John 8:45
in John 8But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But because I say the truth, ye believe me not.
KJV
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
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This verse in John 8
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Origen of AlexandriaCOMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 20.268-70, 274-75 · Written before 253.
We must question how he says, to people who believe in him, "because I speak the truth, you do not believe in me." Consider whether it is possible to believe in someone in one particular aspect but not to believe in another aspect. For instance, one could believe that Jesus was crucified in Judea in the time of Pontius Pilate but not believe that he was born of the Virgin Mary. This one believes and disbelieves in the same person.
This site's exposition
because I speak the truth
on John 8:45-47
Truth-telling usually wins a hearing, and here it costs Him one. He asks which of them can prove Him guilty of sin, and no accuser in the room takes it up. Hearing the words of God marks out the man who belongs to God.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not." What kind of consequence is this? "Having no charge against Me, ye desire to kill Me. For because ye are enemies of the truth, therefore ye persecute Me. Since had this not been the reason, ye would have named your charge." Wherefore He added, "Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" Then they said, "We be not born of fornication." Yet in fact many of them were born of fornication, for they practiced unbefitting unions. Still He doth not convict them of this, but setteth Himself to the other point. For when He hath proved them to be, not of God, but of the devil, by all these signs, (for to do murder is of the devil, and to lie is of the devil, both which ye do,) then He showeth that to love is the sign of being of God.
The Medieval Church4 voices
"But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me," and thus you hate the truth: the Psalm: "O sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart?" And because they could say: we do not disbelieve on account of hatred of …
After mentioning some characteristics of the devil, he then shows that the Jews are imitating these. Our Lord ascribed two kinds of evil to the devil, murder and lying. He reproved them before for their imitation of one of these, namely, murder: "Now you seek …
Our Lord being the truth, and the Son of the true God, spoke the truth; but the Jews, being the sons of the devil, were averse to the truth; and this is why our Lord says, Because I tell you the truth, ye believe not.
But you do not believe Me, because I speak the truth. Having nothing to accuse Me of other than the truth, you rise up against Me for this very reason, as sons of the father of lies.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And because I tell you the truth,.... And no lie, the whole truth of the Gospel, and particularly the truth of his divine sonship: ye believe me not; to such an infatuation and judicial blindness were they give up, to disbelieve him, because he told the truth, and to believe a lie, that they might be damned; which showed them to be the children of the devil, and under his power and influence.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God." There are things taught in this passage of Scripture which are peculiarly truth for the times. Well would it be for the Churches if all Christians would ponder carefully the matter which it contains.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God." There are things taught in this passage of Scripture which are peculiarly truth for the times. Well would it be for the Churches if all Christians would ponder carefully the matter which it contains. We are taught for one thing the ignorant self-righteousness of the natural man. We find the Jews pluming themselves on their natural descent from Abraham, as if that must of necessity, cover all deficiencies—"Abraham is our father." We find them going even further than this, and claiming to be God's special favorites and God's own family—"We have one Father, even God." They forgot that fleshly relationship to Abraham was useless, unless they shared Abraham's grace. They forgot that God's choice of their father to be head of a favored nation was never meant to carry salvation to the children, unless they walked in their father's footsteps. All this in their blind self-conceit they refused to see. "We are Jews. We are God's children. We are the true Church. We are in the covenant. We must be all right." This was their whole argument! Strange as it may seem, there are multitudes of so-called Christians who are exactly like these Jews. Their whole religion consist of a few notions neither wiser nor better than those propounded by the enemies of our Lord. They will tell you "that they are regular Church people; they have been baptized; they go to the Lord's table"—but they can tell you no more. Of all the essential doctrines of the Gospel they are totally ignorant. Of faith, and grace, and repentance, and holiness, and spiritual mindedness they know nothing at all.
The words behind it
9 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐγὼ | ego | I myself | G1473 → | 839 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | because | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀλήθειαν | aletheian | truth | G225 → | 109 times |
| λέγω, | lego | speak, | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| πιστεύετέ | pisteuete | you do believe | G4100 → | 237 times |
| μοι. | moi | Me! | G3165 → | 1936 times |
ἐγὼI myself
egoG1473 →839 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
ὅτιbecause
hotiG3754 →1292 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
ἀλήθειανtruth
aletheianG225 →109 times
λέγω,speak,
legoG3004 →1325 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
πιστεύετέyou do believe
pisteueteG4100 →237 times
μοι.Me!
moiG3165 →1936 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 18:37“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone…
it leads to
- John 8:47
Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
- 1 John 4:6
We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
- John 8:14
Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or…
- John 10:26–27
But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
- John 8:47
Through
Galatians 4:16Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
it leads to
- Amos 5:10
There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.
- Proverbs 9:8
Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
- Galatians 5:7
You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?
- Amos 5:10
Through
2 Thessalonians 2:10and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
Where this verse is studied
About John
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Alcuin of York, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 8; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of John 54; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 20.268-70, 274-75; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.