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?
• 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’?”
• 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

31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 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?” 34Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it 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 8:39“Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did.
• Leviticus 25:42Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.
• Matthew 3:9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
• Luke 16:24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
• John 19:25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
• Genesis 15:13Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.
• Exodus 1:13and worked them ruthlessly.
• Judges 2:18Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them.
• Judges 3:8The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.
• Judges 4:3Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.
• Ezra 9:9Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
• Nehemiah 5:4Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
• Nehemiah 9:27So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued 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