John 8:6

John 8:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
• New International Version (NIV)They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
• English Standard Version (ESV)This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
• New King James Version (NKJV)This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

Context of John 8:6

4“Teacher,” they said to him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. 5In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.

John 8:6 word by word

τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας τῷ δακτύλῳ εἰς τὴν γῆν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·δέde · thenG1161
• Thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• they saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• temptingπειράζωpeirazō · to test/tempt: testG3985
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• they might haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• to accuseκατηγορέωkatēgoreō · to accuseG2723
• Jesusὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• stoopedκύπτωkuptō · to stoop/bend downG2955
• downκάτωkatō katōterō · underG2736
• and withδάκτυλοςdaktulos · fingerG1147
• wroteγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• onεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the groundγῆgē · earth: soilG1093

Cross-references for John 8:6

• Numbers 14:22none of the men who have seen my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tested me these ten times and did not obey me,
• Matthew 19:3Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?”
• Luke 10:25Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
• Luke 11:53When he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely and to cross-examine him about many things;
• Luke 20:20They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the governor’s rule and authority.
• 1 Corinthians 10:9Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes.
• John 8:2At dawn he went to the temple again, and all the people were coming to him. He sat down and began to teach them.
• Genesis 49:9Judah is a young lion — my son, you return from the kill. He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness — who dares to rouse him?
• Jeremiah 17:13Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon you will be put to shame. All who turn away from me will be written in the dirt, for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water.
• Daniel 5:5At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing,
• Psalms 38:12Those who intend to kill me set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long.
• Psalms 39:1I said, “I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
• Proverbs 26:17A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.
• Ecclesiastes 3:7a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak;
• Amos 5:10They hate the one who convicts the guilty at the city gate, and they despise the one who speaks with integrity.
• Matthew 10:16“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.

Commentaries on John 8:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6That they might have to accuse him - Had our Lord condemned the woman to death, they might have accused him to Pilate, as arrogating to himself the power of life and death, which the Romans had taken away from the Jews; besides, the Roman laws did not condemn an adulteress to be put to death. On the other hand, if he had said she should not be put to death, they might have represented him to the people as one who decided contrary to the law, and favored…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Tempting him - Trying him, or laying a plan that they might have occasion to accuse him. If he decided the case, they expected to be able to bring an accusation against him; for if he decided that she ought to die, they might accuse him of claiming power which belonged to the Romans - the power of life and death. They might allege that it was not the giving an opinion about an abstract case, but that she was formally before him, that he decided her case…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6We cannot know what Jesus wrote in the dust. Some scholars suggest he wrote down the sins of those who were accusing the woman.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-63-6. scribes and Pharisees--foiled in their yesterday's attempt, and hoping to succeed better in this.Read the comment

Topics related to John 8:6

• Adultery
• Hypocrisy
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Act
• Adultery
• Conscience
• Continue
• Flesh
• Hear
• Lift
• Treasury

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