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And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
John 8:2 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them.
  • BSB Early in the morning He went back into the temple courts. All the people came to Him, and He sat down to teach them.
  • NKJV Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
  • NASB And early in the morning He came again into the temple area, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began teaching them.
  • NLT but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them.

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

Early in the morning Jesus returned to the temple, where all the people gathered, and He sat down to teach them. He resumes His public ministry of teaching.

Overview

Part of the disputed passage (7:53-8:11), this verse shows Jesus, as a recognized teacher, seated to instruct the crowds in the temple. His faithful, public teaching draws the people and sets the stage for the test the religious leaders are about to bring. The scene highlights Jesus' role as the authoritative teacher who instructs God's people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • Matt 26:55In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
  • Luke 4:20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
  • Luke 21:37And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.
  • Matt 5:1–2And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
  • Luke 5:3And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
  • Jer 44:4Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
  • John 8:20These 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.
  • John 4:34Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
  • Jer 25:3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
  • Eccl 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

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 8:2YouTube · 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 8:2 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.