KJV: I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
YLT: 'I have known that ye are seed of Abraham, but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you;
Darby: I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word has no entrance in you.
ASV: I know that ye are Abraham's seed: yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not free course in you.
| Οἶδα | I know |
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Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular Root: οἶδα Sense: to see. |
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| ὅτι | that |
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Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
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| σπέρμα | seed |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular Root: σπέρμα Sense: from which a plant germinates. |
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| Ἀβραάμ | of Abraham |
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Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular Root: Ἀβραάμ Sense: the son of Terah and the founder of the Jewish nation. |
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| ἐστε | you are |
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Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural Root: εἰμί Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present. |
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| ζητεῖτέ | you seek |
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Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural Root: ζητέω Sense: to seek in order to find. |
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| με | Me |
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Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my. |
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| ἀποκτεῖναι | to kill |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active Root: ἀποκτείνω Sense: to kill in any way whatever. |
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| ὅτι | because |
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Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
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| λόγος | word |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: λόγος Sense: of speech. |
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| ὁ | - |
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Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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| ἐμὸς | of Me |
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Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Masculine 1st Person Singular Root: ἐμός Sense: my, mine, etc. |
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| χωρεῖ | receives a place |
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Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: χωρέω Sense: to leave space (which may be filled or occupied by another), to make room, give place, yield. |
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Greek Commentary for John 8:37
As at the recent feast (John 7:20, John 7:25, John 7:30, John 7:32; John 8:20). Some of these very professed believers were even now glowering with murderous vengeance. Hath not free course in you Intransitive use of χωρεω chōreō old verb from χωρος chōros (space, place), to have space or room for. They would not abide in Christ‘s word (John 8:31). They had no longer room for his word when once they understood the spiritual aspect of his message. Jerusalem was now just like Galilee once before (John 6:60-66). [source]
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]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 8:37
Martha probably did not understand all that Jesus said and meant, but she did believe in the future resurrection, in eternal life for believers in Christ, in the power of Christ to raise even the dead here and now. She had heroic faith and makes now her own confession of faith in words that outrank those of Peter in Matthew 16:16 because she makes hers with her brother dead now four days and with the hope that Jesus will raise him up now. I have believed (πιστευω pepisteuka). Perfect active indicative of οτι συ ει ο Χριστος ο υιος του τεου pisteuō It is my settled and firm faith. Peter uses this same tense in John 6:69. That thou art the Son of God (ο εις τον κοσμον ερχομενος hoti su ei ho Christos ho huios tou theou). The Messiah or the Christ (John 1:41) was to be also “the Son of God” as the Baptist said he had found Jesus to be (John 1:34), as Peter confessed on Hermon for the apostles (Matthew 16:16), as Jesus claimed to be (John 11:41) and confessed on oath before Caiaphas that he was (Matthew 26:63.), and as John stated that it was his purpose to prove in his Gospel (John 20:31). But no one said it under more trying circumstances than Martha. Even he that cometh into the world (ho eis ton kosmon erchomenos). No “even” in the Greek. This was a popular way of putting the people‘s expectation (John 6:14; Matthew 11:3). Jesus himself spoke of his coming into the world (John 9:39; John 16:28; John 8:37). [source]
Imperfect active of ζητεω zēteō graphic picture of increased and untiring effort “to kill him” John repeats this clause “they sought to kill him” in John 7:1, John 7:19, John 7:25; John 8:37, John 8:40. Their own blood was up on this Sabbath issue and they bend every energy to put Jesus to death. If this is a passover, this bitter anger, murderous wrath, will go on and grow for two years. Not only brake the Sabbath Imperfect active of λυω luō He was now a common and regular Sabbath-breaker. Λυω Luō means to loosen, to set at naught. The papyri give examples of λυω luō in this sense like λυειν τα πεντη luein ta penthē (to break the period of mourning). This was the first grudge against Jesus, but his defense had made the offense worse and had given them a far graver charge. But also called God his own Father “His own” Ισος Isos is an old common adjective (in papyri also) and means equal. In Philemon 2:6 Paul calls the Pre-incarnate Christ ισα τεωι isa theōi “equal to God” (plural ισα isa attributes of God). Bernard thinks that Jesus would not claim to be ισος τεωι isos theōi because in John 14:28 he says: “The Father is greater than I.” And yet he says in John 14:7 that the one who sees him sees in him the Father. Certainly the Jews understood Jesus to claim equality with the Father in nature and privilege and power as also in John 10:33; John 19:7. Besides, if the Jews misunderstood Jesus on this point, it was open and easy for him to deny it and to clear up the misapprehension. This is precisely what he does not do. On the contrary Jesus gives a powerful apologetic in defense of his claim to equality with the Father (verses 19-47). [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]
Who is not Abraham and not God as Jesus plainly indicates. We were not born of fornication First aorist passive indicative of γενναω gennaō This they said as a proud boast. Jesus had admitted that they were physical (Deuteronomy 23:2) descendants of Abraham (John 8:37), but now denies that they are spiritual children of Abraham (like Paul in Romans 9:7). Πορνεια Porneia is from πορνος pornos (harlot) and that from περνημι pernēmi to sell, a woman who sells her body for sexual uses. It is vaguely possible that in this stern denial the Pharisees may have an indirect fling at Jesus as the bastard son of Mary (so Talmud). We have one Father, even God No “even” in the Greek, “One Father we have, God.” This in direct reply to the implication of Jesus (John 8:38) that God was not their spiritual Father. [source]
From χῶρος placeor space. Primarily, to leave a space, make room for. See on containing, John 2:6; see on John 8:37. The meaning here is make room for us. Rev., open your hearts to us, which is felicitous in view of the reference to 2 Corinthians 6:12. It is equivalent to saying enlarge your hearts to take us in, as our heart is enlarged (2 Corinthians 6:11). [source]
“These are.” This is Paul‘s astounding doctrine to Jews that the real sons of Abraham are those who believe as he did, “they which be of faith” (οι εκ πιστεως hoi ek pisteōs), a common idiom with Paul for this idea (Galatians 3:9; Romans 3:26; Romans 4:16; Romans 14:23), those whose spiritual sonship springs out of (εκ ek) faith, not out of blood. John the Baptist denounced the Pharisees and Sadducees as vipers though descendants of Abraham (Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7) and Jesus termed the Pharisees children of the devil and not spiritual children of Abraham (not children of God) in John 8:37-44. [source]
Not the personal Word, as John 1:1, but the divine message of the Gospel. See Luke 5:1; Luke 8:11; Acts 4:31; Acts 6:2, Acts 6:7, etc. Compare “the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). The truth is the substance of the word. The word carries the truth. The word both moves the man (John 8:31, John 8:32) and abides in him (John 5:38; John 8:37). The man also abides in the word (John 8:31). [source]