John 8 · Verse 42

John 8:42

Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
John 8:42, King James Version

John 8:42 in other translations

BSBJesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.
WEBTherefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me.
ASVJesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I came forth and am come from God; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me.
YLTJesus then said to them, ‘If God were your father, ye were loving me, for I came forth from God, and am come; for neither have I come of myself, but He sent me;
DARBYJesus said to them, If God were your father ye would have loved me, for I came forth from God and am come from him; for neither am I come of myself, but he has sent me.
BBEJesus said to them, If God was your Father you would have love for me, because it was from God I came and am here. I did not come of myself, but he sent me.
WebsterJesus said to them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

What does John 8:42 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 8:42-43
42-43. If God were your Father, ye would love me--"If ye had anything of His moral image, as children have their father's likeness, ye would love Me, for I am immediately of Him and directly from Him." But "My speech" (meaning His peculiar style of expressing Himself on these subjects) is unintelligible to you because ye cannot take in the truth which it conveys.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 42. If God were your Father. If you had the spirit of God, or love to him, or were worthy to be called his children.

Ye would love me. Jesus was "the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person," Heb 1:3. "Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him," 1Jn 5:1. From this we see,

1st. That all who truly love God, love his Son Jesus Christ.

2nd. That men that pretend that they love God, and reject his Son, have no evidence that they are the friends of God.

3rd. That those who reject the Bible cannot be the friends of God. If they loved God, they would love Him who came from him, and who bears his image.

(o) "If God" Jn 17:8,25

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 42 If God were your Father, ye would love me - I came from God, and it would be absurd to suppose that you would persecute me if you were under the influence of God. The children of the same father should not murder each other.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 8:41-47

Satan prompts men to excesses by which they murder themselves and others, while what he puts into the mind tends to ruin men's souls. He is the great promoter of falsehood of every kind. He is a liar, all his temptations are carried on by his calling evil good, and good evil, and promising freedom in sin. He is the author of all lies; whom liars resemble and obey, with whom all liars shall have their portion for…

Read the full comment on John 8:41-47 →

John 8:42 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.

ΕἶπενEipenSaidG2036
οὖνounthereforeG3767
αὐτοῖςautoisto themG846
ὁho<the>G3588
Ἰησοῦς·IēsousJesus;G2424
εἰeiIfG1487
ὁho<the>G3588
θεὸςtheosGodG2316
πατὴρpatērFatherG3962
ὑμῶνhumōnof youG4771
ἦν,ēnwere,G1510
ἠγαπᾶτεēgapateyou were lovingG25
ἂνanthen wouldG302
ἐμέ·emeMe myself;G1473
ἐγὼegōI myselfG1473
γὰρgarforG1063
ἐκekfromG1537
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦtheouGodG2316
ἐξῆλθονexēlthoncame forthG1831
καὶkaiandG2532
ἥκω.hēkōam here.G2240
οὐδὲoudenotG3761
γὰρgarforG1063
ἀπ᾽ap᾽byG575
ἐμαυτοῦemautouMyselfG1473
ἐλήλυθα,elēluthahave I come,G2064
ἀλλ᾽all᾽butG235
ἐκεῖνόςekeinosHeG1565
μεmeMeG3165
ἀπέστειλεν.apesteilensent.G649

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

Cross references for John 8:42

  • John 12:49

    For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

  • John 14:10

    Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

  • John 17:8

    For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

  • John 17:25

    O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

  • John 15:23-24

    He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

  • Malachi 1:6

    A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

  • John 1:14

    And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

  • 1 John 5:1-2

    Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

  • 1 John 4:14

    And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

  • John 5:43

    I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

  • 1 Corinthians 16:22

    If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.

  • John 7:28-29

    Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
If.
5:23; 15:23,24; Mal 1:6; 1Co 16:22; 1Jo 5:1,2
for.
1:14; 16:27,28; 17:8,25; Re 22:1
neither.
5:43; 7:28,29; 12:49; 14:10; 17:8,25; Ga 4:4; 1Jo 4:9,10,14

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

Context

  • John 8:41

    Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

  • John 8:42

    Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

  • John 8:43

    Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Read all of John 8

John 8:42 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Jesús entonces les dijo: Si vuestro padre fuera Dios, ciertamente me amaríais: porque yo de Dios he salido, y he venido; que no he venido de mí mismo, mas él me envió.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Jésus leur dit: Si Dieu était votre père, vous m’aimeriez, car moi je procède de Dieu et je viens de lui; car je ne suis pas venu de moi-même, mais c’est lui qui m’a envoyé.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jesus sprach zu ihnen: Wenn Gott euer Vater wäre, so würdet ihr mich lieben, denn ich bin von Gott ausgegangen und gekommen; denn ich bin auch nicht von mir selbst gekommen, sondern er hat mich gesandt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixit ergo eis Jesus: Si Deus pater vester esset, diligeretis utique et me; ego enim ex Deo processi, et veni: neque enim a meipso veni, sed ille me misit.