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“No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”
John 8:11 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
  • KJV She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
  • ESV She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]
  • NKJV She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
  • NASB She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on do not sin any longer.”]]
  • NLT “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” ----------

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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

She answers that no one condemned her, and Jesus says neither does He condemn her, telling her to go and sin no more. He grants mercy while calling her to a transformed life.

Overview

Jesus, the only one with the right to condemn, instead offers forgiveness, displaying the grace that marks His mission. Yet His mercy is not permission to continue in sin; His command to 'sin no more' calls for genuine repentance and changed living. This balance of grace and holiness beautifully pictures the gospel, where forgiveness in Christ leads to a new life of obedience.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 27

  • John 3:17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
  • John 5:14Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”
  • Isa 1:16–18Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
  • John 8:15You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
  • Luke 15:7In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent.
  • Luke 5:32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
  • Prov 28:13He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
  • Job 34:31Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have endured my punishment; I will offend no more.
  • 1 Tim 1:15–16This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
  • Rom 2:4Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
  • Luke 13:3No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
  • Rom 5:20–21The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
  • Ezek 18:30–32Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.
  • Luke 15:10In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
  • Luke 15:32But it was fitting to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
  • Luke 12:13–14Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
  • Isa 55:6Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
  • Matt 21:28–31But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
  • Deut 16:18You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
  • John 18:36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
  • Deut 17:9You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
  • Luke 13:5No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
  • Rom 13:3–4For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.
  • Rev 2:21–22Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.
  • 2 Pet 3:15Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.
  • 1 Cor 5:12What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
  • Luke 9:56And He and His disciples went on to another village.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 8:11YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 8:11 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.