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John 8:19

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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.

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}.

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.”

“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.”

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

Context

This verse occurs during a heated debate between Jesus and the Jewish leaders (often identified as Pharisees or other religious authorities) in the Temple treasury, specifically following the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus has just declared Himself the "light of the world" and asserted that His testimony is true because He knows where He came from and where He is going (John 8:14). He had also stated that His Father, who sent Him, bears witness of Him (John 8:18). The question "Where is thy Father?" is a challenge to Jesus' claims, likely aimed at discrediting His divine origin and authority by implying His Father is unknown or illegitimate in their eyes.

Key Themes

  • The Inseparable Nature of the Father and Son: Jesus emphasizes that knowing Him is intrinsically linked to knowing the Father. One cannot truly know God without recognizing and accepting Jesus as His Son. This highlights the unity and shared essence of the Godhead.
  • Spiritual Blindness and Unbelief: The Jewish leaders' inability to recognize Jesus' divine identity reveals their spiritual blindness and profound misunderstanding of God. Their focus on the physical and legalistic aspects of their faith prevented them from discerning spiritual truth.
  • Revelation of God Through Jesus: Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God to humanity. He is the visible image of the invisible God, and all true knowledge of the Father comes through Him.

Linguistic Insights

The Greek word translated "know" here is ginōskō (γινώσκω), which signifies more than mere intellectual acquaintance. It implies an experiential, intimate, and personal knowledge. Jesus is not saying they lack information about His Father, but rather a deep, relational understanding. Their failure to have this intimate knowledge of Jesus directly correlates to their failure to truly know God the Father.

Practical Application

This verse carries profound implications for Christian faith today:

  • The Centrality of Jesus: It underscores that Jesus Christ is the sole mediator and revealer of God. A genuine relationship with God the Father is impossible apart from faith in Jesus.
  • True Knowledge of God: Knowing God is not merely about accumulating facts or adhering to religious rituals. It's about developing an intimate, personal relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus. As Jesus later tells Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."
  • Self-Examination: The verse challenges believers to examine the depth of their own knowledge of God. Do we truly know Jesus experientially, or is our faith merely intellectual? Our understanding of God grows as we grow in our relationship with Christ.
Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash (May 20, 2025) using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • John 16:3 (19 votes)

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

  • John 8:54 (19 votes)

    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 (19 votes)

    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 (15 votes)

    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 (15 votes)

    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 (13 votes)

    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 (13 votes)

    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.