John 8:32

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
ye shall know	γνώσεσθε gnōsesthe	G1097	to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applicatio… · verb — future middle deponent indicative, 2nd person plural
the truth	ἀλήθειαν, alētheian	G225	truth · noun — accusative singular feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
the truth	ἀλήθεια alētheia	G225	truth · noun — nominative singular feminine
shall make	ἐλευθερώσει eleutherōsei	G1659	to liberate · verb — future active indicative, 3rd person singular
you	ὑμᾶς hymâs	G5209	you (as the objective of a verb or preposition)
free	ἐλευθερόω eleutheróō	G1659	to liberate

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
1 Peter 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Romans 6:14-18 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up th…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 8:31-37

We have in these verses, I. A comfortable doctrine laid down concerning the spiritual liberty of Christ's disciples, intended for the encouragement of those Jews that believed. Christ, knowing that his doctrine began to work upon some of his hearers, and perceiving that virtue had gone out of him, turned his discourse from the proud Pharisees, and addressed himself to those weak believers. When he had denounced wrath against those that were hardened in unbelief, then he spoke comfort to those few feeble Jews that believed in him. See here, 1. How graciously the Lord Jesus looks to those that tremble at his word, and are ready to receive it; he has something to say to those who have hearing e…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 8:31

Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed, &c.--The impression produced by the last words of our Lord may have become visible by some decisive movement, and here He takes advantage of it to press on them "continuance" in the faith, since then only were they His real disciples (compare Joh 15:3-8), and then should they experimentally "know the truth," and "by the truth be made (spiritually) free."

Adam Clarke on John 8:32

Ye shall know the truth - Shall have a constant experimental knowledge of its power and efficacy. And the truth shall make you free - It was a maxim of the Jews, "That no man was free, but he who exercised himself in the meditation of the law." No man is truly free, but he in whose heart the power of sin is destroyed, and who has received the Spirit of adoption, through which he cries, Abba! Father! See Rom 8:15. The bondage of sin is the most grievous bondage; and freedom from its guilt and influence is the greatest liberty.

John Gill on John 8:32

And ye shall know the truth,.... Either the truth of the Gospel, the truth as it is in Jesus; meaning, that they should have a larger knowledge of it, while others are ever learning, and never come to the knowledge of the truth; but the spirit of truth should lead them into all truth, and cause them to grow and increase in Gospel light and knowledge; or Jesus himself, who is the way, the truth, and the life; and the sense is, that they should know more of him, of the dignity of his person, of the nature and usefulness of his offices; of the efficacy of his blood, the excellency of his righteousness, and the fulness of his grace, and that for themselves: and the truth shall make you free; fr…

The Church Fathers

Someone might say, And what does it profit me to know the truth? "And the truth shall set you free." If the truth does not appeal to you, then let freedom have its charms. In the Latin we use the word free chiefly in the sense of escape from danger, relief from care. But the proper signification of "to be free" is "to be made free," just as "to be saved" is "to be made safe." … This is plainer in the Greek.
— Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 134.2

Our freedom comes when we subject ourselves to the truth. And this truth is our God who frees us from death, that is, from the condition of sin. For he himself spoke of this truth as a man among people when he spoke to those who believed: "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." For the soul enjoys nothing in freedom unless it enjoys it in peace.
— Augustine of Hippo, ON FREE WILL 2.13.37

And in Alcibiades he calls vice a servile thing, and virtue the attribute of freemen. "Take away from you the heavy yoke, and take up the easy one," says the Scripture; as also the poets call [vice] a slavish yoke. And the expression, "Ye have sold yourselves to your sins," agrees with what is said above: "Every one, then, who committeth sin is a slave; and the slave abideth not in the house for ever. But if the Son shall make you free, then shall ye be free, and the truth shall make you free."
— Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 2

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Bondage, Spiritual · The gospel, the instrument of deliverance from — The gospel, the instrument of deliverance from
Liberty · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Liberty, Christian · Conferred: Through the gospel — Conferred: Through the gospel
Perseverance · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Regeneration · 1:16,17,25;4:4;12:3;26:12;29:23;32:3,4,15,17;35:5,6;42:16;43:7;44:3-5;49:9;55:1-3; — 1:16,17,25;4:4;12:3;26:12;29:23;32:3,4,15,17;35:5,6;42:16;43:7;44:3-5;49:9;55:1-3;

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

John 8:32

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 8:31-37

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 8:31

Adam Clarke on John 8:32

John Gill on John 8:32

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John 8:32

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 8:31-37

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 8:31

Adam Clarke on John 8:32

John Gill on John 8:32

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on John 8:30-38

Tyndale Open Study Notes on John 8:31-32