When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”
- KJV So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
- NKJV So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
- NASB When they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
- NLT They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
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
When they persisted, Jesus said that the one without sin among them should throw the first stone. He upholds the law while exposing the accusers' own guilt.
Overview
Jesus' famous reply neither denies the law nor dismisses the woman's sin, but confronts the accusers with their own sinfulness. By requiring a sinless accuser to cast the first stone, He calls for self-examination before condemnation. This wisdom magnifies both the holiness of God's law and the mercy of Christ, who alone is without sin and yet does not condemn the repentant.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Matt 7:1–5“Do not judge, or you will be judged.
- Rom 2:21–25you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
- Rom 2:1–3You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
- Deut 17:6–7On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.
- Matt 23:25–28Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
- Col 4:6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
- Heb 4:12–13For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- Ps 50:16–20To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?
- Rev 2:16Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.
- Prov 26:4–5Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him.
- 1 Cor 14:24–25But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all,
- Rev 19:15And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
- Rev 1:16He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Jer 23:29“Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”
- Prov 12:18Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
- John 7:46“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.
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 8:7 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.