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?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)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'?"
• 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’?”

Context of John 8:33

31So Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you live by what I say, you are truly my disciples. 32You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They replied to Jesus, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and we’ve never been anyone’s slaves. So how can you say that we will be set free?” 34Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: Whoever lives a sinful life is a slave to sin. 35A slave doesn’t live in the home forever, but a son does.

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 8:39The Jews replied to Jesus, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus told them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did.
• Leviticus 25:42They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. They must never be sold as slaves.
• Matthew 3:9Don’t think you can say, ‘Abraham is our ancestor.’ I can guarantee that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.
• Luke 16:24He yelled, ‘Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue. I am suffering in this fire.’
• John 19:25Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary from Magdala were standing beside Jesus’ cross.
• Genesis 15:13God said to Abram, “You can know for sure that your descendants will live in a land that is not their own, where they will be slaves, and they will be oppressed for 400 years.
• Exodus 1:13So they forced the Israelites to work hard as slaves.
• Judges 2:18But when the Lord appointed judges for the Israelites, he was with each judge. The Lord rescued them from their enemies as long as that judge was alive. The Lord was moved by the groaning of those who were tormented and oppressed.
• Judges 3:8The Lord became angry with the people of Israel. He used King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim to defeat them. So Israel served Cushan Rishathaim for eight years.
• Judges 4:3The people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. King Jabin had 900 chariots made of iron and had cruelly oppressed Israel for 20 years.
• Ezra 9:9We are slaves, but our God hasn’t abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he has made the kings of Persia treat us kindly. He did this to give us an opportunity to rebuild our God’s temple and restore its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
• Nehemiah 5:4Others said, “We’ve had to borrow money to pay the king’s taxes on our fields and vineyards.
• Nehemiah 9:27You handed them over to their enemies, who made them suffer. When they began to suffer, they cried to you. You heard them from heaven. You gave them saviors to rescue them from their enemies because of your endless compassion.

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