John 8:19

KJV

Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

KJV (with Strong's)

Then {G3767} said they {G3004} unto him {G846}, Where {G4226} is {G2076} thy {G4675} Father {G3962}? Jesus {G2424} answered {G611}, Ye {G1492} neither {G3777} know {G1492} me {G1691}, nor {G3777} my {G3450} Father {G3962}: if {G1487} ye had known {G1492} me {G1691},{G2532} ye should have known {G1492} my {G3450} Father {G3962} also {G302}.

Complete Jewish Bible

They said to him, “Where is this ‘father’ of yours?” Yeshua answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father too.”

Berean Standard Bible

“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him. “You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”

American Standard Version

They said therefore unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know neither me, nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
In John 8:19, Jesus confronts the spiritual blindness of the Jewish leaders who question His Father's identity, asserting that their failure to recognize Him directly correlates to their inability to know God the Father. This pivotal exchange underscores the inseparable unity between the Son and the Father, revealing that true knowledge of God is mediated exclusively through Jesus Christ, highlighting the profound implications of rejecting Jesus' divine claims.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated within a highly confrontational discourse between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities during the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Following Jesus' declaration as "the light of the world" in [John 8:12](/john/8-12 "John 8:12 - Jesus, the Light of the World"), He asserts the validity of His testimony because He knows His divine origin and destination ([John 8:14](/john/8-14 "John 8:14 - Jesus' Self-Testimony")). The leaders challenge His self-attestation, invoking the Mosaic Law's requirement for two witnesses. Jesus responds by stating that He is one witness, and His Father, who sent Him, is the other ([John 8:18](/john/8-18 "John 8:18 - The Father's Witness")). It is in this immediate aftermath, as they grasp for a way to discredit His claims, that they pose the challenging question, "Where is thy Father?" Their question is not a genuine inquiry but a hostile attempt to expose what they perceive as a lack of legitimate authority or divine backing, perhaps even hinting at illegitimacy of birth, a common slander against Jesus.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The setting is the Temple treasury, a public area where much teaching and debate occurred. The Jewish leaders, primarily Pharisees, were deeply rooted in the Law and tradition, often viewing themselves as the custodians of God's truth. Their worldview was shaped by a strict monotheism and a profound reverence for God, whom they believed could only be known through the Law and the Temple system. The concept of God having a "Son" in the divine sense, or a man claiming a unique, intimate relationship with God as "Father" in a way that implied equality, was blasphemous to them. Their question "Where is thy Father?" could also be interpreted as a demand for Jesus to produce His divine witness, or perhaps a veiled insult regarding His earthly parentage. The Feast of Tabernacles itself was a time of great nationalistic and spiritual fervor, commemorating God's provision in the wilderness and looking forward to the Messiah's reign, making it a fertile ground for intense theological and political disputes.

* **Key Themes:** [John 8:19](/john/8-19 "John 8:19 - Jesus and the Father") powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in John's Gospel. Firstly, it highlights the **inseparable unity and mutual revelation of the Father and the Son**. Jesus consistently emphasizes that to know Him is to know the Father, and vice versa, as seen in [John 14:7](/john/14-7 "John 14:7 - Knowing the Father through Jesus") and [John 10:30](/john/10-30 "John 10:30 - Jesus and the Father are One"). Secondly, the verse underscores the theme of **spiritual blindness and unbelief**. Despite Jesus' clear declarations and miraculous signs throughout [John 8](/john/8 "John 8 - Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery"), the Jewish leaders remain willfully ignorant, unable to perceive divine truth because they refuse to believe in Jesus. Their inability to "know" Jesus is directly linked to their inability to "know" God, illustrating the tragic consequences of rejecting God's ultimate revelation. Finally, it reinforces the theme of **Jesus as the exclusive revelation of God**. He is not merely a prophet or a teacher, but the very embodiment of God's presence and truth, through whom all true knowledge of the invisible God is made manifest, echoing the profound truth found in [Colossians 1:15](/colossians/1-15 "Colossians 1:15 - Christ, the Image of the Invisible God").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **know (Greek, _eídō'_):** This primary verb, used here in its perfect tense, signifies more than mere intellectual acquaintance. It implies an experiential, intimate, and personal knowledge, a deep understanding that comes from direct perception or relationship. Jesus is not saying the leaders lack information about His Father; rather, they lack a profound, relational understanding that comes from knowing Him. Their failure to have this intimate knowledge of Jesus directly correlates to their failure to truly know God the Father.
* **Father (Greek, _patḗr'_):** This word, apparently a primary one, refers to a "father" literally or figuratively, near or more remote. In this context, it refers to God as Jesus' divine Father, emphasizing His unique and intimate relationship with the first person of the Trinity. The leaders' question "Where is thy Father?" attempts to dismiss or discredit this divine paternity, viewing it as a human claim without divine substantiation.
* **if (Greek, _ei'_):** A primary particle of conditionality, "if" introduces a hypothetical or conditional statement. In this verse, "if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also" presents a counterfactual condition. Jesus is not suggesting a possibility they might still fulfill, but rather highlighting their current, profound failure to know Him, which logically prevents them from knowing the Father. It underscores the certainty of their spiritual blindness given their rejection of Him.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father?"**: This opening clause sets the confrontational tone. The Jewish leaders, having just heard Jesus claim His Father as a witness to His identity, pose a question that is less an inquiry and more a challenge. They seek to expose what they perceive as a weakness in Jesus' claims, implying that His Father is unknown, illegitimate, or non-existent in any meaningful sense that would validate Jesus' authority. It's a demand for proof, framed as an accusation.
* **"Jesus answered,"**: This brief clause highlights Jesus' immediate and authoritative response. He does not shy away from their challenge but directly addresses their underlying spiritual issue, shifting the focus from their hostile inquiry to their profound spiritual deficiency.
* **"Ye neither know me, nor my Father:"**: Jesus' direct accusation reveals the core of their problem. The "knowledge" (eídō) He speaks of is not merely intellectual recognition but a deep, personal, and experiential understanding. He states unequivocally that their failure to know Him is inextricably linked to their failure to know God the Father. This implies a profound spiritual blindness, a rejection of the very revelation of God standing before them.
* **"if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."**: This conditional statement serves as a powerful theological declaration. Jesus asserts that true knowledge of the Father is contingent upon knowing Him. Their ignorance of Jesus is the direct cause of their ignorance of God. This highlights the unique and indispensable role of Jesus as the sole mediator and revealer of God, making it clear that there is no true access to or understanding of the Father apart from Him.

#### Literary Devices
The passage employs several potent literary devices. **Irony** is prominent, as the religious leaders, who pride themselves on their knowledge of God, are precisely those whom Jesus declares do not know God because they reject His Son. Their question, intended to expose Jesus, instead exposes their own spiritual blindness. Jesus' response also utilizes a form of **parallelism** and **antithesis**, contrasting their current state of not knowing Him or the Father with the hypothetical state of knowing the Father *if* they had known Him. This creates a powerful rhetorical effect, emphasizing the direct and necessary link between knowing the Son and knowing the Father. Furthermore, Jesus' statement functions as a profound **assertion** or **declaration**, not merely a retort. He speaks with divine authority, revealing a fundamental theological truth about the nature of God and the path to knowing Him.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
[John 8:19](/john/8-19 "John 8:19 - Jesus and the Father") is a cornerstone passage for understanding the Trinitarian nature of God and the unique mediatorial role of Jesus Christ. It profoundly asserts the inseparable unity between the Father and the Son, making it clear that true knowledge of God is not achievable through human intellect, religious ritual, or legalistic adherence, but solely through a personal, experiential relationship with Jesus. The leaders' spiritual blindness serves as a stark warning: rejecting Jesus is tantamount to rejecting God Himself, as He is the ultimate and complete revelation of the Father. This verse lays the groundwork for later, more explicit declarations of Jesus' divine identity and His essential role in humanity's access to God.

* [John 14:7](/john/14-7 "John 14:7 - Knowing the Father through Jesus")
* [John 10:30](/john/10-30 "John 10:30 - Jesus and the Father are One")
* [Matthew 11:27](/matthew/11-27 "Matthew 11:27 - No One Knows the Father Except the Son")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This verse challenges us to deeply examine the nature of our own "knowledge" of God. Do we merely possess intellectual facts about Him, or do we have a profound, intimate, and experiential relationship with Him through Jesus Christ? Jesus' words to the Jewish leaders serve as a timeless reminder that genuine faith is not about religious adherence or theological acumen alone, but about personal encounter and submission to the Son. Our understanding of God the Father is directly proportional to the depth of our relationship with Jesus. If we claim to know God but neglect or diminish the person and work of Jesus, we fall into the same spiritual blindness as those who questioned Him in the Temple. This verse calls us to continually seek a deeper knowledge of Christ, for in Him alone is the Father fully revealed, leading us into a richer, more authentic relationship with the living God.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **What does it mean for me to "know" Jesus experientially, beyond intellectual assent?**
* **How does my understanding of Jesus directly impact my understanding and relationship with God the Father?**
* **In what ways might I be unknowingly limiting my knowledge of God by not fully embracing who Jesus claims to be?**
* **How can I cultivate a deeper, more intimate knowledge of Jesus in my daily life?**

### FAQ
**Why did the Jewish leaders not know Jesus or the Father, despite their religious devotion?**

Answer: The Jewish leaders, particularly the Pharisees, were deeply devoted to the Law and traditions, believing they knew God through these means. However, Jesus reveals their knowledge was superficial and incomplete because they failed to recognize Him as the Son sent by the Father. Their spiritual blindness stemmed from their preconceived notions of the Messiah and their unwillingness to accept Jesus' divine claims. They sought God through their own understanding and works, rather than through the unique revelation provided by Jesus. As Jesus states in [John 5:39-40](/john/5-39-40 "John 5:39-40 - You Search the Scriptures"), they searched the Scriptures, believing they had eternal life in them, yet they were unwilling to come to Him, the very one the Scriptures testified about. Their rejection of Jesus, the visible image of the invisible God, meant they could not truly know the Father who sent Him.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
[John 8:19](/john/8-19 "John 8:19 - Jesus and the Father") finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in Jesus' unique role as the sole revealer of God the Father. The Old Testament hinted at God's nature and character through prophets, laws, and covenants, but it was in Jesus that the invisible God became fully visible and knowable. He is the **Logos** made flesh, the perfect embodiment of divine truth and presence, as [John 1:14](/john/1-14 "John 1:14 - The Word Became Flesh") declares. Jesus' life, teachings, miracles, and ultimately His sacrificial death and resurrection, are the ultimate revelation of the Father's love, justice, and mercy. Through His atoning work, humanity, once alienated from God by sin, is reconciled and granted access to the Father. As [Hebrews 1:1-3](/hebrews/1-1-3 "Hebrews 1:1-3 - God Has Spoken by His Son") explains, God, who spoke in various ways in the past, has now spoken to us by His Son, "the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being." Therefore, to truly know the Father is to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior, for He is "the way, the truth, and the life," and "no one comes to the Father except through Me," as He Himself asserts in [John 14:6](/john/14-6 "John 14:6 - Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life"). This verse powerfully underscores that the entire trajectory of salvation history culminates in Christ, through whom alone we can enter into a true and saving knowledge of God.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

John 16:3

And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

John 8:54

Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:

John 8:55

Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

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.

John 14:9

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father?

2 Corinthians 4:4

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.