John 15:22
New International Version
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

New Living Translation
They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

English Standard Version
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Berean Standard Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

Berean Literal Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

King James Bible
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

New King James Version
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

New American Standard Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

NASB 1995
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

NASB 1977
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Legacy Standard Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Amplified Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Christian Standard Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin.

American Standard Version
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Contemporary English Version
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

English Revised Version
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If I hadn't come and spoken to them, they wouldn't have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

Good News Translation
They would not have been guilty of sin if I had not come and spoken to them; as it is, they no longer have any excuse for their sin.

International Standard Version
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

Majority Standard Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

NET Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.

New Heart English Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Webster's Bible Translation
If I had not come and spoken to them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

Weymouth New Testament
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin; but as the case stands they are without excuse for their sin.

World English Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
if I had not come and spoken to them, they were not having sin; but now they have no pretext for their sin.

Berean Literal Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Young's Literal Translation
if I had not come and spoken to them, they were not having sin; but now pretext they have not for their sin.

Smith's Literal Translation
If I had not come and spoken to them, they had not sin and now they have no pretext for their sin.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If I had not come, and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Catholic Public Domain Version
If I had not come and had not spoken to them, they would not have sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

New American Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin; but as it is they have no excuse for their sin.

New Revised Standard Version
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would be without sin; but now they have no excuse for their sins.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“If I did not come speaking with them, they would have no sin, but now there is no covering for their sin.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Godbey New Testament
If I did not come and speak to them, they had not sin: now they have no excuse for their sin.

Haweis New Testament
Had I not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Mace New Testament
if I had not appear'd, and inform'd them, they would have been innocent: but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Weymouth New Testament
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin; but as the case stands they are without excuse for their sin.

Worrell New Testament
"Had I not come and spoken to them, they had not had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Worsley New Testament
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Hatred of the World
21But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.…

Cross References
Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

James 4:17
Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

Luke 12:47-48
That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. / But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.

John 9:41
“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

John 3:19-21
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. / Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. / But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

Matthew 11:20-24
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. / “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. / But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ...

Hebrews 10:26-27
If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, / but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.

Acts 17:30-31
Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. / For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

Ezekiel 3:18-19
If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood. / But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.

1 John 1:8-10
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. / If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. / If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.

John 12:37-40
Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. / This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” / For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: ...

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Isaiah 6:9-10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Jeremiah 5:21
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

Psalm 19:1-4
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. / Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. / Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard, ...


Treasury of Scripture

If I had not come and spoken to them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

they.

John 3:18-21
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God…

John 9:41
Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

John 12:48
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

cloke.

Romans 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Romans 2:1
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

1 Peter 2:16
As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

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Case Cloak Cloke Excuse Guilty However Pretext Reason Sin Stands Teacher
John 15
1. The union of Jesus and his members shown under the parable of a vine.
18. The hatred of the world.
26. The office of the Holy Spirit.














If I had not come
This phrase emphasizes the incarnation of Christ, the pivotal moment when God took on human flesh. The Greek word for "come" is "ἔρχομαι" (erchomai), which signifies not just arrival but an intentional coming with purpose. Historically, this reflects the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. Jesus' coming was a divine intervention in human history, marking a new covenant and offering salvation to all.

and spoken to them
The act of speaking here is significant. The Greek "λαλέω" (laleō) implies not just casual conversation but authoritative teaching. Jesus' words were not merely informative but transformative, carrying the weight of divine truth. In the historical context, Jesus' teachings challenged the religious leaders and the status quo, revealing the heart of God's law and the need for genuine repentance and faith.

they would not be guilty of sin
The phrase "guilty of sin" in Greek is "ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν" (hamartian ouk eichosan), which can be understood as "they would not have sin." This does not imply that they were sinless before Jesus spoke, but rather that their specific sin of rejecting Him would not be held against them. Theologically, this highlights the increased responsibility that comes with revelation. With greater knowledge of God's truth comes greater accountability.

But now they have no excuse
The Greek word for "excuse" is "πρόφασις" (prophasis), meaning a pretext or justification. Jesus' presence and words removed any pretense of ignorance. Historically, this reflects the Jewish leaders' rejection of Jesus despite the clear evidence of His messianic identity. In a broader sense, it underscores the universal truth that encountering Christ leaves one without excuse for unbelief.

for their sin
The term "sin" here, "ἁμαρτία" (hamartia), is a fundamental concept in Christian theology, denoting a failure to meet God's standard. In the scriptural context, this sin is specifically the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. This rejection is not just a personal failing but a communal one, as it reflects a broader resistance to God's redemptive plan. Theologically, it serves as a warning of the consequences of unbelief and the necessity of accepting Christ's offer of salvation.

(22) If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin.--In this and the following verses (John 15:22-25) our Lord shows the sinfulness of the world's hatred, because it was in the face of His revelation to them by both word (John 15:22) and work (John 15:24). Apart from this revelation, their sin would have belonged to the times of ignorance, which God overlooked (Acts 17:30-31). It would have been the negative evil of men who know not. It was now the positive evil of men who, knowing the truth, wilfully reject it.

But now they have no cloke for their sin.--Better, as in the margin, they have no excuse for their sin. The Greek phrase occurs only here in the New Testament. The word "cloke" as used with sin is familiar to us from the exhortation in the Book of Common Prayer. The idea is rather to cover up, to hide as with a garment, so that they may not be seen; whereas here the idea is of excuse for manifest sin.

Verse 22. - If I had not come, as the incarnate Word of God, if I had not fulfilled the promises and come forth from God into the world to reveal the Father, and spoken to them, made known to them the thought and Spirit of God, made it possible for them to know the essence of the only true God, they had had no sin; they would not have resisted the highest love, their alienation in this respect would not have been a violation of the most solemn and gracious demands of the Father. The greatest sin is the refusal of the most complete revelation, and by the side of this all other sin becomes comparatively trivial. Our Lord could not have spoken of the hatred of himself or his disciples (so Lucke and Meyer) as this sin, because it would have been obviously impossible to hate a non-existent revelation or revealer. It is the deeper fall which is consequent upon a deliberate rejection of the highest love. Formerly, they would have been in the condition of those whose sins of ignorance God overlooks (Acts 17:30), and to whose ἁμαρτήματα in the past God has exercised πάρεσις, in anticipation of the coming grace. But now (Luke in numerous places uses this expression to form a strong contrast) they have no excuse or pretext for their sin, or concerning their sin. They can plead no justification. The word πρόφασις is an λεγόμενον, and is not "cloak or covering," but "palliation or excuse" for manifest sin. So long as men have seen no deeper into the nature of God than they can go with the aid of mere phenomena or ratiocination on the details of creation, their fears and even their hatreds formulated into grim legend, or uncouth idols, or repellent hypothesis, are a natural outcome of a nature so corrupt; but they ought to have found in Christ a deeper revelation, a summons to service and adoring love. In rejecting the idea of God which I have set before them they have no excuse. St. Paul (Romans 1:20) declares that those who have defamed the great characteristic of God which may be learned from nature are without excuse. Certainly our Lord does not say this here.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
If
εἰ (ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

I had not come
ἦλθον (ēlthon)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

spoken
ἐλάλησα (elalēsa)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2980: A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.

to them,
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

they would not be guilty of sin.
εἴχοσαν (eichosan)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

Now,
νῦν (nyn)
Adverb
Strong's 3568: A primary particle of present time; 'now'; also as noun or adjective present or immediate.

however,
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

they have
ἔχουσιν (echousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

no
οὐκ (ouk)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

excuse
πρόφασιν (prophasin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4392: A pretext, an excuse. From a compound of pro and phaino; an outward showing, i.e. Pretext.

for
περὶ (peri)
Preposition
Strong's 4012: From the base of peran; properly, through, i.e. Around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.

their
αὐτῶν (autōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

sin.
ἁμαρτίας (hamartias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 266: From hamartano; a sin.


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