But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.”
Show the surrounding paragraph
John 8:45-47 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me. Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my word. You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.”
Parallel Translations
-
But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me.
Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.”
-
And because I tell you the trueth therfore ye beleve me not.
Which of you can rebuke me of synne? If I saye the trueth why do not ye beleve me?
He that is of God heareth goddes wordes Ye therfore heare them not because ye are not of God.
Show all 3 translations
-
And because I tell you the trueth, yee beleeue me not.
Which of you can rebuke me of sinne? and if I say the trueth, why do ye not beleeue me?
He that is of God, heareth Gods wordes: yee therefore heare them not, because ye are not of God.
Cross-references (31)
- John 10:26-27 (v47) But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
- 2 John 1:9 (v47) Whoever transgresses and doesn’t remain in the teaching of Christ, doesn’t have God. He who remains in the teaching has both the Father and…
- John 18:37 (vv45–47) Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for…
- John 6:45-46 (v47) It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father and has learned, comes to me.…
- 1 John 3:10 (v47) In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who…
Show all 29 cross-references
- John 8:37 (v47) I know that you are Abraham’s offspring, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.
- John 8:45 (v47) But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me.
- 1 John 4:1-6 (v47) Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the…
- John 1:12-13 (v47) But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of…
- John 6:65 (v47) He said, “For this cause I have said to you that no one can come to me, unless it is given to him by my Father.”
- John 8:43 (v47) Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my word.
- John 17:6-8 (v47) I revealed your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept…
- 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (v45) For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after…
- Hebrews 4:15 (v46) For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like…
- John 16:8 (v46) When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment;
- Matthew 21:25 (v46) The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?” They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will…
- Mark 11:31 (v46) They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we should say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
- John 3:19-20 (v45) This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.…
- John 7:7 (v45) The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.
- John 8:7 (v46) But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”
- John 14:30 (v46) I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.
- John 15:10 (v46) If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 (v46) For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Galatians 4:16 (v45) So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10 (v45) and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be…
- 1 Peter 2:22 (v46) who didn’t sin, “neither was deceit found in his mouth.”
- Hebrews 7:26 (v46) For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
- 1 John 5:1 (v47) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.
- 3 John 1:11 (v47) Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God.
29 distinct cross-references across this passage (31 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv45–47 45. But because I speak the truth. He confirms…
45. But because I speak the truth. He confirms the preceding statement; for, since they have no other reason for opposing, but because truth is hateful and intolerable to them, they show plainly that they are the children of Satan.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v46 Christ did thoroughly execute the office, that his Father…
Christ did thoroughly execute the office, that his Father enjoined him.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv45–47 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye…
45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Ver. 45. And because I tell you the truth] {See Trapp on "Joh 8:40"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv45–47 Such is your hatred to the truth, that you…
Such is your hatred to the truth, that you hate me for no other reason but because I reveal my Father’s will (which is the truth) to you; than which nothing can evidence a greater hatred to truth, nor conformity and likeness to the devil. There cannot be a greater evidence of any one’s hatred of the truth, than the hatred of those who tell them the truth, and for this very reason, because they do so.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v45 Here observe, 1. The free reproof which Christ gave…
Here observe, 1. The free reproof which Christ gave the Jews for their obstinate unbelief; because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Observe, 2. The challenge which he gives the worst of his adversaries: Which of you convinceth me of sin? So perfectly pure, innocent, and spotless, was the doctrine and life of Christ, that although his enemies loaded him with slander and false accusation, yet none of them could justly convict of, much less condemn him for, the least known sin.
Read full note →
Observe, 3. The Jews being enraged at this free reproof, fell a railing at his person, charging him with being a Samaritan, possessed with an evil spirit. Our Saviour meekly replies, That he did not deal with the devil; but was honouring his Father in what he did, and said; and therefore his Father would take care of his honour, and judge between him and them.
Here note, That though Christ used some sharpness in reproving the Jews and representing them to themselves; yet he answers with wonderful mildness and meekness, when he discovers his resentments of his own reproaches: how cool was Christ in his own cause; but warm enough in God’s!
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv45–47 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him,.... Being…
Then answered the Jews, and said unto him,.... Being incensed to the last degree, that he should say they were of their father the devil, and not of God; and that he spoke the truth, and no one could convince him of sin:
say we not well, that thou art a Samaritan? it seems they had said so before, though it is not recorded; and now they thought themselves justified in it, since he treated them, the true sons of Abraham, in such a manner; and the rather, since he had been lately among the Samaritans, and had in a parable spoken in favour of a Samaritan: they meant by this expression, that he was an irreligious man, and one that had no regard to the law of Moses; or at least played fast and loose with religion and the law, and was for any thing, as times served: the Jews had a very ill opinion of the Samaritans, on these accounts and to call a man a Samaritan, was all one as to call him an heretic, an idolater, or an excommunicated person; for such were the Samaritans with the Jews; they charged them with corrupting the Scriptures, and with worshipping idols, which were hid in Mount Gerizim; and they give us a dreadful account of their being anathematized by Ezra, Zorobabel, and Joshua; who, they say (r),
Read full note →
"gathered the whole congregation into the temple, and brought in three hundred priests, and three hundred children, and three hundred trumpets, and three hundred books of the law, in their hands; they blew the trumpets, and the Levites sung, and they anathematized the Samaritans, by the inexplicable name of God, and by the writing on tables, and with the anathema of the house of judgment, above and below; (saying,) let not any Israelite for ever eat of the fruit, or of the least morsel of a Samaritan; hence they say, whoso eateth the flesh of a Samaritan, it is all one as if he ate swine's flesh; also let not a Samaritan be made a proselyte, nor have a part in the resurrection of the dead; as it is said, "You have nothing to do with to build an house unto our God", Ezr 4:3, neither in this world, nor in the world to come: moreover, also let him have no part in Jerusalem; as it is said, "But you have no portion, nor, right, nor memorial in Jerusalem", Neh 2:20; and they sent this anathema to the Israelites that were in Babylon, and they added thereunto, curse upon curse moreover, king Cyrus added an everlasting anathema to it, as it is said, "And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there, destroy", &c. Ezr 6:12.''
And hence, because the Samaritans were had in such abhorrence by the Jews, they would not ask a blessing over food in company with them (s), nor say Amen after they had asked one (t); nor indeed, after the better sort of them had asked, unless the whole blessing was distinctly heard (u), that so they might be sure there was no heresy in it; by all which it appears, how opprobrious this name was, and what a sad character was fixed upon a man that bore it; see Gill on Joh 4:9; and as Christ was called by the Jews a Samaritan, they having no name more hateful and reproachful to call him by, so the Christians are still in their writings called Cuthites, or Samaritans; and it is indeed with them a general name for all Gentiles and idolaters, or whom they esteem such:
and hast a devil; familiarity and converse with one; by which means they imagined he knew their thoughts, and their actions, and by his assistance performed his miracles; or they took him for a lunatic, or a madman; whose lunacy and madness proceeded from the devil, with whom he was possessed: and this rather seems to be the sense, since in Joh 8:52 the Jews say they knew he had a devil, which they concluded from his saying, that such that observed his words, and kept them, should never die; which they considered as the words of a man out of his senses, seeing all men, even the best of men die, they not understanding his meaning; whereas they could not gather from hence, that he dealt with familiar spirits; and what still confirms this sense is, that these two are joined together in Joh 10:20, "he hath a devil, and is mad", and such as were demoniacs, men possessed with devils, were either mad, or lunatic, and melancholy; see Mat 8:28, compared with Mar 9:17. To which may be added, that it was a prevailing notion with the Jews, that madness and melancholy were owing to evil spirits, which had the predominancy over men: and seeing Christ was thought to be besides himself by his friends and relations, Mar 3:21, it need not be wondered at, that his enemies should fix such a character on him; nor was this an unusual one to be given to good men; the prophets and spiritual men of the Old Testament were accounted madmen, Kg2 9:11. And since our Lord was used in this abusive manner, it need not seem strange, that his followers should be treated in the same way; as the Apostle Paul and his companions in the ministry were, Act 26:24; see Joh 10:20.
(r) Pirke Eliezer, c. 38. (s) Bartenora in Misn. Beracot, c. 7. sect. 1. (t) Elias in Tishbi in voce (u) Misn. Beracot, c. 8. sect. 8. & Maimon. & Bartonera in ib.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv45–47 Because I speak the truth - Which liars hate.
Because I speak the truth - Which liars hate.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv46–47 Verse 46. Which of you convinceth me of sin?]…
Verse 46. Which of you convinceth me of sin?] Do you pretend to reject the truths which I announce, because my life does not correspond to the doctrines I have taught? But can any of you prove me guilty of any fault? You have maliciously watched all my steps; have you seen the smallest matter to reprove, in any part of my conduct?
But it is probable that αμαρτια, sin, is put here in opposition to αληθεια, truth, in the same verse, and then it should be rendered falsehood. The very best Greek writers use the word in the same sense: this, KYPKE proves by quotations from Polybius, Lucian, Dionysius Halicarnassensis, Plutarch, Thucydides, and Hippocrates. RAPHELIUS adds a pertinent quotation from Herodotus, and shows that the purest Latin writers have used the word peccatum, sin, in the sense of error or falsehood. See Clarke on Ge 13:13.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv46–47 Which of you convinceth me? - To convince, with…
Which of you convinceth me? - To convince, with us, means to satisfy a man’s own mind of the truth of anything; but this is not its meaning here. It rather means to convict. Which of you can prove that I am guilty of sin?
Of sin - The word “sin” here evidently means “error, falsehood, or imposture.” It stands opposed to truth. The argument of the Saviour is this: A doctrine might be rejected if it could be proved that he that delivered it was an impostor; but as you cannot prove this of me, you are bound to receive my words.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv45–46 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe…
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not--not although, but just because He did so, for the reason given in the former verse. Had He been less true they would have hailed Him more readily.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv45–47 45. Ye believe me not—Jesus brings the principle home…
45. Ye believe me not—Jesus brings the principle home upon these Jews. Like their satanic father, they were normally so full of untruth that they disbelieved truth because it was truth. Right nature is exactly reversed. Falsehood is the thing to be believed. Such is man’s perversion by sin!
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv45–47 45. And because I tell you, &c.] Better, But…
45. And because I tell you, &c.] Better, But because I speak the truth, ye do not believe me. ‘Ye will listen to the devil (Joh_8:38); ye will believe a lie: but the Messiah speaking the truth ye will not believe.’ The tragic tone once more: comp. Joh_1:5; Joh_1:10-11, Joh_2:24, Joh_3:10; Joh_3:19, &c.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv45–47 (45) And because I tell you the truth.—The pronoun…
(45) And because I tell you the truth.—The pronoun is full of emphatic meaning. And I, as contrary to him, because 1 tell you the truth, as contrary to the lie which is his characteristic.
Ye believe me not—i.e., ye believe not what I say. It does not mean, Ye believe not on Me, but Ye accept not the truth which I speak. There is something startling in this sharp opposition of truth and unbelief. To speak the truth is commonly to command belief. The mind of man is so constituted that truth is the first object of its search. Here was perfect truth presented to men, and they refused to accept it, because it was the truth, and they were themselves children of him who was a liar.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv45–47 Then, turning to these children of the wicked one,…
Then, turning to these children of the wicked one, Christ delivered a tremendous denunciation: But because I say the truth because I am the Organ, Utterance, and Incarnation of the truthye believe me not. If he spake lies to them, they would greedily receive them. The very cause of their lack of credence is the utterance of truth. The "I" is emphatic, and set over against the "you" of the second clause. There is a tragic force about this charge almost unparalleled, implying the most wilful estrangement from God, a rejection of known truth because it was truth, a love of darkness because it was darkness, a moral obtuseness which answers to the terrible language, "Lest they should see with their eyes," etc.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On v46 46. Which of you convinceth me of sin? He…
46. Which of you convinceth me of sin? He points to his sinless character as a proof that there can be no falsehood in his words.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v46 Sin. (See Scofield "Rom 3:23").
sins
Sin. (See Scofield "Rom 3:23").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v45 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Jesus continues speaking to the Jews.
Read full note →
because I speak the truth
"because I tell you true things about God"
Which one of you convicts me of sin?
Jesus uses this question to emphasize that he has never sinned. AT: "None of you can show that I have ever sinned!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
If I speak the truth
"If I say things that are true"
why do you not believe me?
Jesus uses this question to scold the Jewish leaders for their unbelief. AT: "you have no reason for not believing in me!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
the words of God
Here "words" is a metonym for the "message" of God. AT: "the message of God" or "the truth that comes from God" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
true
believe
sin
word
God
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.