John 7:19 kjv
Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
John 7:19 nkjv
Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"
John 7:19 niv
Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?"
John 7:19 esv
Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?"
John 7:19 nlt
Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me."
John 7 verses
Meaning
John 7:19 is a direct confrontation by Jesus towards the Jewish leaders, exposing their profound hypocrisy. Jesus asks if Moses indeed gave them the Law, a fact they readily acknowledge and claim to uphold, only to immediately point out their failure to truly keep it. The ultimate proof of their breach is their active plot to kill Him, an act that fundamentally violates the commandment against murder, a core tenet of the very Law they claim to champion. This statement reveals the spiritual blindness and superficial righteousness of those who valued outward show over the genuine heart of God’s commands, leading them to reject and seek to destroy the Messiah.
Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 20:13 | "You shall not murder." | Direct prohibition of killing. |
| Dt 5:17 | "You shall not murder." | Reiterates the core commandment. |
| Jn 5:18 | "This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but also calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." | Prior attempts and reasons for plotting. |
| Mt 5:17 | "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." | Jesus' relationship with the Law. |
| Mt 5:20 | "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." | Their insufficient righteousness. |
| Mt 5:21-22 | "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder... but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment." | Deeper interpretation of the law's intent. |
| Mt 15:1-9 | Jesus rebukes Pharisees for nullifying God's word for their tradition. | Human tradition overriding God's command. |
| Mt 23:2-3 | "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do whatever they teach you and follow it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach." | Hypocrisy of religious leaders. |
| Mt 23:27-28 | "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." | Their internal corruption vs. outward show. |
| Mk 7:6-7 | "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites... 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.'" | Heart condition vs. lip service. |
| Lk 11:53-54 | "As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say." | Intent to trap and condemn Jesus. |
| Lk 20:19-20 | "The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere..." | Their desire to seize Him. |
| Isa 29:13 | "These people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me..." | Old Testament prophecy on hypocritical worship. |
| Jer 17:9 | "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" | Depravity of the unregenerate heart. |
| 1 Sam 16:7 | "...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." | God's perspective on inward truth. |
| Gal 3:24 | "So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith." | Purpose and limitation of the Law. |
| Rom 13:8-10 | "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." | Love as the fulfillment of the Law. |
| 1 Jn 3:15 | "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." | Internal sin equated with outward act. |
| Acts 7:51-52 | "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered." | Recurrent pattern of rejecting God's messengers. |
| Jn 11:47-53 | The chief priests and the Pharisees call a meeting of the Sanhedrin to plot Jesus' death. | Specific Sanhedrin conspiracy. |
| Psa 7:15-16 | "He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends." | Those who plot evil are ensnared by it. |
| Lk 19:47 | "And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him." | Their continuous efforts to destroy Him. |
Context
John 7 takes place during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), one of the great pilgrim festivals, held in Jerusalem. This feast was a joyous time commemorating God's provision and guidance in the wilderness, involving elaborate water-drawing ceremonies and light displays, symbols Jesus would later connect to Himself (Jn 7:37-38, 8:12). Jesus' brothers initially challenge Him to go openly to Judea, but He goes up secretly. Eventually, He teaches publicly in the temple courts, creating significant division among the people – some believe Him to be the Messiah, others dismiss Him, and many are perplexed. The Jewish authorities (the Sanhedrin, represented by Pharisees and chief priests) are hostile and send officers to arrest Him (Jn 7:32). John 7:19 is a response from Jesus as He challenges their authority to judge Him (Jn 7:18), exposing their hypocrisy in upholding the Law externally while actively violating its fundamental command by plotting His murder. This verse serves as a stark revelation of the deep-seated spiritual blindness and enmity held by some religious leaders against God's Son.
Word analysis
- Has not Moses: (Greek: Ouk Mōusēs). This is a rhetorical question that expects a "Yes" answer. Jesus refers to Moses, the lawgiver foundational to their faith, to highlight the Law's authority, which the Jewish leaders recognized and claimed to embody.
- given you: (Greek: dedōken humin). The perfect tense "has given" signifies that Moses’ act of giving the Law has a lasting, present effect. "You" is plural, directly addressing the Jewish audience, especially the leaders who claimed Mosaic legacy.
- the law?: (Greek: ton nomon). This refers to the Torah, the Mosaic Law—God's divine instruction given through Moses—which includes commandments and moral principles essential to Israel's covenant with God.
- And yet none of you: (Greek: kai oudeis ex humōn). This phrase introduces a powerful contrast. "None of you" (literally, "not one from among you") is a severe and sweeping accusation, claiming that not a single one of them truly follows the Law in practice.
- keeps the law: (Greek: poiei ton nomon). "Keeps" or "does" (poiei, present tense) implies consistent practice and genuine obedience. Jesus' charge goes beyond simple infractions; it suggests a fundamental failure to truly live by the spirit and intent of the Law.
- Why do you seek: (Greek: Ti me zēteite). "Why" challenges them to justify their actions. "Seek" (zēteite, present active) indicates a continuous, ongoing, and deliberate plot, not merely a fleeting desire.
- to kill me: (Greek: apokteinai). This is a direct, unfiltered accusation of their murderous intent. This specific act is the clearest violation of the Mosaic Law ("You shall not murder"), serving as ultimate proof of their hypocrisy and wickedness.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Has not Moses given you the law? And yet none of you keeps the law.": This pair of rhetorical statements establishes a profound irony. Jesus acknowledges their reverence for Moses and the Law, only to immediately expose their deep-seated failure to truly obey it. These leaders, who positioned themselves as the Law's protectors, are revealed as its chief transgressors, demonstrating an outward show of righteousness devoid of true inner compliance or devotion.
- "Why do you seek to kill me?": This question dramatically links their failure to keep the Law to their specific murderous intentions against Jesus. Plotting murder, especially against one who claimed to be from God, is a direct and blatant violation of the Decalogue. This serves as the definitive evidence of their spiritual blindness and hypocritical approach to God's commandments, proving that their hearts were filled with animosity rather than obedience.
Commentary
John 7:19 is a searing indictment by Jesus against the spiritual leadership of His time. He unveils the stark hypocrisy of those who revered Moses and the Law in word, but in action, harbored a murderous plot against the very Son of God—an act directly contrary to the Law's fundamental command against killing. This verse illustrates that true obedience to God's Law goes far beyond external ritual or tradition; it demands a transformed heart aligned with God's will and infused with love, not malice. The leaders' attempt to justify their actions under the guise of legal adherence reveals a deep spiritual corruption and a tragic blindness that prevented them from recognizing God’s own Anointed One. It is a timeless lesson that outward piety, divorced from a true heart for God, is not only worthless but can lead to severe spiritual error and unrighteous deeds.
Bonus section
This verse perfectly encapsulates the tension between outward legalism and inward righteousness, a recurring theme in Jesus' teachings, particularly evident in the Sermon on the Mount where He emphasizes the spirit of the Law over its letter (e.g., anger equating to murder in the heart). The leaders’ desire to kill Jesus reveals the essence of unrighteousness: attempting to silence the truth and extinguish the light, even when it directly exposes their own spiritual darkness. Their zeal for Moses and the Law became an idol, blinding them to God’s direct intervention through Christ, illustrating the dangerous consequences of valuing human interpretations and pride above divine revelation and true obedience.