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As he spoke these things, many believed in him.
John 8:30 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV As he spake these words, many believed on him.
  • BSB As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him.
  • NKJV As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
  • NASB As He said these things, many came to believe in Him.
  • NLT Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.

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

As Jesus spoke, many came to believe in him. His words drew faith even amid mounting opposition.

Overview

John notes a positive response: many believed as Jesus testified about himself and the Father. Yet the following verses will test the depth of this belief, distinguishing initial assent from persevering discipleship. The verse shows that Christ's word is the instrument God uses to awaken faith, even as it also exposes shallow responses.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • John 7:31But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, he won’t do more signs than those which this man has done, will he?”
  • John 2:23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.
  • John 6:14When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.”
  • John 10:42Many believed in him there.
  • John 11:45Therefore many of the Jews, who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.

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 8:30YouTube · 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 8:30 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.