He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as he taught in the temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
- KJV These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
- NKJV These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
- NASB These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple area; and no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come.
- NLT Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.
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 spoke these words in the treasury while teaching in the temple, yet no one arrested Him because His hour had not come. Divine timing again shielded Him.
Overview
John notes the public setting of Jesus' bold teaching and reiterates that His enemies could not seize Him before the appointed time. The recurring theme of Jesus' 'hour' emphasizes that His arrest and death would occur according to the Father's plan, not human initiative. This assures readers that even amid mounting hostility, God remained sovereignly in control.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- John 7:30So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
- Mark 12:41As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts.
- John 7:8Go up to the feast on your own. I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”
- Mark 12:43Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury.
- Matt 27:6The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
- John 7:44Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.
- Luke 20:19When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
- Luke 13:31–33At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.”
- John 8:59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.
- John 10:39At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.
- John 11:9–10Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world.
- 1 Chr 9:26But the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of the house of God.
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 8:20 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.