John 8 · Verse 11

John 8:11

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
John 8:11, King James Version

John 8:11 in other translations

BSB“No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”
WEBShe said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
ASVAnd she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.]
YLTand she said, ‘No one, Sir;' and Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I pass sentence on thee; be going on, and no more sin.'
DARBYAnd she said, No one, sir. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
BBEAnd she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, And I do not give a decision against you: go, and never do wrong again.
WebsterShe said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

What does John 8:11 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verse 11. Neither do I condemn thee. This is evidently to be taken in the sense of judicial condemnation, or of passing sentence as a magistrate, for this was what they had arraigned her for. It was not to obtain his opinion about adultery, but to obtain the condemnation of the woman. As he claimed no civil authority, he said that he did not exercise it, and should not condemn her to die. In this sense the word is used in the previous verse, and this is the only sense which the passage demands. Besides, what follows shows that this was his meaning.

Go, and sin no more. You have sinned. You have been detected and accused. The sin is great. But I do not claim power to condemn you to die, and, as your accusers have left you, my direction to you is that you sin no more. This passage therefore teaches us,

1st. That Jesus claimed no civil authority.

2nd. That he regarded the action of which they accused her as sin.

3rd. That he knew the hearts and lives of men.

4th. That men are often very zealous in accusing others of that of which they themselves are guilty. And,

5th. That Jesus was endowed with wonderful wisdom in meeting the devices of his enemies, and eluding their deep-laid plans to involve him in ruin. It should be added that this passage, together with the last verse of the preceding chapter, has been by many critics thought to be spurious. It is wanting in many of the ancient manuscripts and versions, and has been rejected by Erasmus, Calvin, Beza, Grotius, Wetstein, Tittman, Knapp, and many others. It is not easy to decide the question whether it be a genuine part of the New Testament or not. Some have supposed that it was not written by the evangelists, but was often related by them, and that after a time it was recorded and introduced by Papias into the sacred text.

(c) "Neither do I condemn" Jn 3:17 (d) "and sin no more" Jn 5:14

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 Neither do I condemn thee - Bishop Pearce says: "It would have been strange if Jesus, when he was not a magistrate, and had not the witnesses before him to examine them, and when she had not been tried and condemned by the law and legal judges, should have taken upon him to condemn her. This being the case, it appears why Jesus avoided giving an answer to the question of the scribes and Pharisees, and also how little reason there is to conclude from hence that Christ seems in this case not enough to have discouraged adultery, though he called it a sin. And yet this opinion took place so early among the Christians, that the reading of this story was industriously avoided, in the lessons recited out of the Gospels, in the public service of the churches; as if Jesus's saying, I do not condemn thee, had given too much countenance to women guilty of that crime. In consequence of this, as it was never read in the churches, and is now not to be found in any of the Evangelistaria, and as it was probably marked in the MSS. as a portion not to be read there, this whole story, from Joh 8:1-11, inclusive, came, in length of time, to be left out in some MSS., though in the greater part it is still remaining." Thus far the judicious and learned bishop. How the passage stands in all the MSS. hitherto collated may be seen in Wetstein and Griesbach. After weighing what has been adduced in favor of its authenticity, and seriously considering its state in the MSS., as exhibited in the Var. Lect. of Griesbach, I must confess, the evidence in its favor does not appear to me to be striking. Yet I by no means would have it expunged from the text. Its absence from many MSS., and the confused manner in which it appears in others, may be readily accounted for on the principles laid down by Bishop Pearce above. It may however be necessary to observe, that a very perfect connection subsists between Joh 7:52 and Joh 8:12 - all the intermediate verses having been omitted by MSS. of the first antiquity and authority. In some MSS. it is found at the end of this Gospel; in others a vacant place is left in this chapter; and in others it is placed after the 21st chapter of Luke. See at the end of this chapter.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 8:1-11

Christ neither found fault with the law, nor excused the prisoner's guilt; nor did he countenance the pretended zeal of the Pharisees. Those are self-condemned who judge others, and yet do the same thing. All who are any way called to blame the faults of others, are especially concerned to look to themselves, and keep themselves pure. In this matter Christ attended to the great work about which he came into the…

Read the full comment on John 8:1-11 →

John 8:11 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἡhē<the>G3588
δὲdeAndG1161
εἶπεν,eipenshe said,G2036
οὐδείς,oudeisNo [one],G3762
κύριε.kurieSir.G2962
εἶπενeipenSaidG2036
δὲdethenG1161
αὐτῇautēato herG846
ὁho<the>G3588
Ἰησοῦς,IēsousJesus,G2424
οὐδὲoudeNeitherG3761
ἐγώegōI myselfG1473
σεseyouG4771
κατακρίνω·katakrinōdo condemn;G2632
πορεύουporeuoudo goG4198
καὶkaiandG2532
μηκέτιmēketino moreG3371
ἁμάρτανε.¶]]hamartanedo sin.G264

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 8:11

  • John 3:17

    For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

  • John 5:14

    Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

  • Isaiah 1:16-18

    Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

  • John 8:15

    Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

  • Luke 15:7

    I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

  • Luke 5:32

    I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

  • Job 34:31

    Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

  • Proverbs 28:13

    He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

  • 1 Timothy 1:15-16

    This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

  • Romans 2:4

    Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

  • Luke 13:3

    I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

  • Ezekiel 18:30-32

    Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neither.
15; 3:17; 18:36; De 16:18; 17:9; Lu 9:56; 12:13,14; Ro 13:3,4
1Co 5:12
go.
5:14; Job 34:31; Pr 28:13; Isa 1:16-18; 55:6; Eze 18:30-32
Mt 21:28-31; Lu 5:32; 13:3,5; 15:7,10,32; Ro 2:4; 5:20,21
1Ti 1:15,16; 2Pe 3:15; Re 2:21,22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 8:10

    When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

  • John 8:11

    She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

  • John 8:12

    Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Read all of John 8

John 8:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y ella dijo: Señor, ninguno. Entonces Jesús le dijo: Ni yo te condeno: vete, y no peques más.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et elle dit: Nul, Seigneur. Et Jésus lui dit: Moi non plus, je ne te condamne pas; va, – dorénavant ne pèche plus.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Sie aber sprach: Niemand, Herr. Jesus aber sprach zu ihr: So verurteile auch ich dich nicht; gehe hin und sündige nicht mehr.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quæ dixit: Nemo, Domine. Dixit autem Jesus: Nec ego te condemnabo: vade, et jam amplius noli peccare.