John 8:44

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Ye	ὑμεῖς hymeîs	G5210	you (as subjective of verb)
are	ἐστέ esté	G2075	ye are
of	ἐκ ek	G1537	literal or figurative · preposition
father	πατρὸς patros	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine
the devil	διαβόλου diabolou	G1228	a traducer · adjective — genitive singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
the lusts	ἐπιθυμίας epithumias	G1939	a longing (especially for what is forbidden) · noun — accusative plural feminine
your	ὑμῶν hymōn	G5216	of (from or concerning) you
father	πατρὸς patros	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine
ye will	θέλετε thelete	G2309	to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person plural
do	ποιεῖν. poiein	G4160	to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — present active infinitive
He	ἐκεῖνος ekeinos	G1565	that one (or (neuter) thing) · demonstrative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
was	ἦν ēn	G2258	I (thou
a murderer	ἀνθρωποκτόνος anthrōpoktonos	G443	a manslayer · noun — nominative singular masculine
from	ἀπ᾽ ap᾽	G575	"off · preposition
the beginning	ἀρχῆς archēs	G746	(properly abstract) a commencement · noun — genitive singular feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
abode	ἔστηκεν, estēken	G2476	to stand (transitively or intransitively) · verb — perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
the truth	ἀληθείᾳ alētheia	G225	truth · noun — dative singular feminine
because	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
there is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
no	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
truth	ἀλήθεια alētheia	G225	truth · noun — nominative singular feminine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
him	αὐτῷ. autō	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine
When	ὅταν hotan	G3752	whenever (implying hypothesis or more or less uncertain… · conjunction
he speaketh	λαλῇ lalēa	G2980	to talk · verb — present active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
a lie	ψεῦδος, pseudos	G5579	a falsehood · noun — accusative singular neuter
speaketh	λαλεῖ, lalei	G2980	to talk · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
of	ἐκ ek	G1537	literal or figurative · preposition
his own	ἰδίων idiōn	G2398	pertaining to self · adjective — genitive plural neuter
for	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
he is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
a liar	ψεύστης pseustēs	G5583	a falsifier · noun — nominative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
the father	πατὴρ patēr	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine
of it	αὐτοῦ. autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular neuter

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

Acts 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert…
1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s…
1 John 3:8-10 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he mi…
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that…
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the…
John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
John 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 8:38-47

Here Christ and the Jews are still at issue; he sets himself to convince and convert them, while they still set themselves to contradict and oppose him. I. He here traces the difference between his sentiments and theirs to a different rise and origin (Joh 8:38): I speak that which I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have seen with your father. Here are two fathers spoken of, according to the two families into which the sons of men are divided - God and the devil, and without controversy these are contrary the one to the other. 1. Christ's doctrine was from heaven; it was copied out of the counsels of infinite wisdom, and the kind intentions of eternal love. (1.) I speak that whic…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 8:44

Ye are of your father the devil--"This is one of the most decisive testimonies to the objective (outward) personality of the devil. It is quite impossible to suppose an accommodation to Jewish views, or a metaphorical form of speech, in so solemn an assertion as this" [ALFORD]. the lusts of your father--his impure, malignant, ungodly propensities, inclinations, desires. ye will do--are willing to do; not of any blind necessity of nature, but of pure natural inclination. He was a murderer from the beginning--The reference is not to Cain (as LOCKE, DE WETTE, ALFORD, &c.), but to Adam [GROTIUS, CALVIN, MEYER, LUTHARDT, &c.]. The death of the human race, in its widest sense, is ascribed to…

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Adam Clarke on John 8:44

Ye are of your father the devil - Ye are the seed of the old serpent. See on Joh 8:37 (note). The lusts of your father - Like father like son. What Satan desires, ye desire; because ye are filled with his nature. Awful state of unregenerate men! They have the nearest alliance to Satan; they partake of his nature and have in them the same principles and propensities which characterize the very nature and essence of the devil! Reader, canst thou rest in this state? Apply to God, through Christ, that thou mayest be born again. He was a murderer from the beginning - It was through him that Adam transgressed; in consequence of which death entered into the world, and slew him and all his posterity…

The Church Fathers

Our Lord being the truth, and the Son of the true God, spoke the truth; but the Jews, being the sons of the devil, were averse to the truth; and this is why our Lord says, Because I tell you the truth, ye believe not.
— Alcuin of York ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

If, on the contrary, it had been only the Son of God, most likely I should never have condescended to deal with Him." However, he is himself a liar from the beginning, and whatever man he instigates in his own way; as, for instance, Praxeas.
— Tertullian, Against Praxeas

And the reason why truth is not in him is that he has been deceived and accepts lies, and he has himself been deceived by himself. On this basis he is considered to be worse than the rest of these who are deceived, since they are deceived by him, but he creates his own deception himself.
— Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 20.244

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

Lie — An intentional violation of the truth. Lies are emphatically condemned in Scripture (John 8:44; 1 Tim. 1:9, 10; Rev. 21:27; 22:15). Mention is made of the lies told by good men, as by Abraham (Gen.…
Murder — Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of…
Serpent — (Heb. nahash; Gr. ophis), frequently noticed in Scripture. More than forty species are found in Syria and Arabia. The poisonous character of the serpent is alluded to in Jacob’s blessing on Dan (Gen.…
Deceit · Exemplified: The devil — Exemplified: The devil
Devil, The · The wicked: Do the lusts of — The wicked: Do the lusts of
Falsehood · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Liars · Satan, a — Satan, a
Lust · Evil — Evil
Lying · The devil, the father of — The devil, the father of
Murder · Characteristic of the devil — Characteristic of the devil
Satan · The father of all lies — The father of all lies
Self-Righteousness · .Pharisees — .Pharisees
Sin · Is of the devil

John 8:44

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 8:38-47

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 8:44

Adam Clarke on John 8:44

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John 8:44

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 8:38-47

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 8:44

Adam Clarke on John 8:44

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on John 8:44

John Calvin on John 8:43-45

Tyndale Open Study Notes on John 8:44