John 8:55 kjv
Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
John 8:55 nkjv
Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
John 8:55 niv
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.
John 8:55 esv
But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
John 8:55 nlt
but you don't even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him.
John 8 55 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 4:35, 39 | "...the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him... the LORD is God in heaven above..." | Monotheism, knowing God's uniqueness |
| Jer 9:24 | "...let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me..." | True boasting is in knowing God experientially |
| John 1:18 | "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known." | Jesus is the exclusive revealer of the Father |
| Matt 11:27 | "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son..." | Reciprocal, unique knowledge between Father and Son |
| John 7:28 | "You know Me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of My own accord. He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know." | Jewish leaders' ignorance of God |
| John 8:19 | "They said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.'" | Lack of knowing Jesus equals lack of knowing the Father |
| John 8:44 | "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him..." | Connecting false speech and not knowing truth with the devil |
| John 10:14-15 | "I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father..." | Jesus' intimate, unique knowledge of the Father |
| John 14:6 | "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" | Jesus is the ultimate truth and path to God |
| John 14:7 | "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”" | Knowing Jesus is knowing the Father |
| John 14:9 | "...Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father..." | Jesus reveals the Father fully |
| John 15:10 | "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." | Jesus' obedience to the Father's commands |
| John 17:3 | "And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." | Eternal life defined as knowing God through Jesus |
| 1 John 2:3-4 | "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says 'I know Him' but does not keep His commandments is a liar..." | True knowledge of God evidenced by obedience (parallels Jesus' claim) |
| Isa 29:13 | "...these people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me..." | Superficial religion lacking true knowledge |
| Rom 3:4 | "...Let God be true though every man a liar..." | God's truthfulness against human falsehood |
| Titus 1:16 | "They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work." | Claiming to know God but living disobediently |
| Heb 1:3 | "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature..." | Jesus' perfect representation of God |
| Heb 10:7-9 | "...'Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God'..." | Jesus' willing and perfect obedience to God's will |
| Phil 2:8 | "And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." | Jesus' ultimate obedience |
| Rev 3:7 | "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one...'" | Jesus is intrinsically holy and true |
John 8 verses
John 8 55 Meaning
John 8:55 conveys Jesus' absolute and unique knowledge of God the Father, in direct contrast to the Jewish leaders' profound ignorance of Him. Jesus asserts that to deny His intimate knowledge of the Father would be a lie, placing Him on par with their own deceit. He substantiates His claim by demonstrating perfect obedience and fidelity to the Father's will and word. This verse establishes Jesus' unparalleled divine relationship and serves as a powerful testament to His truthful identity as the Son of God.
John 8 55 Context
John 8:55 is situated within an intense theological and personal confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem, particularly at the Feast of Tabernacles. The preceding verses (John 8:48-54) depict the leaders slandering Jesus, calling Him a Samaritan and demon-possessed. Jesus responds by honoring His Father and clarifying His identity, leading to His assertion in verse 54: "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God." Verse 55 directly follows, sharply contrasting the leaders' false claim of knowing God with Jesus' absolute and unique knowledge. This entire chapter focuses on Jesus' self-declaration as the Light of the World, His divine origin, His intimate relationship with the Father, and the resulting blindness and spiritual bondage of those who reject Him, accusing them of being children of the devil rather than Abraham. Historically and culturally, "knowing God" (יָדַע, yada in Hebrew context) meant not just intellectual understanding but a deep, personal, covenantal relationship evidenced by obedience. The Jewish leaders prided themselves on their heritage and adherence to the Law, believing they inherently knew God; Jesus challenges this by exposing their profound spiritual ignorance and unfaithfulness.
John 8 55 Word analysis
- You: Refers directly to the Jewish leaders and Pharisees with whom Jesus is engaged in intense debate. This direct address highlights the personal nature of the accusation.
- have not known him (οὐκ ἐγνώκατε αὐτόν - ouk egnōkate auton): "Known" (ginōskō) here implies an experiential, personal, and deep acquaintance, not just an intellectual awareness or superficial recognition. The perfect tense (egnōkate) signifies a lasting state: they have not known Him, and this state of not knowing continues. Jesus accuses them of lacking any true, intimate relationship with God, despite their religious claims.
- but I know him (ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ οἶδα αὐτόν - all' egō oida auton): "Know" (oida) often suggests an immediate, intuitive, and complete understanding, differing slightly from ginōskō which emphasizes acquired or relational knowledge, though both refer to deep understanding. Here, Jesus uses oida to underscore His inherent, complete, and unmediated knowledge of the Father. This is a divine prerogative He possesses.
- If I should say, 'I do not know him' (ἐὰν εἴπω ὅτι οὐκ οἶδα αὐτόν - ean eipō hoti ouk oida auton): Jesus postulates a hypothetical, contrasting it with His truth. It's an affirmation of His truthfulness by stating the unacceptable alternative.
- I would be a liar like you (ἔσομαι ψεύστης ὅμοιος ὑμῖν - esomai pseustēs homoios hymin): Jesus' strong counter-accusation. A "liar" (pseustēs) is one who deviates from truth. By stating this, Jesus explicitly aligns them with falsehood, echoing His earlier pronouncements (John 8:44) that their father is the devil, who is "a liar and the father of lies." This statement powerfully condemns their spiritual state and validates His own perfect veracity.
- but I do know him (ἀλλὰ οἶδα αὐτόν - alla oida auton): A strong reaffirmation of His deep, intrinsic knowledge of the Father. This is not just a claim but an attested reality central to His being and mission.
- and keep his word (καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τηρῶ - kai ton logon autou tērō): "Keep" (tēreō) means to observe, guard, preserve, or obey diligently. This isn't just passive retention but active, continuous adherence. "His word" (τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ) refers to the Father's commandments, teachings, and will. This perfect obedience is presented as the undeniable evidence, the concrete proof, of Jesus' true, intimate, and experiential knowledge of the Father. Unlike the Jewish leaders, who failed to keep God's word despite claiming to know Him, Jesus' actions align perfectly with His words.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "You have not known him, but I know him": This striking antithesis forms the core claim, setting up a fundamental distinction between human ignorance and divine intimacy. The direct contrast highlights Jesus' unique position as the Son who intimately knows the Father, something beyond human capacity apart from revelation.
- "If I should say, 'I do not know him,' I would be a liar like you; but I do know him, and keep his word": This phrase links truthfulness directly to the knowledge of the Father and obedience to His word. Jesus is contrasting Himself sharply with the spiritual hypocrisy of His accusers, whom He has just accused of being children of the devil, the father of lies (John 8:44). His perfect knowledge is underscored by His perfect, unbroken obedience, making His claim unimpeachable. The act of "keeping His word" serves as the verifiable demonstration and consequence of true knowledge.
John 8 55 Bonus section
The profound claim in John 8:55 – that Jesus knows the Father perfectly and demonstrates it by keeping His word – offers a template for true discipleship, albeit imperfectly achieved by humans. While we cannot know God in the same inherent and unique way as the Son, through Christ, believers are granted an experiential knowledge of God (John 17:3). This knowledge is likewise evidenced by keeping His commandments and abiding in His word, even though our obedience is a journey of sanctification, not absolute perfection as Christ's. Jesus here provides the ultimate criterion for authentic spiritual understanding: it is never merely intellectual assent, but a life characterized by intimate fellowship with God that is borne out in consistent, devoted obedience to His revealed will. The verse underscores the truth that mere religious profession, without true knowledge of God expressed in obedience, is empty and aligns with falsehood.
John 8 55 Commentary
John 8:55 is a pivotal declaration of Christ's unparalleled divine consciousness and obedience. In this verse, Jesus dismantles the Jewish leaders' false assumption of knowing God, which they predicated on their religious practices and Abrahamic lineage. He reveals their deep spiritual blindness, attributing their inability to understand Him to their ignorance of the Father Himself. Jesus’ double affirmation, "but I know him," with the strong adverb alla ("but indeed"), emphasizes the absolute certainty and uniqueness of His relationship. His knowing of the Father is not a learned knowledge but an intrinsic, pre-existent reality. The most profound evidence for His claim lies in His perfect submission: "and keep his word." Unlike the human condition where knowledge of God often falls short in practice, Jesus' life is a seamless tapestry of knowing and doing the Father's will. His continuous, unwavering obedience is the undeniable proof that His knowledge of God is complete and true, standing in stark contrast to those who claim to know God but live in disobedience and untruth. This verse encapsulates a core Johannine theme: that the Son perfectly reveals the Father, and this revelation is authenticated by His life of truth and obedience.