KJV: They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
YLT: They answered him, 'Seed of Abraham we are; and to no one have we been servants at any time; how dost thou say -- Ye shall become free?'
Darby: They answered him, We are Abraham's seed, and have never been under bondage to any one; how sayest thou, Ye shall become free?
ASV: They answered unto him, We are Abraham's seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Ἀπεκρίθησαν | They answered |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Plural Root: ἀποκρίνομαι Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer. |
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πρὸς | unto |
Parse: Preposition Root: πρός Sense: to the advantage of. |
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Σπέρμα | Seed |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular Root: σπέρμα Sense: from which a plant germinates. |
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Ἀβραάμ | of Abraham |
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular Root: Ἀβραάμ Sense: the son of Terah and the founder of the Jewish nation. |
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ἐσμεν | we are |
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural Root: εἰμί Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present. |
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οὐδενὶ | to no one |
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Singular Root: οὐδείς Sense: no one, nothing. |
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δεδουλεύκαμεν | have we been under bondage |
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural Root: δουλεύω Sense: to be a slave, serve, do service. |
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πώποτε | ever |
Parse: Adverb Root: πώποτε Sense: ever, at any time. |
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πῶς | How |
Parse: Adverb Root: πῶς Sense: how, in what way. |
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λέγεις | say |
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to say, to speak. |
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ὅτι | - |
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
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Ἐλεύθεροι | Free |
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ἐλεύθερος Sense: freeborn. |
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γενήσεσθε | you will become |
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 2nd Person Plural Root: γίνομαι Sense: to become, i. |
Greek Commentary for John 8:33
“We are Abraham‘s seed,” the proudest boast of the Jews, of Sarah the freewoman and not of Hagar the bondwoman (Galatians 4:22.). Yes, but the Jews came to rely solely on mere physical descent (Matthew 3:9) and so God made Gentiles the spiritual children of Abraham by faith (Matthew 3:7; Romans 9:6.). And have never yet been in bondage to any man Perfect active indicative of δουλευω douleuō to be slaves. This was a palpable untruth uttered in the heat of controversy. At that very moment the Jews wore the Roman yoke as they had worn that of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Alexander, the Ptolemies, the Syrian (Seleucid) kings. They had liberty for a while under the Maccabees. “These poor believers soon come to the end of their faith” (Stier). But even so they had completely missed the point in the words of Jesus about freedom by truth. [source]
Rev., better, have never yet been in bondage; thus giving the force of the perfect tense, never up to this time, and of the πώ , yet. In the light of the promises given to Abraham, Genesis 17:16; Genesis 22:17, Genesis 22:18, the Jews claimed not only freedom, but dominion over the nations. In their reply to Jesus they ignore alike the Egyptian, Babylonian, and Syrian bondage, through which the nation had successively passed, as well as their present subjection to Rome, treating these merely as bondage which, though a fact, was not bondage by right, or bondage to which they had ever willingly submitted, and, therefore, not bondage in any real sense. Beside the fact that their words were the utterance of strong passion, it is to be remembered that the Romans, from motives of policy, had left them the semblance of political independence. As in so many other cases, they overlook the higher significance of Jesus' words, and base their reply on a technicality. These are the very Jews who believed Him (John 8:31). Stier remarks: “These poor believers soon come to the end of their faith.” The hint of the possible inconstancy of their faith, conveyed in the Lord's words if ye abide in my word, is thus justified. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 8:33
Rev., hath not free course, or maketh no way. This rendering is in harmony with John 8:30, John 8:31, concerning those who believed, but did not believe on Him, and who showed by their angry answer, in John 8:33, that the word of Jesus had made no advance in them. The rendering of the A.V. is not supported by usage, though Field (“Otium Norvicense”) cites an undoubted instance of that sense from the Epistles of Alciphron, a post-Christian writer, who relates the story of a parasite returning gorged from a banquet and applying to a physician, who administered an emetic. The parasite, describing the effect of the medicine, says that the doctor wondered where such a mess had place ( ἐχώρησε ). For the rendering of the Rev., compare Aristophanes: πῶς οὖν οὐ χωρεῖ τοὔργον ; “How is it that the work makes no progress? ” (“Peace,” 472). Plutarch, ἐχώρει διὰ τῆς πόλεως ὁ λόγος , “the word: (or report) spread (or advanced) through the city (“Caesar,” 712). [source]
They saw the implication and tried to counter it by repeating their claim in John 8:33 which was true so far as physical descent went as Jesus had admitted (John 8:37). If ye were Strictly, “if ye are” as ye claim, a condition of the first class assumed to be true. Ye would do Read by C L N and a corrector of Aleph while W omits αν an This makes a mixed condition (protasis of the first class, apodosis of the second. See Robertson, Grammar, p. 1022). But B reads ποιειτε poieite like the Sin. Syriac which has to be treated as imperative (so Westcott and Hort). [source]
Compare Matthew 3:9; John 8:33; Romans 9:7; Romans 11:1; Galatians 3:16; Hebrews 2:16. The three names are arranged climactically, Hebrews pointing to the nationality; Israelites to the special relation to God's covenant; seed of Abraham to the messianic privilege. Compare with the whole, Philemon 3:4, Philemon 3:5. [source]
Τεκνίον , little child, diminutive of τέκνον childoccurs in John 8:33; 1 John 2:12, 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:7, 1 John 3:18; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:21. This particular phrase is found only here (best texts omit my in 1 John 3:18). Used as a term of affection, or possibly with reference to the writer's advanced age. Compare Christ's word, παιδία children(John 21:5) which John also uses (1 John 2:13, 1 John 2:18). In the familiar story of John and the young convert who became a robber, it is related that the aged apostle repaired to the robber's haunt, and that the young man, on seeing him, took to flight. John, forgetful of his age, ran after him, crying: “O my son why dost thou fly from me thy father? Thou, an armed man, - I, an old, defenseless one! Have pity upon me! My son, do not fear! There is still hope of life for thee. I wish myself to take the burden of all before Christ. If it is necessary, I will die for thee, as Christ died for us. Stop! Believe! It is Christ who sends me.” [source]
As already shown. A life of sin is proof that one is a child of the devil and not of God. This is the line of cleavage that is obvious to all. See John 8:33-39 for the claim of the Pharisees to be the children of Abraham, whereas their conduct showed them to be children of the devil. This is not a popular note with an age that wishes to remove all distinctions between Christians and the world. [source]