it, then the poor, as the prodigal son experienced (Luke 15:13-16); Christ ever reserves the good wine to the last. See this thought beautifully drawn out by Jeremy Taylor in his _Life of Christ_. Comp. John 4:13, 14. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested[74] forth his glory: and his disciples believed[75] on him. [74] ch 1:14. [75] 1 John 5:13. =11. This beginning of miracles.= An incidental and indirect testimony that the miracles of Christ’s infancy, narrated in the apocryphal Gospels, are spurious.--_And manifested forth his glory._ Observe _his_ glory; the miracles of the disciples did not manifest forth _their_ glory, but that of their Lord (Acts 3:8; 14:11-15).--=And his disciples believed in him.= That is, the five that had already begun to follow him. But _what_ or _how much_ they believed is not indicated. They began to have that confidence in him which was not consummated till after his resurrection.