48The Jews answered and said to him: "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" [8:49] Jesus answered: "I do not have a demon; rather, I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. [8:50] But I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and passes judgment. [8:51] Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will certainly not see death forever." [8:52] The Jews said to him: "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets died — yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will certainly not taste death forever. [8:53] Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?" [8:54] Jesus answered: "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. [8:55] And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I say that I do not know him, I will be a liar like you. But I do know him and keep his word. [8:56] Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." [8:57] So the Jews said to him: "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?" [8:58] Jesus said to them: "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came into being, I myself am." [8:59] So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple.
JHN 8:48-59
Before Abraham Was Born, I Am
In the world it was spoken into
In this exchange, Jesus’ interlocutors accuse Him of being a Samaritan and having a demon, two charges loaded with cultural and theological weight. Samaritans were despised by Jews as heretics and outsiders, their worship considered illegitimate due to their mixed ancestry and rejection of Jerusalem’s centrality. To call Jesus a Samaritan was to delegitimize His teachings and identity. The charge of having a demon was equally grave, implying He was under the influence of an evil spirit, a claim often used to discredit prophetic or charismatic figures. Jesus responds by asserting His honor of the Father and His divine identity, culminating in the emphatic ' ' (I am), echoing Yahweh’s self-revelation in Exodus 3:14. This claim would have been unmistakably blasphemous to Jewish ears, as it equated Jesus with God. The reference to Abraham further heightens the tension, as Jesus positions Himself as preexisting and transcending even this revered patriarch, a claim that challenges the very foundations of Jewish identity and covenant theology.
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How other translations render this
JHN 8:48
- KJV
- Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
- BSB
- The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”
- Koinōnos
- The Jews answered and said to him: "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?
JHN 8:49
- KJV
- Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
- BSB
- “I do not have a demon,” Jesus replied, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
- Koinōnos
- Jesus answered: "I do not have a demon; rather, I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
JHN 8:50
- KJV
- And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
- BSB
- I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge.
- Koinōnos
- But I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and passes judgment.
JHN 8:51
- KJV
- Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
- BSB
- Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”
- Koinōnos
- Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will certainly not see death forever.
JHN 8:52
- KJV
- Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
- BSB
- “Now we know that You have a demon!” declared the Jews. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You say that anyone who keeps Your word will never taste death.
- Koinōnos
- The Jews said to him: "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets died — yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will certainly not taste death forever.
JHN 8:53
- KJV
- Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
- BSB
- Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, as did the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”
- Koinōnos
- Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?
JHN 8:54
- KJV
- Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
- BSB
- Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. The One who glorifies Me is My Father, of whom you say ‘He is our God.’
- Koinōnos
- Jesus answered: "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God.
JHN 8:55
- KJV
- Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
- BSB
- You do not know Him, but I know Him. If I said I did not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word.
- Koinōnos
- And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I say that I do not know him, I will be a liar like you. But I do know him and keep his word.
JHN 8:56
- KJV
- Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
- BSB
- Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
- Koinōnos
- Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.
JHN 8:57
- KJV
- Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
- BSB
- Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”
- Koinōnos
- So the Jews said to him: "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?
JHN 8:58
- KJV
- Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
- BSB
- “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said to them: "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came into being, I myself am.
JHN 8:59
- KJV
- Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
- BSB
- At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.
- Koinōnos
- So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
JHN 8:48
- that:The term translated 'Samaritan' was a deeply derogatory slur in this context, used to insult and demean Jesus by associating him with a despised group.
- and:The word translated 'demon' here referred to a malevolent spiritual being, often believed to cause madness or illness, and was used as a severe accusation against Jesus.
JHN 8:51
- not:The word translated 'see' implies a deep, experiential understanding or perception, not merely a visual observation, suggesting a profound encounter with death.
JHN 8:58
- I myself:The phrase translated 'I myself am' is a profound declaration of eternal existence, echoing God's self-revelation to Moses in the Old Testament, asserting Jesus's divine nature.