John 8:33

John 8:33 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
• New International Version (NIV)They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
• New King James Version (NKJV)They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
• New Living Translation (NLT)“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”

Context of John 8:33

31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?" 34Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

John 8:33 word by word

ἀπεκρίθησαν πρὸς αὐτόν· σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ ἐσμεν καὶ οὐδενὶ δεδουλεύκαμεν πώποτε· πῶς σὺ λέγεις ὅτι ἐλεύθεροι γενήσεσθε;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• We beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• Abraham’sἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
• seedσπέρμαsperma · seed: offspringG4690
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• wereδουλεύωdouleuō · be a slaveG1398
• neverπώποτεpōpote · everG4455
• to any manοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• howπῶςpōs · how?!G4459
• sayestλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thouσύsu · youG4771
• ·ὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• Ye shall be madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• freeἐλεύθεροςeleutheros · free/freedomG1658

Cross-references for John 8:33

• John 8:39They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
• Leviticus 25:42For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves.
• Matthew 3:9And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
• Luke 16:24And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'
• John 19:25but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
• Genesis 15:13Then the Lord said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
• Exodus 1:13So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves
• Judges 2:18Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.
• Judges 3:8Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
• Judges 4:3Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.
• Ezra 9:9For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.
• Nehemiah 5:4And there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.
• Nehemiah 9:27Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

Commentaries on John 8:33

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 33They answered - That is, the other Jews who had not believed - the carping, cavilling Pharisees already mentioned; for the words cannot be spoken of the simple people who had already believed. See John 8:30. Were never in bondage to any man - This assertion was not only false, but it was ridiculous in the extreme; seeing their whole history, sacred and profane, is full of recitals of their servitude in Egypt, in Chaldea, under the Persians, under the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 33They answered him - Not those who believed on him, but some who stood by and heard him. We be Abraham‘s seed - We are the children or descendants of Abraham. Abraham was not a slave, and they pretended that they were his real descendants, inheriting his freedom as well as his spirit. They meant that they were the direct descendants of Abraham by Isaac, his heir. Ishmael, also Abraham‘s son, was the son of a bondwoman Galatians 4:21-23, but they were…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-36Verses 30-36 Such power attended our Lord's words, that many were convinced, and professed to believe in him. He encouraged them to attend his teaching, rely on his promises, and obey his commands, notwithstanding all temptations to evil. Thus doing, they would be his disciples truly; and by the teaching of his word and Spirit, they would learn where their hope and strength lay. Christ spoke of spiritual liberty; but carnal hearts feel no other grievances…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 33Jesus challenged a common belief about Israel as God’s chosen people. Many thought that being descendants of Abraham gave them special privilege and protection. Instead of seeing this heritage as a responsibility to obey God, some treated it as a guarantee of safety. However, the prophets had warned that privilege brings accountability (compare Amos 3:1–15). The people did not understand what Jesus meant by set free. He was not talking about freedom from…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 31-3331-33. Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed, &c.--The impression produced by the last words of our Lord may have become visible by some decisive movement, and here He takes advantage of it to press on them "continuance" in the faith, since then only were they His real disciples (compare Joh 15:3-8), and then should they experimentally "know the truth," and "by the truth be made…Read the comment

Topics related to John 8:33

• Abraham
• Blindness
• Liberty
• Self-Delusion
• Self-Righteousness
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Act
• Conscience
• Continue
• Flesh
• Hear
• Lift
• Treasury
• Heredity
• 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