And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
Parallel translations
- WEB The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle,
- BSB The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them
- NKJV Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
- NASB Now the scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in the act of adultery, and after placing her in the center of the courtyard,
- NLT As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
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
The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and set her in the midst. They use her as bait to trap Jesus.
Overview
In this disputed passage, the religious leaders publicly shame the woman, treating her as a tool in their scheme against Jesus rather than as a person needing justice or mercy. Their action exposes hearts more concerned with discrediting Jesus than with true righteousness. The scene contrasts their cold manipulation with the mercy and wisdom Jesus will display.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 8:3 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.