At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through the middle of them, and so passed by.
- KJV Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
- NKJV Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
- NASB Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.
- NLT At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.
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
Understanding his claim to deity, they pick up stones to kill him for blasphemy, but Jesus withdraws from the temple. His hour had not yet come.
Overview
The crowd recognizes Jesus' claim as a declaration of deity and reacts with an attempt to stone him for blasphemy. Yet Jesus is mysteriously hidden and departs, since the time of his death was not yet at hand. The episode confirms both the meaning of his "I AM" and the sovereign control he exercised over his own passion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 11:8“Rabbi,” they replied, “the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?”
- John 10:39–40At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.
- John 10:30–33I and the Father are one.”
- Lev 24:16Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
- Luke 4:29–30They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.
- Luke 24:31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.
- John 11:54As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
- John 12:36While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them.
- John 5:13But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while the crowd was there.
- Gen 19:11And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
- 2 Kgs 6:18–20As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
- Acts 7:57At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.
- John 18:31“You take Him and judge Him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “We are not permitted to execute anyone,” the Jews replied.
- Acts 8:39–40When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
- John 8:5–6In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?”
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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 8:59 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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