John 8:4 kjv
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
John 8:4 nkjv
they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
John 8:4 niv
and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
John 8:4 esv
they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.
John 8:4 nlt
"Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
John 8 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 20:10 | "If a man commits adultery... both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death." | Mosaic Law on adultery punishment. |
| Deut 22:22 | "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them... shall die." | Law specifically demanding death for both. |
| Deut 19:15 | "A single witness shall not suffice... only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be established." | Requirement for multiple witnesses in capital cases. |
| John 8:3 | "The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery..." | Immediate context; who brought her. |
| John 8:6 | "This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him." | Their underlying, malicious motive. |
| Mt 22:15-18 | "Then the Pharisees... sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher... is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?'" | Similar instance of trying to trap Jesus. |
| Mk 12:13 | "And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk." | Opponents seeking to ensnare Jesus. |
| Lk 11:54 | "lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say." | Observing Jesus to find fault. |
| Rom 2:1-3 | "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges... for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself." | Condemning others while being guilty. |
| Mt 23:23-28 | "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs..." | Jesus' condemnation of Pharisaical hypocrisy. |
| Isa 29:13 | "This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me." | Hypocritical devotion, outward piety. |
| Ps 64:5 | "They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly..." | Plotting to trap or ensnare an innocent. |
| Jer 18:18 | "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah... let us strike him with the tongue." | Plotting to entrap and harm God's messenger. |
| Gal 6:1 | "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness." | Biblical approach to restoring the caught in sin. |
| Hos 11:8 | "How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?" | God's compassion and reluctance to condemn. |
| Mic 7:18-19 | "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity... He will again have compassion on us." | God's willingness to pardon sin. |
| Eph 2:4-5 | "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive..." | God's abounding grace and mercy. |
| Heb 13:4 | "Let marriage be held in honor among all... for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." | God's ultimate judgment on adultery. |
| 1 Cor 6:9-10 | "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? ...nor adulterers..." | Seriousness of adultery and its spiritual consequence. |
| Mt 5:27-28 | "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." | Jesus' deeper understanding of adultery's origin. |
John 8 verses
John 8 4 Meaning
John 8:4 states that the religious authorities—scribes and Pharisees—brought a woman who had been undeniably apprehended in the very act of adultery directly before Jesus. Addressing Him as 'Teacher,' they presented her specific sin as an undeniable fact, laying the groundwork for a challenging legal and theological dilemma designed to trap Jesus.
John 8 4 Context
John 8:4 is situated within the controversial account known as the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11). This incident occurs in the Temple courts where Jesus is teaching the people. The preceding verses (John 7:45-52) show the Jewish authorities already divided over Jesus and determined to oppose Him.The bringing of the woman is not an act of justice but a meticulously calculated trap set by the scribes and Pharisees. Their true motive, as clarified in John 8:6, was to "test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him." According to Mosaic Law, adultery was punishable by stoning (Lev 20:10; Deut 22:22). If Jesus commanded her stoning, He would risk His reputation as a compassionate teacher and potentially face charges from Roman authorities who had reserved capital punishment for themselves. If He pardoned her, He would be accused of disregarding Mosaic Law. The absence of the male adulterer highlights the accusers' selective and hypocritical application of the law, indicating their primary concern was not upholding righteousness but entrapping Jesus.
John 8 4 Word analysis
- they: (Greek: hoi) Refers specifically to the "scribes and the Pharisees" from John 8:3. This identifies them as the official religious authorities who opposed Jesus and sought His downfall. Their collective action underscores their unified intent to challenge Jesus publicly.
- said: (Greek: legousin) Present tense, signifying a direct, immediate, and authoritative declaration. This word portrays the forcefulness and confrontation in their address to Jesus.
- to Him: (Greek: autĹŤ) Specifies Jesus as the intended recipient and target of their accusations. They singled Him out as the authority they wished to challenge and test.
- Teacher: (Greek: didaskale) A respectful title used for religious instructors and respected leaders. While a term of honor, here it is used ironically or strategically by Jesus' adversaries. They invoked His role as a teacher of the Law to force Him into a legal pronouncement, hoping He would err.
- this woman: (Greek: hautē hē gunē) A demonstrative phrase, singling out the individual in a public, shaming manner. It strips her of personal identity, reducing her to "the woman caught in adultery," thereby making her an object in their plot against Jesus.
- was caught: (Greek: katelēphthē) Aorist passive verb, meaning "was seized," "apprehended," or "overtaken." This emphasizes the factual and undeniable nature of her apprehension, implying irrefutable evidence or eyewitnesses were involved. The passive voice indicates she was the recipient of this action by others.
- in the act: (Greek: epi autophĹŤrĹŤ) A vivid Greek idiom meaning "at the very act itself" or "in flagrante delicto." This specific phrase signifies that she was discovered in the immediate moment of committing the transgression, leaving no room for denial or argument regarding her guilt. This detail was crucial for their case under Mosaic Law.
- of adultery: (Greek: moicheuomenē) Present participle, literally "committing adultery." It describes the continuous or ongoing nature of the act at the moment of discovery, reinforcing the "caught in the act" claim. It specifically names the severe sin that invoked the death penalty under the Law.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- they said to Him: This phrase emphasizes the deliberate and direct confrontation initiated by the religious authorities. It highlights their confrontational approach in bringing a sensitive, capital case directly before Jesus in a public setting.
- Teacher, this woman: The juxtaposition of the respectful 'Teacher' with the dehumanizing 'this woman' underscores the calculated hypocrisy of the accusers. Their address to Jesus is formal, but their treatment of the woman is callous, revealing their primary goal was not justice for her, but a snare for Jesus.
- was caught in the act of adultery: This comprehensive declaration outlines the entire charge with precision. It emphasizes the undeniable nature of the transgression, indicating that the evidence met the legal requirements (i.e., immediate observation, possibly multiple witnesses) for a capital crime under Mosaic Law. It paints a picture of irrefutable guilt, challenging Jesus to either condemn or condone a clear breach of the Law.
John 8 4 Bonus section
The legalistic challenge in John 8:4 implies the accusers had met the evidentiary standard required by the Mosaic Law (Deut 19:15), which stipulated that a charge, especially a capital one, must be established by "two or three witnesses." Their assertion of her being "caught in the act" suggests that witnesses were indeed present at the moment of discovery. The missing male co-perpetrator is a glaring omission; the Law equally condemned both parties involved in adultery. This selective accusation underscores the profound gender bias prevalent in that society and highlights that the accusers were using the woman merely as an object to achieve their ultimate objective of discrediting Jesus, rather than genuinely applying the law with equity or justice.
John 8 4 Commentary
John 8:4 presents the carefully constructed trap by the scribes and Pharisees. By addressing Jesus as 'Teacher,' they acknowledged His recognized authority but simultaneously sought to exploit it. Their meticulous description—that the woman "was caught in the act of adultery"—was designed to leave no doubt about her guilt under the Mosaic Law, which prescribed stoning. This scenario placed Jesus in a legal and theological dilemma: to uphold the Law would contradict His image of mercy and potentially provoke Roman authorities; to dismiss the charge would mean rejecting God's Law. Their true motive, however, was not righteous indignation against sin, but to ensnare Jesus. The selective enforcement (omitting the man) starkly exposes their hypocrisy and pre-existing malice against Jesus, using the woman and the Law as mere tools in their strategic attack. The scene dramatically sets up Jesus' divine wisdom and mercy against the legalistic and judgmental spirit of His accusers.Practical application: We are called to discern motives beyond surface appearances, avoid being instruments of others' malice, and recognize how human agendas can pervert justice or genuine righteousness.