Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Parallel translations
- WEB The Jews therefore said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
- BSB Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”
- NKJV Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
- NASB So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”
- NLT The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?”
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 hearers scoff that Jesus, not yet fifty, could not have seen Abraham. They take his words literally and miss his claim to eternal existence.
Overview
Misunderstanding Jesus, they point to his relatively young age to ridicule any claim of seeing Abraham. Their objection sets up the staggering reply to come. The verse shows how thoroughly his opponents fail to perceive his divine, eternal nature.
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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 8:57 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
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