John 8:41
New International Version
You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

New Living Translation
No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”

English Standard Version
You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”

Berean Standard Bible
You are doing the works of your father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.”

Berean Literal Bible
You are doing the works of your father." Therefore they said to Him, "We have not been born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God."

King James Bible
Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

New King James Version
You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”

New American Standard Bible
You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.”

NASB 1995
“You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”

NASB 1977
“You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.”

Legacy Standard Bible
You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.”

Amplified Bible
You are doing the works of your [own] father.” They said to Him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one [spiritual] Father: God.”

Christian Standard Bible
You’re doing what your father does.” “We weren’t born of sexual immorality,” they said. “We have one Father—God.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You’re doing what your father does."” We weren’t born of sexual immorality,” they said. “We have one Father—God.”

American Standard Version
Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Contemporary English Version
But you are doing exactly what your father does." "Don't accuse us of having someone else as our father!" they said. "We just have one father, and he is God."

English Revised Version
Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You're doing what your father does." The Jews said to Jesus, "We're not illegitimate children. God is our only Father."

Good News Translation
You are doing what your father did." "God himself is the only Father we have," they answered, "and we are his true children."

International Standard Version
You are doing your father's actions." They told him, "We're not illegitimate children. We have one Father, God himself."

Majority Standard Bible
You are doing the works of your father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.”

NET Bible
You people are doing the deeds of your father." Then they said to Jesus, "We were not born as a result of immorality! We have only one Father, God himself."

New Heart English Bible
You do the works of your father." They said to him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God."

Webster's Bible Translation
Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Weymouth New Testament
You are doing the deeds of your father." "We," they replied, "are not illegitimate children. We have one Father, namely God."

World English Bible
You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
you do the works of your father.” They said, therefore, to Him, “We have not been born of whoredom; we have one Father—God”;

Berean Literal Bible
You are doing the works of your father." Therefore they said to Him, "We have not been born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God."

Young's Literal Translation
ye do the works of your father.' They said, therefore, to him, 'We of whoredom have not been born; one Father we have -- God;'

Smith's Literal Translation
Ye do the works of your father. Then said they to him, We have not been born of fornication; for we have one Father, God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
You do the works of your father. They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication: we have one Father, even God.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You do the works of your father.” Therefore, they said to him: “We were not born out of fornication. We have one father: God.”

New American Bible
You are doing the works of your father!” [So] they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.”

New Revised Standard Version
You are indeed doing what your father does.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But you do the works of your father. They said to him, We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, God.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“But you are doing the deeds of your father.” They were saying to him, “We are not from fornication; we have one father, God.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
You do the works of your father. They said to him: We were not born of lewdness; we have one father, God.

Godbey New Testament
You are doing the works of your father. They said to Him, We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, God.

Haweis New Testament
Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We are not born of whoredom; we have one Father, even God.

Mace New Testament
your actions are like your father, at this they reply'd, we are no bastards; we have but one father, even God.

Weymouth New Testament
You are doing the deeds of your father." "We," they replied, "are not illegitimate children. We have one Father, namely God."

Worrell New Testament
Ye do the works of your father." They say to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father?God."

Worsley New Testament
But ye do the works of your father. Then said they unto Him, We are not born of fornication, we have one Father, even God.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Children of the Devil
40But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41You are doing the works of your father.” “We are not illegitimate children, they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.…

Cross References
John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:39
“Abraham is our father,” they replied. “If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham.

John 8:42
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

John 8:47
Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Romans 9:8
So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.

Galatians 3:7
Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham.

Galatians 4:22-31
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. / His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born through the promise. / These things serve as illustrations, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery: This is Hagar. ...

Matthew 3:9
And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

Luke 3:8
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

Romans 2:28-29
A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. / No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.

1 John 3:10
By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Genesis 17:7
I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Genesis 18:19
For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.

Isaiah 63:16
Yet You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.


Treasury of Scripture

You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

do.

John 8:38,44
I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father…

We be.

Isaiah 57:3-7
But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore…

Ezekiel 23:45-47
And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands…

Hosea 1:2
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

we have.

Exodus 4:22
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Deuteronomy 14:1
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

Isaiah 63:16
Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

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John 8
1. Jesus delivers the woman taken in adultery.
12. He declares himself the light of the world, and justifies his doctrine;
31. promises freedom to those who believe;
33. answers the Jews who boasted of Abraham;
48. answers their reviling, by showing his authority and dignity;
59. and slips away from those who would stone him.














You are doing the works of your father
This phrase is a direct accusation from Jesus to the Jewish leaders, suggesting that their actions align with a different spiritual lineage than they claim. The Greek word for "works" is "erga," which implies deeds or actions that are a manifestation of one's character or nature. In the context of the Gospel of John, "father" often refers to spiritual lineage, and here, Jesus implies that their actions are not of God but of another father, hinting at a more sinister influence, which He later identifies as the devil (John 8:44). This statement challenges the leaders to reflect on the true source of their motivations and actions.

We are not illegitimate children
The Jewish leaders respond defensively, asserting their legitimacy. The term "illegitimate" in Greek is "porneia," which can refer to unlawful or immoral relations. Historically, the Jewish people prided themselves on their covenant relationship with God, tracing their lineage back to Abraham. This claim of legitimacy is not just about physical descent but also about spiritual and covenantal fidelity. The leaders are asserting their identity as God's chosen people, yet Jesus challenges them to consider whether their actions truly reflect that identity.

Our only Father is God Himself
This declaration is a bold assertion of monotheism and covenant identity. The Greek word for "Father" is "Pater," which in Jewish thought, especially in the context of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), emphasizes the unique and singular relationship between God and Israel. By claiming God as their only Father, the leaders are asserting their exclusive devotion and relationship with Yahweh. However, Jesus' dialogue throughout John 8 questions the authenticity of this claim, suggesting that true sonship to God is demonstrated through faith in Him and alignment with His will, as revealed in Jesus Christ. This statement invites readers to examine the depth and authenticity of their own relationship with God, beyond mere heritage or tradition.

(41) Ye do the deeds of your father.--It is better to read works rather than "deeds," as in John 8:39. They did not the works of Abraham. They did the works of that father, who is now more clearly pointed out, but still not named. Before, when he was referred to (John 8:38), they could answer that Abraham was their father; but their works prove that they are not the true children of Abraham (John 8:39-40). They see that a spiritual father is intended, and they will claim God as their Father.

We be not born of fornication.--The meaning of this is to be found in the fact that the word became in the Old Testament prophets a frequent symbol for idolatry. Comp. Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; Jeremiah 3:8-9; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 1:2 (especially), 4:12, and 5:7.) They, as distinguished from the nations among whom they dwelt, had maintained a pure monotheism, and had never been idolaters, or children born of spiritual fornication. . . .

Verse 41. - Instead of doing the works of Abraham, you are doing the works of your father. That is, you have a father with whom you are, nevertheless, in living, ethical relation. If you persist in boasting of your father, who is neither "the Father" nor Abraham, I must soon tell you who that father is. Loud interruption followed. Abrupt and startling was the retort: We are [were] not born of fornication; we have one Father, God. Many expositors think that these Jews began to babble against the possibility of their being bastard children of Sarah, or to protest that they were not Ishmaelites or any collateral branch of the seed of Abraham, like the Idumaeans or the sons of Keturah. This is far away from the context, and unworthy of the controversy. The idea is sufficiently explained by the second clause. The covenant relation between Jehovah and Israel is so constantly referred to in the Old Testament (Hosea 1:2; Hosea 2:4; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20) under the image of marriage and the unfaithfulness of particular generations to Jehovah; and their false worship and idolatry are so often regarded as "fornication" and "adultery" from God, the Husband of the dedicated spouse, so that nothing is more probable, when Jesus charged them with doing the works of their father, that they should have exclaimed, "Surely we have no idolatrous sympathies. None but Jehovah is our God. Thou must not charge us with any compromise with the accursed thing." The wild rage which the Jews had shown to Pilate in the matter of the shields, their abhorrence of the defilement of idols in the matter of food, their avoidance even of the supreme court of Roman justice under fear of idolatrous contamination, explain the outflash of this indignant rejoinder. This view is, in the main, advocated by De Wette, Lampe, Lucke, Lange, and Hengstenberg; but opposed by Meyer, Westcott: "We do not owe our position to idolatrous desertion of Jehovah. We are the offspring of the union of God with his chosen people. Our spiritual descent is as pure as our historical descent." Godet modifies it: "We have no idolatrous blood in our veins; we are Hebrews of the Hebrews." They claim to be the children of God, as well as children of Abraham (Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 63:16; Malachi 2:10).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
You
ὑμεῖς (hymeis)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

are doing
ποιεῖτε (poieite)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
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.

the
τὰ (ta)
Article - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

works
ἔργα (erga)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2041: From a primary ergo; toil; by implication, an act.

of
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

your
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

father.”
πατρὸς (patros)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

“We
Ἡμεῖς (Hēmeis)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

are not illegitimate children,”
γεγεννήμεθα (gegennēmetha)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Passive - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1080: From a variation of genos; to procreate; figuratively, to regenerate.

they declared.
Εἶπαν (Eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“Our
ἔχομεν (echomen)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

only
ἕνα (hena)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1520: One. (including the neuter Hen); a primary numeral; one.

Father
Πατέρα (Patera)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

[is] God [Himself].”
Θεόν (Theon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.


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