And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me.
- BSB But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone; I am with the Father who sent Me.
- NKJV And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
- NASB But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.
- NLT And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me.
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 affirms that if He does judge, His judgment is true because He is not alone but acts with the Father who sent Him. His judgments carry divine authority and validity.
Overview
Building on the previous verse, Jesus declares that any judgment He renders is true because it is shared with the Father. This unity of Father and Son grounds the reliability of His verdict. It assures readers that Christ's authority to judge is not self-derived but rooted in His perfect union with God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 8:29And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
- Acts 17:31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
- John 5:22–30For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
- John 16:32Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
- Isa 32:1–2Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
- 1 Sam 16:7But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
- Zech 9:9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
- Ps 98:9Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
- Isa 11:2–5And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
- Ps 99:4The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
- Rev 19:11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
- Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
- Ps 45:6–7Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
- Isa 9:7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
- Ps 72:1–2Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.
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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 8:16 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.