John 8:25

Contemporary English Version

"Who are you?" they asked Jesus. Jesus answered, "I am exactly who I told you at the beginning.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
They asked, "Then who are you?" Jesus answered, "I am what I have told you from the beginning.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then sayde they vnto him who arte thou? And Iesus sayde vnto them: Even ye very same thinge yt I saye vnto you.

Hebrew Names Version
They said therefore to him, "Who are you?" Yeshua said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

International Standard Version
Then they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus told them, "What have I been telling you all along?from the beginning">[fn]

New American Standard Bible
Then they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I even been saying to you from the beginning?

New Century Version
They asked, "Then who are you?" Jesus answered, "I am what I have told you from the beginning.

Update Bible Version
They said therefore to him, Who are you? Jesus said to them, Even that which I have also spoken to you from the beginning.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said they to him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith to them, Even [the same] that I said to you from the beginning.

English Standard Version
So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

World English Bible
They said therefore to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then said they to him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith to them, Even what I say to you from the beginning.

Weymouth's New Testament
"You--who are you?" they asked. "How is it that I am speaking to you at all?" replied Jesus.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thei seiden to hym, Who art thou? Jhesus seide to hem, The bigynnyng, which also speke to you.

English Revised Version
They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning.

Berean Standard Bible
"Who are You?" they asked. "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning," Jesus replied.

Amplified Bible
So they said to Him, "Who are You [anyway]?" Jesus replied, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

American Standard Version
They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning.

Bible in Basic English
Then they said to him, Who are you? Jesus said, What I said to you from the first.

Complete Jewish Bible
At this, they said to him, "You? Who are you?" Yeshua answered, "Just what I've been telling you from the start.

Darby Translation
They said therefore to him, Who art thou? [And] Jesus said to them, Altogether that which I also say to you.

Etheridge Translation
The Jihudoyee say, Who art thou ? Jeshu saith to them, The same that I began to tell you. [fn]

Murdock Translation
The Jews said to him: Who art thou? Jesus said to them: Although I have begun to converse with you,

King James Version (1611)
Then said they vnto him, Who art thou? And Iesus saith vnto them, Euen the same that I saide vnto you from the beginning.

New Living Translation
"Who are you?" they demanded. Jesus replied, "The one I have always claimed to be.

New Life Bible
Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus answered, "The answer is the same as I told you from the beginning.

New Revised Standard
They said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Why do I speak to you at all?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then saide they vnto him, Who art thou? And Iesus saide vnto them, Euen the same thing that I said vnto you from the beginning.

George Lamsa Translation
The Jews said, Who are you? Jesus said to them, Even though I should begin to speak to you,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They were saying unto him, therefore - Who art, thou? Jesus said unto them - First and foremost, even what I speak unto you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
They said therefore to him: Who art thou? Jesus said to them: The beginning, who also speak unto you.

Revised Standard Version
They said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Even what I have told you from the beginning.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde they vnto hym: Who art thou? And Iesus saith vnto them: Euen the very same thyng that I sayde vnto you from the begynnyng.

Good News Translation
"Who are you?" they asked him. Jesus answered, "What I have told you from the very beginning.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Who are you?” they questioned.

King James Version
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

Lexham English Bible
So they began to say to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "What I have been saying to you from the beginning.

Literal Translation
Then they said to Him, Who are You? And Jesus said to them, The Beginning, what I also say to you.

Young's Literal Translation
They said, therefore, to him, `Thou -- who art thou?' and Jesus said to them, `Even what I did speak of to you at the beginning;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde they vnto him: Who art thou then? And Iesus sayde vnto the: Eue the very same thinge that I saye vnto you.

Mace New Testament (1729)
then said they to him, what art thou? and Jesus answered them, I am what I just now told you.

THE MESSAGE
They said to him, "Just who are you anyway?" Jesus said, "What I've said from the start. I have so many things to say that concern you, judgments to make that affect you, but if you don't accept the trustworthiness of the One who commanded my words and acts, none of it matters. That is who you are questioning—not me but the One who sent me."

New English Translation
So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus replied, "What I have told you from the beginning.

New King James Version
Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The Jews said to him, "Then tell us who you really are."Jesus replied, "I've already told you, but you don't listen.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

Legacy Standard Bible
So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

Contextual Overview

²¹ Jesus also told them, "I am going away, and you will look for me. But you cannot go where I am going, and you will die with your sins unforgiven." ²² The Jewish leaders asked, "Does he intend to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying we cannot go where he is going?" ²³ Jesus answered, "You are from below, but I am from above. You belong to this world, but I don't. ²⁴ That is why I said you will die with your sins unforgiven. If you don't have faith in me for who I am, you will die, and your sins will not be forgiven." ²⁵ "Who are you?" they asked Jesus. Jesus answered, "I am exactly who I told you at the beginning. ²⁶ There is a lot more I could say to condemn you. But the one who sent me is truthful, and I tell the people of this world only what I have heard from him." ²⁷ No one understood that Jesus was talking to them about the Father. ²⁸ Jesus went on to say, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will know who I am. You will also know that I don't do anything on my own. I say only what my Father taught me. ²⁹ The one who sent me is with me. I always do what pleases him, and he will never leave me." ³⁰ After Jesus said this, many of the people put their faith in him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Who: John 1:19, John 1:22, John 10:24, John 19:9, Luke 22:67

Even: John 8:12, John 5:17-29

Reciprocal: Matthew 26:63 - that John 8:18 - one 1 John 2:24 - which

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said they unto him, who art thou?.... That talks at this rate, and threatens with death, in case of unbelief; this they said with an haughty air, and in a scornful manner:

and Jesus saith unto them, even [the same] that I said unto you from the beginning; meaning, either of this discourse, as that he was the light of the world, and which he continued to assert; or of his being had before the sanhedrim, when he affirmed that God was his Father, and by many strong arguments proved his divine sonship; or of his ministry, when by miracles, as well as doctrines, he made it to appear that he was he that was to come, the true Messiah; or who spake from the beginning to Moses, saying, I am that I am, hath sent thee, and to the church, and Jewish fathers in the wilderness; and who is that word that was from the beginning with God; and who is called the beginning, the first cause of all things, and of the creation of God; and some think this is intended here.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Who art thou? - As Jesus did not expressly say in the previous verse that he was the Messiah, they professed still not to understand him. In great contempt, therefore, they asked him who he was. As if they had said, “Who art thou that undertakest to threaten us in this manner!” When we remember that they regarded him as a mere pretender from Galilee; that he was poor and without friends; and that he was persecuted by those in authority, we cannot but admire the patience with which all this was borne, and the coolness with which he answered them.

Even the same ... - What he had professed to them was that he was the light of the world; that he was the bread that came down from heaven; that he was sent by his Father, etc. From all this they might easily gather that he claimed to be the Messiah. He assumed no new character; he made no change in his professions; he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and as he had once professed to be the light of the world, so, in the face of contempt, persecution, and death, he adhered to the profession.

The beginning - From his first discourse with them, or uniformly.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 25. Who art thou? — This marks the indignation of the Pharisees-as if they had said: Who art thou that takest upon thee to deal out threatenings in this manner against us?

Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.] Rather, Just what I have already told you, i.e. that I am the light of the world - the Christ-the Saviour of mankind. There are a variety of renderings for this verse among the critics. Some consider την αρχην (which makes the principal difficulty in the text) as the answer of our Lord. Who art thou? I am την αρχην, the chief, the supreme; and have therefore a right to judge, and to execute judgment. But if our Lord had intended to convey this meaning, he would doubtless have said η αρχη, or ο αρχων, and not την αρχην, in the accusative case. This mode of reading appears to have been followed by the Vulgate, some copies of the Itala, and some of the fathers; but this construction can never be reconciled to the Greek text. Others take την αρχην as an adverb, in which sense it is repeatedly used by the best Greek writers; and, connecting the 25th with the 26th verse, they translate thus: I have indeed, as I ASSURE ye, many things to say of you, and to condemn in you. See Wakefield. Raphelius takes up the words nearly in the same way, and defends his mode of exposition with much critical learning; and to him I refer the reader. I have given it that meaning which I thought the most simple and plain, should any departure from our own version be thought necessary: both convey a good and consistent sense.