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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>John 8:27 They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/john/8-27.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/3/43_Jhn_08_27.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="John 8:27 - The Woman Caught in Adultery" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father." /><script type="application/javascript" 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align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad7.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/john/8-26.htm" title="John 8:26">◄</a> John 8:27 <a href="/john/8-28.htm" title="John 8:28">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Greek </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/john/8.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/john/8.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/john/8.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />But they still didn’t understand that he was talking about his Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/john/8.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/john/8.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/blb/john/8.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a></span><br />They did not understand that He was speaking to them <i>about</i> the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/john/8.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/john/8.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/john/8.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />They did not realize that He was speaking to them <i>about</i> the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/john/8.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/john/8.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/john/8.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />They did not know that He had been speaking to them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/john/8.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />They did not realize [or have the spiritual insight to understand] that He was speaking to them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/john/8.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />They did not know he was speaking to them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/john/8.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />They did not know He was speaking to them about the Father. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/john/8.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/john/8.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />No one understood that Jesus was talking to them about the Father. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/john/8.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/john/8.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />(The Jews didn't know that he was talking to them about the Father.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/john/8.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />They did not understand that Jesus was talking to them about the Father. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/john/8.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />They didn't realize that he was talking to them about the Father. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/john/8.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/john/8.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />(They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.) <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/john/8.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />They did not understand that he spoke to them about the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/john/8.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />They understood not that he spoke to them concerning the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wey/john/8.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a></span><br />They did not perceive that He was speaking to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/john/8.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />They didn’t understand that he spoke to them about the Father. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/john/8.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />They did not know that He spoke to them of the Father;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/blb/john/8.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a></span><br />They did not understand that He was speaking to them <i>about</i> the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/john/8.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> They knew not that of the Father he spake to them;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/john/8.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />They knew not that he spake to them of the Father.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/john/8.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And they understood not, that he called God his Father. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/john/8.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And they did not realize that he was calling God his Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/john/8.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/john/8.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/john/8.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />They did not understand that he spoke to them concerning the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/aramaic-plain-english/john/8.htm">Aramaic Bible in Plain English</a></span><br />And they did not know that he spoke to them about The Father.<div class="vheading2"><b>NT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/anderson/john/8.htm">Anderson New Testament</a></span><br />They knew not that he was speaking to them of the Father.<CM><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/godbey/john/8.htm">Godbey New Testament</a></span><br />They did not know that He spoke to them concerning the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/haweis/john/8.htm">Haweis New Testament</a></span><br />They knew not that he spake to them of the Father.<CM><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/mace/john/8.htm">Mace New Testament</a></span><br />but they did not perceive that he meant the father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wey/john/8.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a></span><br />They did not perceive that He was speaking to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/worrell/john/8.htm">Worrell New Testament</a></span><br />They perceived not that He was speaking to them of the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/worsley/john/8.htm">Worsley New Testament</a></span><br /><i>But</i> they did not know that He spake unto them <i>of</i> the Father.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/john/8-27.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixy2bchmXZ0?start=2915" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/john/8.htm">The Woman Caught in Adultery</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">26</span>“I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.” <span class="reftext">27</span><span class="highl"><a href="/greek/3756.htm" title="3756: Ouk (Adv) -- No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not."></a> <a href="/greek/1097.htm" title="1097: egnōsan (V-AIA-3P) -- A prolonged form of a primary verb; to know in a great variety of applications and with many implications.">They did not understand</a> <a href="/greek/3754.htm" title="3754: hoti (Conj) -- Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.">that</a> <a href="/greek/2036.htm" title="2036: elegen (V-IIA-3S) -- Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.">He was telling</a> <a href="/greek/846.htm" title="846: autois (PPro-DM3P) -- He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.">them</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: ton (Art-AMS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">about the</a> <a href="/greek/3962.htm" title="3962: Patera (N-AMS) -- Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a father.">Father.</a> </span> <span class="reftext">28</span>So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/1-10.htm">John 1:10-11</a></span><br />He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. / He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/3-19.htm">John 3:19-20</a></span><br />And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. / Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/7-28.htm">John 7:28-29</a></span><br />Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, / but I know Him, because I am from Him and He sent Me.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/12-37.htm">John 12:37-40</a></span><br />Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. / This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” / For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/14-9.htm">John 14:9</a></span><br />Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/16-3.htm">John 16:3</a></span><br />They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/13-13.htm">Matthew 13:13-15</a></span><br />This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ / In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/24-25.htm">Luke 24:25</a></span><br />Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/28-26.htm">Acts 28:26-27</a></span><br />‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/1-21.htm">Romans 1:21</a></span><br />For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/2-8.htm">1 Corinthians 2:8</a></span><br />None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_corinthians/4-3.htm">2 Corinthians 4:3-4</a></span><br />And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. / The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/6-9.htm">Isaiah 6:9-10</a></span><br />And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/53-1.htm">Isaiah 53:1-3</a></span><br />Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? / He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. / He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/5-21.htm">Jeremiah 5:21</a></span><br />“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">They understood not that he spoke to them of the Father.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/john/8-43.htm">John 8:43,47</a></b></br> Why do ye not understand my speech? <i>even</i> because ye cannot hear my word… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/6-9.htm">Isaiah 6:9</a></b></br> And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/42-18.htm">Isaiah 42:18-20</a></b></br> Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/john/4-19.htm">Perceive</a> <a href="/john/6-15.htm">Perceived</a> <a href="/john/2-9.htm">Realize</a> <a href="/john/8-25.htm">Speaking</a> <a href="/john/3-7.htm">Telling</a> <a href="/john/7-49.htm">Understand</a> <a href="/john/1-5.htm">Understood</a> <a href="/john/8-20.htm">Words</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/john/12-19.htm">Perceive</a> <a href="/john/16-19.htm">Perceived</a> <a href="/john/11-50.htm">Realize</a> <a href="/john/8-30.htm">Speaking</a> <a href="/john/8-38.htm">Telling</a> <a href="/john/8-43.htm">Understand</a> <a href="/john/10-6.htm">Understood</a> <a href="/john/8-30.htm">Words</a><div class="vheading2">John 8</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/john/8-1.htm">Jesus delivers the woman taken in adultery.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">12. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/john/8-12.htm">He declares himself the light of the world, and justifies his doctrine;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">31. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/john/8-31.htm">promises freedom to those who believe;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">33. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/john/8-33.htm">answers the Jews who boasted of Abraham;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">48. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/john/8-48.htm">answers their reviling, by showing his authority and dignity;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">59. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/john/8-59.htm">and slips away from those who would stone him.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/john/8.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/john/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/john/8.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>They did not understand</b><br>This phrase highlights the spiritual blindness and misunderstanding of the Jewish leaders and people regarding Jesus' teachings. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus often spoke in parables and metaphors, which required spiritual insight to comprehend. This lack of understanding is a recurring theme, as seen in passages like <a href="/matthew/13-13.htm">Matthew 13:13-15</a>, where Jesus explains that seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. The inability to grasp Jesus' message reflects a deeper spiritual condition, as Paul later explains in <a href="/1_corinthians/2-14.htm">1 Corinthians 2:14</a>, where the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God.<p><b>that He was telling them</b><br>Jesus consistently communicated profound truths about His identity and mission. In this context, He was speaking to the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders, who were often skeptical and hostile towards Him. The phrase indicates a direct communication from Jesus, emphasizing His role as a teacher and prophet. His teachings were authoritative, as seen in <a href="/matthew/7-28.htm">Matthew 7:28-29</a>, where the crowds were astonished at His teaching because He taught as one who had authority.<p><b>about the Father.</b><br>The Father refers to God, whom Jesus frequently spoke about, emphasizing His unique relationship as the Son. This relationship is central to understanding the nature of the Trinity and the mission of Jesus. In <a href="/john/5-19.htm">John 5:19-23</a>, Jesus explains His unity with the Father, asserting that He can do nothing by Himself but only what He sees the Father doing. This connection is further elaborated in <a href="/john/14-9.htm">John 14:9</a>, where Jesus tells Philip that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father. The Jewish leaders' failure to understand this relationship underscores their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and their lack of recognition of His divine authority.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/jesus_christ.htm">Jesus Christ</a></b><br>The central figure in this passage, Jesus is speaking to the people and revealing His divine connection to God the Father.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_pharisees.htm">The Pharisees</a></b><br>Religious leaders who often challenged Jesus and struggled to understand His teachings.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_father.htm">The Father</a></b><br>Referring to God the Father, whom Jesus consistently points to as the source of His authority and message.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_temple.htm">The Temple</a></b><br>The setting for this discourse, where Jesus often taught and engaged with the Jewish leaders.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_jewish_people.htm">The Jewish People</a></b><br>The broader audience, including both followers and skeptics, who were present during Jesus' teaching.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_spiritual_truths.htm">Understanding Spiritual Truths</a></b><br>Spiritual truths require spiritual discernment. Like the Pharisees, we may struggle to understand God's message if we rely solely on human wisdom.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_knowing_the_father.htm">The Importance of Knowing the Father</a></b><br>Jesus' mission was to reveal the Father. Our relationship with God deepens as we seek to understand His nature through Jesus.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_jesus_as_mediator.htm">The Role of Jesus as Mediator</a></b><br>Jesus is the bridge between humanity and God. Recognizing His role helps us approach God with confidence and clarity.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_spiritual_blindness.htm">The Danger of Spiritual Blindness</a></b><br>The Pharisees' inability to understand Jesus serves as a warning against spiritual blindness. We must remain open to God's revelation.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/seeking_revelation_through_the_holy_spirit.htm">Seeking Revelation through the Holy Spirit</a></b><br>The Holy Spirit aids in understanding God's word. We should pray for the Spirit's guidance in our study and application of Scripture.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_john_8.htm">Top 10 Lessons from John 8</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_did_jesus_mean_by_'i_am'.htm">What did Jesus mean by 'Before Abraham was, I am'?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/recall_your_creator_in_youth.htm">Does He understand us?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_did_jesus_say_in_john_5_31,_8_14.htm">In the Gospel of John, what did Jesus say about bearing his own witness in John 5:31 and John 8:14?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what's_the_filioque_controversy.htm">What is the Filioque Clause Controversy?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/john/8.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(27) <span class= "bld">They understood not that he spake </span>(better, <span class= "ital">was speaking</span>) <span class= "bld">to them of the Father.</span>--We have seen in Note on <a href="/john/8-21.htm" title="Then said Jesus again to them, I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come.">John 8:21</a> that a new discourse commences there, and that the hearers are not necessarily the same as those who had asked the question and heard the answer of <a href="/john/8-19.htm" title="Then said they to him, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You neither know me, nor my Father: if you had known me, you should have known my Father also.">John 8:19</a>. Still the speakers then, and those spoken of now, are "the Jews" (comp. <a href="/john/8-13.htm" title="The Pharisees therefore said to him, You bore record of yourself; your record is not true.">John 8:13</a>; <a href="/john/8-22.htm" title="Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he said, Where I go, you cannot come.">John 8:22</a>); and they are probably in part identical with those of whom our Lord tells us there, that they knew neither Him nor the Father. Of these men St. John tells us now that they did not know that the Sender and the Father are one. The statement of their want of perception, which strikes us as so marvellous, is made just because it was marvellous. St. John remembers it many years afterwards, and remembers that on account of it Jesus proceeded to declare more fully that every act He did was done in the Father, and that every word He spoke was taught by the Father, and that in every event of His life the Father was present.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/john/8.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 27.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">They understood</span> (perceived) <span class="cmt_word">not that he spake to them of the Father</span>. This difficult parenthesis of the evangelist calls attention to the fact that, during the immediately preceding discourse and controversy, Jesus had dropped his references to the Father, and had used the periphrasis, "he that sent me," probably suggesting to this strangely excited populace, fed with weird fancies and wild expectations, that the mysterious Being with whom they were conversing was but the Delegate of One mightier than he, who was hidden in the secret place of God's providence until the hour of his own manifestation should appear to have struck. They might have remembered the utter deference which the great prophet John had displayed before a Messiah whom as yet they knew not. They may have heard that even John himself, at a later date, sent from the prison two of his disciples to propound the query, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" in other words, "Art thou the final Manifestation of all that I have predicted and believed? or is <span class="accented">another</span> to make his appearance with fire and axe and available force to compel obedience and to secure universal homage?" It is more than probable that the evangelist, being personally alive to the cross currents of passion, enthusiasm, and hostility which were at work in the hearts of the populace, saw by the very blankness and confusion on their faces, and the "asides" of the multitude, that they had not perceived that Jesus was throughout in these references speaking of <span class="accented">the Father of all</span> - the supreme Source of all power, the Lord of hosts. Even when he had said, "Ye have not known me, nor my Father," they had not risen to such a conception of the Lord's meaning as to suppose that the supreme Father himself was being suggested to them and cited as the corroborative Witness, as the supernatural Aid and Divine Presence which was giving validity to all that Christ has said about himself. Their ignorance and lack of perception need not astonish us when we reflect upon the obscurity and non-receptivity of the apostles themselves, and the like obtuseness of theologians and cultivated men of the world in every age from that day to this. The remark is, moreover, added doubtless to interpret the following verses, in which the ideas of ver. 26 are repeated, with the difference that, whereas he had already spoken of him that sent him, and who had authorized his words and judgments, Jesus now gives to him the beloved name of "the Father." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/john/8-27.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Greek</div><span class="word">They did not understand</span><br /><span class="grk">ἔγνωσαν</span> <span class="translit">(egnōsan)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_1097.htm">Strong's 1097: </a> </span><span class="str2">A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">that</span><br /><span class="grk">ὅτι</span> <span class="translit">(hoti)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3754.htm">Strong's 3754: </a> </span><span class="str2">Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">He was telling</span><br /><span class="grk">ἔλεγεν</span> <span class="translit">(elegen)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_2036.htm">Strong's 2036: </a> </span><span class="str2">Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">them</span><br /><span class="grk">αὐτοῖς</span> <span class="translit">(autois)</span><br /><span class="parse">Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_846.htm">Strong's 846: </a> </span><span class="str2">He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[about] the</span><br /><span class="grk">τὸν</span> <span class="translit">(ton)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article - Accusative Masculine Singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Father.</span><br /><span class="grk">Πατέρα</span> <span class="translit">(Patera)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3962.htm">Strong's 3962: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/john/8-27.htm">John 8:27 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/john/8-27.htm">NT Gospels: John 8:27 They didn't understand that he spoke (Jhn Jo Jn) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/john/8-26.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="John 8:26"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="John 8:26" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/john/8-28.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="John 8:28"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="John 8:28" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>