John 8:23

John 8:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
• New International Version (NIV)But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

Context of John 8:23

21Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, and you will die [unforgiven and condemned] in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22So the Jews were asking [among themselves], “Will He kill Himself? Is that why He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24That is why I told you that you will die [unforgiven and condemned] in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am the One [I claim to be], you will die in your sins.” 25So they said to Him, “Who are You [anyway]?” Jesus replied, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

John 8:23 word by word

καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· ὑμεῖς ἐκ τῶν κάτω ἐστέ, ἐγὼ ἐκ τῶν ἄνω εἰμί· ὑμεῖς ἐκ τούτου τοῦ κόσμου ἐστέ, ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• he saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Yeσύsu · youG4771
• areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• beneathκάτωkatō katōterō · underG2736
• Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• aboveἄνωanō · aboveG507
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• notοὐou · noG3756

Cross-references for John 8:23

• John 1:14And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).
• John 3:13No one has gone up into heaven, but there is One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man [Himself—whose home is in heaven].
• Psalms 17:4Concerning the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept away from the paths of the violent.
• Romans 8:7the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot,
• 1 Corinthians 15:47The first man [Adam] is from the earth, earthy [made of dust]; the second Man [Christ, the Lord] is from heaven.
• Philippians 3:19whose fate is destruction, whose god is their belly [their worldly appetite, their sensuality, their vanity], and whose glory is in their shame—who focus their mind on earthly and temporal things.
• James 3:15This [superficial] wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly (secular), natural (unspiritual), even demonic.
• 1 John 2:15Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
• John 15:18“If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
• John 17:14I have given to them Your word [the message You gave Me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it.
• James 4:4You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
• 1 John 4:5They [who teach twisted doctrine] are of the world and belong to it; therefore they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories—demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible one of the] world listens closely and pays attention to them.
• 1 John 5:19We know [for a fact] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] lies in the power of the evil one [opposing God and His precepts].

Commentaries on John 8:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Ye are from beneath - Ye are capable of murder, and of self-murder too, because ye have nothing of God in you. Ye are altogether earthly, sensual, and devilish. They verified this character in murdering the Lord Jesus; and many of them afterwards, to escape famine, etc., put an end to their own lives.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Ye are from beneath - The expression from bequeath, here, is opposed to the phrase from above. It means, You are of the earth, or are influenced by earthly, sensual, and corrupt passions. You are governed by the lowest and vilest views and feelings, such as are opposed to heaven, and such as have their origin in earth or in hell. I am from above - From heaven. My views are heavenly, and my words should have been so interpreted. Ye are of this world - You…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-29Verses 21-29 Those that live in unbelief, are for ever undone, if they die in unbelief. The Jews belonged to this present evil world, but Jesus was of a heavenly and Divine nature, so that his doctrine, kingdom, and blessings, would not suit their taste. But the curse of the law is done away to all that submit to the grace of the gospel. Nothing but the doctrine of Christ's grace will be an argument powerful enough, and none but the Spirit of Christ's…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23Jesus told his listeners that they were from below, while he was from above (3:31; see study note on 3:3). From below refers to human life limited to this world. From above refers to heaven and to God’s realm. Because they were thinking only in earthly terms, they could not understand what Jesus meant. His origin and authority came from God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2521-25. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, &c.--(See on Joh 7:33).Read the comment

Topics related to John 8:23

• Depravity of Man

In the dictionaries

• Act
• Conscience
• Continue
• Flesh
• Hear
• Lift
• Treasury
• Beneath
• Jesus Christ
• Literature, Sub-Apostolic

Commentaries on John 8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings