Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’
Parallel translations
- KJV Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
- BSB Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’?
- NKJV Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’ ?
- NASB Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law: ‘I said, you are gods’?
- NLT Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus answers by quoting Psalm 82, 'I said, you are gods.' He begins an argument from their own Scriptures.
Overview
Jesus cites the psalm where human judges are called 'gods' because they represented God's authority. This sets up an argument from lesser to greater. He appeals to Scripture they revered to rebut the charge of blasphemy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 82:6–7I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.
- Exod 7:1Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
- Ps 82:1A Psalm by Asaph. God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.
- Exod 4:16He will be your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God.
- Ps 138:1By David. I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.
- Exod 22:28“You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
- John 12:34The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”
- John 8:17It’s also written in your law that the testimony of two people is valid.
- John 15:25But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’
- Rom 3:10–19As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.
- 1 Cor 14:21In the law it is written, “By men of strange languages and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people. Not even thus will they hear me, says the Lord.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 10:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.