John 8 13

John 8:13 kjv

The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

John 8:13 nkjv

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."

John 8:13 niv

The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

John 8:13 esv

So the Pharisees said to him, "You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true."

John 8:13 nlt

The Pharisees replied, "You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid."

John 8 verses

John 8 13 Meaning

John 8:13 depicts a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees, immediately following Jesus' declaration, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). The Pharisees challenge Jesus' authority by asserting that His self-testimony is not valid or credible, accusing Him of violating established Jewish legal principles regarding witness. Their statement reflects their rigid adherence to the letter of the law and their refusal to accept Jesus' divine claims without external, human-sanctioned verification.

John 8 13 Context

John chapter 8 immediately follows Jesus' actions in the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles, including the incident with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). The discussion here flows from Jesus' bold declaration in John 8:12: "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." This assertion of His divine nature and illuminating role provokes the Pharisees' challenge. The setting is likely the Temple treasury area, where many oil-fed lamps illuminated the festival grounds during Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), making Jesus' "light of the world" claim especially poignant and potentially polemical. Historically and culturally, the Pharisees were a prominent religious sect who emphasized strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and oral traditions. Their challenge to Jesus stemmed from their legalistic interpretation of testimony, seeking to invalidate His claims based on human legal standards rather than considering the possibility of divine authority or special revelation. They continuously sought to entrap Jesus or expose what they perceived as His transgressions of their traditions and law.

John 8 13 Word analysis

• The Pharisees: (Greek: οἱ Φαρισαῖοι – hoi Pharisaioi) A prominent, influential Jewish religious and political group in Jesus' time. They meticulously observed the Mosaic Law and their extensive oral traditions, often equating their traditions with divine law. They were typically Jesus' primary antagonists, representing a rigid, external religiosity that often missed the heart of God's law.
• therefore: (Greek: οὖν – oun) Connects this statement directly to Jesus' previous declaration in John 8:12 ("I am the light of the world"). It signals a logical consequence or a prompted response to what Jesus had just claimed about Himself.
• said unto him: Indicates a direct, open challenge, signifying their adversarial stance and the public nature of the discourse.
• Thou: (Greek: Σύ – Sy) Emphatic pronoun, often used to highlight the subject. Here, it underlines that Jesus is the one making the claim about Himself, which the Pharisees deem problematic.
• bearest record: (Greek: μαρτυρεῖς – martyreis) From the verb martyreō, meaning "to bear witness," "to testify," "to give evidence." It is in the present active indicative, indicating an ongoing action—"You are testifying." It's a legal term implying formal evidence.
• of thyself; (Greek: περὶ σεαυτοῦ – peri seautou) "Concerning yourself." This phrase specifically highlights that the subject and object of the testimony are the same. This self-attestation is the core of the Pharisees' objection.
• thy record: (Greek: σου ἡ μαρτυρία – sou hē martyria) "Your testimony" or "your witness." This noun form of "record/witness" refers to the content or substance of Jesus' declaration.
• is not true: (Greek: οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής – ouk estin alēthēs) A strong negation. Ouk (not), estin (is), alēthēs (true, real, valid, trustworthy, genuine). The Pharisees imply it's not legally valid, not credible, and thus effectively "false" according to their legal standard, which stipulated that no one could serve as their own sole witness (Deut 17:6, 19:15).

John 8 13 Bonus section

The Pharisees' accusation reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of Jesus' divine identity. For human claims, self-testimony may be unreliable; but for God, who is the source of all truth, self-attestation is the very basis of truth itself. God needs no external witness to validate His claims because His very being defines truth (Rom 3:4; Tit 1:2). Jesus, being God incarnate, possesses an inherent self-authenticating truthfulness that transcends the legal framework the Pharisees tried to impose upon Him. Their error lies in attempting to judge God by human standards, refusing to consider the possibility that Jesus' claims operate on a different, divine plane, and that the Father himself provides a co-witness for the Son, as Jesus immediately clarifies (John 8:14, 18).

John 8 13 Commentary

John 8:13 encapsulates a central conflict in John's Gospel: the collision between divine revelation and human legalism. The Pharisees, adhering strictly to the principle that a single individual's self-testimony is invalid (citing Deut 17:6; 19:15), reject Jesus' bold declaration as the Light of the World. Their understanding of "truth" is bounded by legal precedent and human corroboration. They perceive Jesus' claim of inherent divine authority as illegitimate because it lacks the external, human witnesses they demand. Their objection is a legal challenge to undermine Jesus' credibility and public claims, ignoring the greater witness of God the Father (John 8:18), the Scriptures (John 5:39), and Jesus' miraculous works (John 5:36). This exchange highlights their spiritual blindness, prioritizing human rules over the manifest presence of God.