John 8 - NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
8:5 such women. The law did command stoning adulterers, but this included men and not just “such women” (Lev 20:10; Dt 22:22). One cannot evade the oft-observed point that if the woman was caught in the act of adultery, a male adulterer must have also been present when they caught her.
8:6 a trap . . . a basis for accusing him. Roman law forbade executing anyone without the governor’s permission, making death sentences for adultery impossible to carry out. If Jesus as a prophet of restoration insists on following Biblical teaching about stoning, as his critics may expect him to, he can be accused to the authorities as undermining Roman order. write on the ground. Apart from scribes, most people in antiquity did not manually write much; in rural areas, many could barely write their own names. What is written here is probably brief, however. Speculations about what Jesus writes abound: For example, before announcing sentences, Roman judges would write them down (the Greek term for writing used here is appropriate for that function). A text such as Ex 20:17 (“You shall not covet . . . your neighbor’s wife”) might have drawn attention to their own sin (cf. Ex 31:18). Perhaps he wrote what he also said, or perhaps he was conspicuously ignoring them. Perhaps he wrote nothing but simply (as the Greek term can also mean) drew figures; e.g., one could draw a circle in making an ultimatum (though no such ultimatum is expressed here). Since the narrator offers few clues, the content of the writing might be beside the narrative’s point.
8:7 any one of you who is without sin. Although some writers made exceptions for a few earlier figures such as Abraham, for the most part Jewish thinkers acknowledged that everyone sinned.
8:12 light of the world. Jerusalem was lit up at night most prominently during the Festivals of Tabernacles and Dedication (10:22); the lighting ceremony and dancing were key elements in celebrating Tabernacles. Jewish teachers applied the metaphor of light, including the “light of the world,” to many positive people and things. A more specific allusion here could be to the “light to the nations” (NIV “a light for the Gentiles”) in Isa 42:6 and Isa 49:6, where it refers to the mission of God’s servant (see note on Mt 12:18–21). Cf. Jn 1:9 and note on 1:4–5.
8:17 two witnesses. The law mandated a minimum of two or three witnesses (Dt 17:6; especially Dt 19:15). Pharisaic tradition made this requirement even more strict (for the purpose of making conviction more difficult).
8:19 Where is your father? The point of Jesus’ critics may be that one cannot appeal to a witness who cannot be questioned in court. Cf. also note on v. 41. Jesus’ point, however, may be that God’s testimony is available to all who truly listen to him.
8:20 in the temple courts . . . where the offerings were put. Temples in the ancient world doubled as banks, since they were considered the safest place to deposit money because their ground was sacred. People also dedicated sacrifices and, with regard to Jerusalem’s temple, donated resources. The temple treasury (where money was stored) was adjacent to the court of women. Most of the festivities of the Festival of Tabernacles (see note on v. 12) occurred in the court of women.
8:22 Will he kill himself? Because in v. 21 Jesus’ “going” contrasts with them dying in sin, they rightly understand him speaking of death, but ironically (and perhaps somewhat maliciously) misunderstand how (cf. 10:18; 12:32–33; 13:1; 16:17). Romans and Greek thinkers approved of suicide under some circumstances, but conservative Jewish tradition more commonly disapproved of the practice.
8:23 I am from above. Jewish apocalypses contrasted heavenly and earthly spheres, but no mere human would claim to be “from above.” Such language did, however, suit divine Wisdom (see note on 3:13).
8:24 die in your sins. Jewish tradition often recognized that people could repent of sins only until death. Sages sometimes employed riddles and wordplays. I am he. The phrase here can also mean simply “I am” (cf. the Septuagint, the pre-Christian Greek translation, of Isa 43:10: “that you may know and believe . . . that I am”). See note on v. 58.
8:28 lifted up. Also in 3:14; 12:32. This may echo Isa 52:13, a passage quickly followed by Isa 53, a passage that describes Christ as the suffering servant (on early Christian application of Isaiah’s servant to Jesus, see note on Mt 12:18–21).
8:31 If you hold to my teaching. For conversion to Judaism, for joining individual Jewish movements (such as the Qumran community), and for ancient schools of thought in general, joining without persevering in the teaching was pointless.
8:32 the truth will set you free. Ancient thinkers regularly applied the concept of freedom figuratively, e.g., to freedom from false ideologies or from dependence on others.
8:33 never been slaves of anyone. For free persons, the title “slave” functioned as an insult, and so could generate resentment. Yet Jewish tradition recognized that Israel had been subject to (hence, in Jewish parlance, enslaved to) multiple empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece and now Rome (based on the usual first-century understanding of Da 7:17).
8:34 a slave to sin. Philosophers spoke of freedom from passion, and Jewish teachers of freedom from sin. In general, Jewish teachers acknowledged that everyone sinned sometimes, but they believed that study of the Torah could give power to overcome sin.
8:35 a slave has no permanent place . . . but a son belongs . . . forever. Slaves were sometimes sold; more often, they were set free, which was common, e.g., in Rome and was required under certain circumstances in Jewish law. Sons remained part of a household unless (and this was rare) they were disinherited.
8:37 Abraham’s descendants. Jewish tradition emphasized Abraham’s righteousness—in contrast to their current behavior.
8:39 Abraham’s children . . . do what Abraham did. One could speak of a genetic ancestor (as in v. 37) or a figurative ancestor whose ways one imitated and whose character one exemplified (as in vv. 38, 40).
8:41 We are not illegitimate children. Jewish people recognized that they were children of Abraham through Jacob’s line (already in the OT, see, e.g., Ex 4:22; Hos 11:1). To be children of another father could imply that their mother was sexually immoral. Some think that they are taunting Jesus here with a charge of uncertain parentage (cf. Mt 1:23).
8:42 If God were your Father. Not only do they not reflect the ancestral character of Abraham (vv. 39–40), but they do not reflect God’s character either. Rather, they reflect someone else’s character (v. 44).
8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning. Jewish tradition depicted the devil as a liar who deceived Eve, and therefore also as the first murderer, who brought death on the human race. (Cf. note on 1Jn 3:12.) In ancient legal debates, the accused often returned the charges against the accuser (cf. Jn 7:20), thus challenging their motives for the lawsuit.
8:46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? In judicial rhetoric, the accused often charged that the accusers had failed to prove their case. The defense also emphasized that the character of the accused was beyond reproach, so the accusations were inconsistent with what was known of the accused.
8:48 In heated courtroom rhetoric, opposing sides often traded the same charges against each other (see note on v. 44). Samaritan. Jewish people would consider the label “Samaritan” an insult (see the article “Samaria and Samaritans”); they denied that Samaritans were full descendants of Abraham (see note on v. 41). demon-possessed. See note on 7:20.
8:51 whoever obeys my word will never see death. God’s word endures forever (Isa 40:8), further identifying Jesus’ “word” with God’s (Jn 8:47).
8:52 Are you greater than our father Abraham? While exalting Abraham and the prophets, Jewish tradition acknowledged their mortality (unlike what Greeks did with some of their heroes). Yet no mere descendant of Abraham would be expected to be greater than Abraham himself, since descendants could not exist without their ancestors.
8:54 If I glorify myself . . . My Father . . . glorifies me. Despite the frequency of male ambition and rivalry in the ancient Mediterranean world, explicit boasting was often considered inappropriate; appealing to someone else’s approval, however, was acceptable. Because God does not share his glory (Isa 42:8; 48:11), appealing to God’s approval could imply Jesus’ deity if other factors in the context (such as Jn 8:58) support this implication. A central component of God’s covenant promise was that he would be Israel’s God (e.g., Ex 6:7; Jer 11:4; 30:22; Eze 36:28); failure to “know” him, however, meant that they had breached the covenant (cf. Jer 31:31–34; see note on Jn 7:28–29).
8:56 Abraham rejoiced at . . . seeing my day. Jewish tradition elaborated Abraham’s vision in Ge 15:13–21, contending that he foresaw not only the captivity in Egypt but other future kingdoms and finally God’s kingdom. John’s Gospel alludes also to the Biblical visions of Moses (see note on 1:14–18) and Isaiah (see note on 12:41).
8:57 not yet fifty. Jesus’ critics imply that he was nowhere near old enough for Abraham to have seen him, but might also implicitly question his credibility; age was respected more than youth. Cf. Lk 3:23.
8:58 I am! Jesus claims more than that he was before Abraham; “I am” is a divine title (Ex 3:14). A later Jewish source claims that during this festival, the Festival of Tabernacles (Jn 7:2), priests recited God’s claim in Isa 43:10, 13. In the Septuagint, the pre-Christian Greek translation, of Isa 43:10, God declares, “I am.” Jesus’ critics would not miss his point (see their response in Jn 8:59).
8:59 picked up stones to stone him. Stoning was a standard expression of mob violence in the ancient Mediterranean world; even inside cities or near buildings, ancient sources show us that mobs usually found stones to throw. Stoning was appropriate for blasphemy (Lev 24:16, 23), which is how Jesus’ hearers here understand him. Yet John’s audience might recall that God’s disobedient people had previously threatened to stone God’s servants (Ex 17:4; Nu 14:10). hid himself. Greek myths and pagan magic often spoke of invisibility, but that idea is unlikely here. The temple was large and thronged with people, making blending into a crowd easy (cf. Josephus, Antiquities 20.164–165; Wars 2.255). For Jesus’ escape, cf. perhaps Jer 36:26 (implying divine action).
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