(43-25a)
For this week’s study:
- Any time you read or study the Bible, always start with prayer, asking God to guide you, so you understand God’s message and learn His methods for living.
- Read John 7:53–8:11 several times using your Bible, and the two translations provided below, to understand the boundaries, content and flow of the study passage. (Reading the passage once a day from any of those translations is recommended.)
- Read and respond to the “Study Guide” and use the “Study Resources” provided below to learn more from this study passage.
Does John 7:53—8:11 belong in the Bible?
” … the earliest (and many would say the most reliable) Greek manuscripts do not include the story of the woman taken in adultery.
The Greek manuscripts show fairly clear evidence that John 7:53—8:11 was not originally part of John’s Gospel. Among the manuscripts that do contain the section, either wholly or in part, there are variations of placement. Some manuscripts put the pericope adulterae after John 7:36, others after John 21:25, and some even place it in the Gospel of Luke (after Luke 21:38 or 24:53).”
See full article at https://www.gotquestions.org/John-7-53-8-11.html
Does John 7:53—8:11 belong in the Bible? (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2025,
from https://www.gotquestions.org/John-7-53-8-11.html.
In spite of this, many Bible scholars believe this story is authentic. It certainly contains no doctrinal error and fits with the character of Jesus and His teaching.
Norman L. Geisler and Thomas A. Howe, When Critics Ask :
A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992), 415.
~ ~ ~
“There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written.”
(John 21:25)
~ ~ ~
The reason for its insertion here may have been to illustrate 7:24 and 8:15 or, conceivably, the Jews’ sinfulness over against Jesus’ sinlessness (8:21, 24, 46).
D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary
(Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 334.
Most commentators today follow Calvin, who did not believe it belonged to John, but taught that it was true and edifying and therefore ought to be expounded.
Gordon J. Keddie, A Study Commentary on John: John 1–12, vol. 1 of EP Study Commentary (Darlington, England; Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press, 2001), 311.
Read the Passage
Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)
John 7:53–8:11 (BSB)
<53>Then each went to his own home.
The Woman Caught in Adultery
8 <1>But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
<2>Early in the morning He went back into the temple courts.1 All the people came to Him, and He sat down to teach them. <3>The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them <4>and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. <5>In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?”
<6>They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.
<7>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.” <8>And again He bent down and wrote on the ground.
<9>When they heard this,2 they began to go away one by one, beginning with the older ones, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there. <10>Then Jesus straightened up 3 and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers?494 Has no one condemned you?”
<11>“No one, Lord,” she answered.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”
Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*
John 7:53–8:11 (WCA)5
<53>Then everyone went back to their own homes.
John 8
‘I give you a fresh start!’
<1> Jesus, however, went to the Mount of Olives. <2>At dawn the next day, he went into the temple courts. Many people gathered round him there, and he sat down to teach them.
<3>While Jesus was teaching, the religious leaders—the teachers of the law and the Pharisees—brought in a woman who had been caught having sex with a man who wasn’t her husband. They pushed her forward to stand in front of the whole group. She felt humiliated as everyone looked at her. <4>The religious leaders said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught having sex with a man who wasn’t her husband. <5>Now the law of Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what have you got to say about this? What do you think should happen to her? <6>The religious leaders asked Jesus this question to put him on the spot, to trap him in order to find some reason to bring charges against him.
A tense silence came over the whole group. How would he respond? Would he side with the religious leaders and stone her, so not forgiving her? Or would he agree with the ordinary people and release her, so setting aside the law? Jesus then did something strange that captured the attention of everyone present. Rather than answer his accusers directly, he bent down and began to use his finger to write in the dust.
<7>But the religious leaders kept on at him to answer their question, ‘What are you going to do with this woman?’ Finally, Jesus stood up and spoke these words to all of them, ‘Whoever among you who has never sinned, whose life has been completely pure, then let them come and be the first to throw a stone at her.’ That was it. You could have cut the air with a knife. Jesus had gone directly to the deepest issue, that each of us sins. <8>When he had finished speaking these words, he again bent down to write in the dust.
<9>Slowly and one by one, those who heard him say those words quietly left, with the older ones going first, as they were most aware of their sin. Finally, it was just the two of them: only Jesus and the woman standing near him. Everyone else had left. <10>Jesus stood up and asked her, ‘Woman, where is everyone? Has no one thrown a stone to condemn you?’
<11>The woman replied, ‘No, no one has condemned me, Sir.’
Jesus spoke to her lovingly and firmly, ‘Then neither do I condemn you. Go now. Leave your old ways, the way of sin. Live a new life. I give you a fresh start!’
* Words in italics are not translated from the original Greek text. They have been added to explain and at times apply the text, much as a preacher does on a Sunday or notes do at the foot of the page in a study Bible. These additions are integrated with the text itself, and are in italics, so readers can see what has been explained, changed or added.
Study the Passage
Study Guide
How does this encounter illustrate the balance between justice and mercy in Christian doctrine?
In what ways can we cultivate an attitude of compassion and understanding toward those struggling with sin?
How can we apply the principle of mercy demonstrated by Jesus in our own interactions with others who have sinned?
In what ways might the message of ‘going and sinning no more’ challenge our daily lives and decisions?
How can this story encourage us to confront our own sins before judging others?
Study Resources
To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/7/John-7-53.html. Read the commentary of each verse in the study passage. (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)
If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.
If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage. Also check out any maps, charts and articles related to the study passage.
Footnotes:
- 8:2 Literally the temple; also in verse 20 ↩︎
- 8:9 NE, BYZ, and TR include and were convicted by their conscience, ↩︎
- 8:10 NE, BYZ, and TR include and saw no one but the woman. ↩︎
- 8:10 WH and NA where are they ↩︎
- Although the passage up to the end of verse 11 may not have been written by John, it seems likely that this event happened during Jesus’ ministry. ↩︎
Thessalonian Faith 