John 8:7 Meaning and Explanation
“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Pressed for an answer, Jesus stands and turns the law on the accusers: let the sinless man among them throw the first stone.
What Does John 8:7 Mean?
The accusers keep pressing, certain they have him cornered. Jesus rises and answers in a single sentence. The law itself directed the witnesses to cast the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7); Jesus upholds that very provision while adding the condition that searches every heart — he that is without sin among you.
He denies neither the law nor the woman's guilt; he summons the executioners to judge themselves first. Only one person in the courtyard met the standard, and he had not come to throw stones (John 3:17). The sentence still does its quiet work wherever hands reach for rocks: it does not abolish moral seriousness, but it ends self-righteous violence. Before Christ, accuser and accused alike stand in need of mercy.
John 8:7 in the Original Language
anamartetos (ἀναμάρτητος), 'without sin' -- never having sinned; the word appears only here in the New Testament.
Frequently Asked Questions About John 8:7
What does John 8:7 mean?
Pressed for an answer, Jesus stands and turns the law on the accusers: let the sinless man among them throw the first stone.