She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
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.
- BSB “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now 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.” ----------
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 didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
- John 5:14Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
- Isa 1:16–18Wash yourselves, make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil.
- John 8:15You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.
- Luke 15:7I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
- Luke 5:32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
- Prov 28:13He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
- Job 34:31“For has any said to God, ‘I am guilty, but I will not offend any more.
- 1 Tim 1:15–16The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
- Rom 2:4Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
- Luke 13:3I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
- Rom 5:20–21The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;
- Ezek 18:30–32“Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
- Luke 15:10Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”
- Luke 15:32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
- Luke 12:13–14One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
- Isa 55:6Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
- Matt 21:28–31But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’
- Deut 16:18You shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which Yahweh your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
- John 18:36Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.”
- Deut 17:9You shall come to the priests who are Levites, and to the judge who shall be in those days. You shall inquire, and they shall give you the verdict.
- Luke 13:5I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”
- Rom 13:3–4For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the same,
- Rev 2:21–22I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
- 2 Pet 3:15Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you;
- 1 Cor 5:12For what do I have to do with also judging those who are outside? Don’t you judge those who are within?
- Luke 9:56For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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.