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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.
John 8:2 · New American Standard Bible
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.
  • KJV 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me.
  • Luke 4:20He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.
  • Luke 21:37Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, and every night he would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet.
  • Matt 5:1–2Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
  • Luke 5:3He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
  • Jer 44:4However I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, “Oh, don’t do this abominable thing that I hate.”
  • John 8:20Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as he taught in the temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
  • John 4:34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.
  • Jer 25:3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years, Yahweh’s word has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; but you have not listened.
  • Eccl 9:10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.

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.