John 7:51
New International Version
“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

New Living Translation
“Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.

English Standard Version
“Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

Berean Standard Bible
“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”

Berean Literal Bible
"Does our Law judge the man unless first it has heard from him and known what he does?"

King James Bible
Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?

New King James Version
“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”

New American Standard Bible
“Our Law does not judge the person unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”

NASB 1995
“Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”

NASB 1977
“Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”

Legacy Standard Bible
“Does our Law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?”

Amplified Bible
“Does our Law convict someone without first giving him a hearing and finding out what he is [accused of] doing?”

Christian Standard Bible
“Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?"”

American Standard Version
Doth our law judge a man, except it first hear from himself and know what he doeth?

Contemporary English Version
"Our Law doesn't let us condemn people before we hear what they have to say. We cannot judge them before we know what they have done."

English Revised Version
Doth our law judge a man, except it first hear from himself and know what he doeth?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Do Moses' Teachings enable us to judge a person without first hearing that person's side of the story? We can't judge a person without finding out what that person has done."

Good News Translation
"According to our Law we cannot condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done."

International Standard Version
"Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?"

Majority Standard Bible
“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”

NET Bible
"Our law doesn't condemn a man unless it first hears from him and learns what he is doing, does it?"

New Heart English Bible
"Does our Law judge a man, unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Doth our law judge any man before it heareth him, and knoweth what he doeth?

Weymouth New Testament
"Does our Law," he asked, "judge a man without first hearing what he has to say and ascertaining what his conduct is?"

World English Bible
“Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Does our law judge the Man, if it may not hear from Him first, and know what He does?”

Berean Literal Bible
"Does our Law judge the man unless first it has heard from him and known what he does?"

Young's Literal Translation
'Doth our law judge the man, if it may not hear from him first, and know what he doth?'

Smith's Literal Translation
Our law judges not a man, except it first hear from him, and know what he does.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth?

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Does our law judge a man, unless it has first heard him and has known what he has done?”

New American Bible
“Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?”

New Revised Standard Version
“Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Does our law convict a man, unless it first hears from him, and knows what he has done?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“Does our Written Law condemn a man unless one shall hear him first and know what he has done?”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Does our law condemn a man unless it first hear from him, and know what he does?

Godbey New Testament
Whether does our law judge a man, until it may first hear from him and know what he does?

Haweis New Testament
Doth our law condemn a man, without first hearing his defence, and knowing what he hath done?

Mace New Testament
said to them, said to them, doth our law condemn any man before he is heard, without knowing the fact?

Weymouth New Testament
"Does our Law," he asked, "judge a man without first hearing what he has to say and ascertaining what his conduct is?"

Worrell New Testament
"Does our law judge a man, unless it first hear from him, and know what he does?"

Worsley New Testament
being one of them, saith to them, Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he hath done?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked, 51“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?” 52“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 1:16-17
At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. / Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

Exodus 23:1
“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.

Exodus 23:2
You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

Exodus 23:7
Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

Proverbs 18:13
He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.

Proverbs 18:17
The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

Isaiah 11:3-4
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, / but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.

Isaiah 42:1-4
“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. / He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets. / A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. ...

Jeremiah 5:28
They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

Jeremiah 22:3
This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Acts 23:3
Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck.”

Acts 25:16
I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand a man over before he has had an opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.

John 5:30
I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 8:15-16
You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. / But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone; I am with the Father who sent Me.

John 8:46
Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?


Treasury of Scripture

Does our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he does?

Deuteronomy 1:17
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

Deuteronomy 17:8-11
If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose; …

Deuteronomy 19:15-19
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established…

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John 7
1. Jesus reproves the ambition and boldness of his kinsmen;
10. goes up from Galilee to the feast of tabernacles;
14. teaches in the temple.
40. Various opinions of him among the people.
45. The Pharisees are angry that their officers took him not,
50. and chide with Nicodemus for taking his side.














Does our law
This phrase refers to the Mosaic Law, which was the foundation of Jewish legal and religious life. The Greek word for "law" here is "νόμος" (nomos), which encompasses not only the written statutes but also the oral traditions and interpretations that had developed over centuries. The law was central to Jewish identity and governance, serving as a divine guide for justice and righteousness. In this context, Nicodemus, who is speaking, is appealing to the legal standards that were supposed to ensure fairness and justice, highlighting the importance of adhering to God's commandments in judicial matters.

convict a man
The Greek word for "convict" is "κρίνει" (krinei), which means to judge or condemn. This term implies a formal decision or verdict, often with legal consequences. In the Jewish legal system, conviction required a thorough examination of evidence and testimony. Nicodemus is questioning the legality and morality of condemning someone without a proper trial, emphasizing the need for justice and due process as prescribed by the law.

without first hearing from him
The phrase underscores the principle of audi alteram partem, a Latin term meaning "listen to the other side," which is a fundamental aspect of justice. The Greek word for "hearing" is "ἀκούσῃ" (akousē), which implies not just listening but understanding and considering the testimony of the accused. This reflects the biblical principle found in Deuteronomy 1:16, where judges are instructed to hear cases fairly. Nicodemus is advocating for this principle, reminding his peers of the necessity to hear Jesus' side before passing judgment.

to determine what he has done
This phrase involves the process of investigation and discernment. The Greek word "γινώσκει" (ginōskei) means to know or to ascertain. It suggests a thorough examination of facts and actions before reaching a conclusion. In the context of John 7, Nicodemus is urging the Sanhedrin to investigate Jesus' actions and teachings objectively. This reflects the biblical call for truth and justice, as seen in Proverbs 18:13, which warns against answering a matter before hearing it fully.

(51) Doth our law judge any man?--He identifies Himself with them. He, like they, is an expounder of the Law. The force of the question is in the word "Law," which they had used but the moment before in their scorn for the people who knew not the Law. "Well, this Law, which we do know and understand, doth it judge without open investigation?" Did they in their blind zeal forget such passages as Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 1:16-17; Deuteronomy 19:15? They had determined a death, and were seeking to carry their sentence into effect in direct contravention of the Law. This holy people, instructed in the Law--they were the Law-breakers.

Before it hear him.--The better reading is, unless it hear first from him.

And know what he doeth--i.e., know the deed for which he is tried.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“{Does} our
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

law
νόμος (nomos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3551: From a primary nemo; law, genitive case, specially, (including the volume); also of the Gospel), or figuratively.

convict
κρίνει (krinei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2919: Properly, to distinguish, i.e. Decide; by implication, to try, condemn, punish.

a man
ἄνθρωπον (anthrōpon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

without
μὴ (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

first
πρῶτον (prōton)
Adverb - Superlative
Strong's 4412: First, in the first place, before, formerly. Neuter of protos as adverb; firstly.

hearing
ἀκούσῃ (akousē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.

from
παρ’ (par’)
Preposition
Strong's 3844: Gen: from; dat: beside, in the presence of; acc: alongside of.

him
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
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.

to determine
γνῷ (gnō)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

what
τί (ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

he has done?”
ποιεῖ (poiei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.


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