Joh 7:53-8:11 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 53. And every man went , &c.] The authority and influence of Nicodemus, in this case, was so great that the Sanhedrin broke up without being able to conclude any thing. As the feast was now ended, they were not obliged to continue any longer in or about Jerusalem; and therefore all returned to their respective dwellings. This verse and the first eleven verses of the following chapter are wanting in several MSS. Some of those which retain the paragraph mark it with obelisks, as a proof of spuriousness. Those which do retain it have it with such a variety of reading as is no where else found in the sacred writings. Professor Griesbach leaves the whole paragraph in the text with notes of doubtfulness. Most of the modern critics consider it as resting on no solid authority. The following in the left-hand column, is a literal translation of the whole as it stands in the Codex Bezae . That on the right is a connected view of it from other manuscripts. . From the Codex Bezae. From other MSS. . And 53. And every one went every one went to his away to his own people. own house. (ταιδιααυτου) Al . place. . And Jesus 1. And Jesus went out went to the mount of to the mount of Olives. Olives. 2. But he came again 2. But very early in the early into-the temple, and morning Jesus came again all the people came unto into the temple, and all him. the people came; and having sat down he taught them. 3. And the scribes and 3. And the chief priests Pharisees brought a woman and the Pharisees bring unto him, taken in unto him a woman taken sin; and, setting her in in adultery; and, having the midst, set her in the midst, 4. The priests say unto 4. They spoke, tempting him, tempting him, that him , Teacher, we they might have an accusation found this one committing against him, Teacher, adultery, in the very this woman was taken act: committing adultery, in the very act: 5. Now Moses, in the 5. And in the law Moses law, gave orders to stone commanded us to stone such: but what dost thou such: What dost thou say now? say concerning her? 6. But Jesus, having 6. But this they spoke stooped down, wrote with tempting him , that they his finger upon the ground. might find an accusation against him: but he, knowing it, stooped down, ( Al . bowed down,) and wrote with his finger upon the ground, seeming as if he did not hear. ( Al . pretending.) 7. But as they continued 7. But as they continued asking he lifted up asking him, having himself, and said unto looked up, he saith, Let them, Let him who is him who is without sin without sin among you among you, first cast a first cast a stone at her. stone at her. 8. And stooping down 8. And stooping down again, he wrote with his again, he wrote with his finger upon the ground. finger upon the ground (the sins of every one of them.) 9. And each of the 9. And each one of Jews went out, beginning them went out, ( Al . from the oldest, so that and hearing these things all went out: and he was they departed one by one,) left alone, the woman beginning from the oldest; being in the midst. and Jesus was left alone, and the woman in the midst of them. 10. And Jesus lifting 10. Jesus therefore looking up himself, said to the up, saw her, and said, woman, Where are they? Woman, where are thy Hath no one condemned accusers? Hath no one thee? condemned thee? 11. Then she said unto 11. Then she said, No him, No one, sir. Then one, sir. And Jesus said, he said, Neither do I Neither will I judge thee; condemn thee; go, and from go away, and henceforth this time sin no more. sin no more. See the notes on this account in the following chapter .

‏ John 7:53

Verse 53. And every man went, &c.] The authority and influence of Nicodemus, in this case, was so great that the Sanhedrin broke up without being able to conclude any thing. As the feast was now ended, they were not obliged to continue any longer in or about Jerusalem; and therefore all returned to their respective dwellings.

This verse and the first eleven verses of the following chapter are wanting in several MSS. Some of those which retain the paragraph mark it with obelisks, as a proof of spuriousness. Those which do retain it have it with such a variety of reading as is no where else found in the sacred writings. Professor Griesbach leaves the whole paragraph in the text with notes of doubtfulness. Most of the modern critics consider it as resting on no solid authority.

The following in the left-hand column, is a literal translation of the whole as it stands in the Codex Bezae. That on the right is a connected view of it from other manuscripts.

Joh 7:53; 8:1-11.

From the Codex Bezae. From other MSS.

Joh 7:53. And 53. And every one went

every one went to his away to his own people.

own house. (ταιδιααυτου) Al. place.

Joh 8:1. And Jesus 1. And Jesus went out

went to the mount of to the mount of Olives.

Olives.

2. But he came again 2. But very early in the

early into-the temple, and morning Jesus came again

all the people came unto into the temple, and all

him. the people came; and

having sat down he taught

them.

3. And the scribes and 3. And the chief priests

Pharisees brought a woman and the Pharisees bring

unto him, taken in unto him a woman taken

sin; and, setting her in in adultery; and, having

the midst, set her in the midst,

4. The priests say unto 4. They spoke, tempting

him, tempting him, that him, Teacher, we

they might have an accusation found this one committing

against him, Teacher, adultery, in the very

this woman was taken act:

committing adultery, in

the very act:

5. Now Moses, in the 5. And in the law Moses

law, gave orders to stone commanded us to stone

such: but what dost thou such: What dost thou

say now? say concerning her?

6. But Jesus, having 6. But this they spoke

stooped down, wrote with tempting him, that they

his finger upon the ground. might find an accusation

against him: but he,

knowing it, stooped down,

(Al. bowed down,) and

wrote with his finger upon

the ground, seeming as if

he did not hear.

(Al. pretending.)

7. But as they continued 7. But as they continued

asking he lifted up asking him, having

himself, and said unto looked up, he saith, Let

them, Let him who is him who is without sin

without sin among you among you, first cast a

first cast a stone at her. stone at her.

8. And stooping down 8. And stooping down

again, he wrote with his again, he wrote with his

finger upon the ground. finger upon the ground

(the sins of every one of

them.)

9. And each of the 9. And each one of

Jews went out, beginning them went out, (Al.

from the oldest, so that and hearing these things

all went out: and he was they departed one by one,)

left alone, the woman beginning from the oldest;

being in the midst. and Jesus was left alone,

and the woman in the

midst of them.

10. And Jesus lifting 10. Jesus therefore looking

up himself, said to the up, saw her, and said,

woman, Where are they? Woman, where are thy

Hath no one condemned accusers? Hath no one

thee? condemned thee?

11. Then she said unto 11. Then she said, No

him, No one, sir. Then one, sir. And Jesus said,

he said, Neither do I Neither will I judge thee;

condemn thee; go, and from go away, and henceforth

this time sin no more. sin no more.

See the notes on this account in the following chapter.

‏ John 8:1-11

CHAPTER VIII.

The story of the woman taken in adultery, 1-11.

Jesus declares himself the light of the world, 12.

The Pharisees cavil, 13.

Jesus answers, and shows his authority, 14-20.

He delivers a second discourse, in which he convicts them of sin, and foretells their dying in it, because of their unbelief, 21-24.

They question him; he answers, and foretells his own death,

25-29.

Many believe on him, in consequence of this last discourse, 30.

To whom he gives suitable advice, 31, 32.

The Jews again cavil, and plead the nobility and advantages of their birth, 33.

Jesus shows the vanity of their pretensions, and the wickedness of their hearts, 34-47.

They blaspheme, and Christ convicts and reproves them, and asserts his Divine nature, 48-58.

They attempt to stone him, 59.

NOTES ON CHAP. VIII.

Verse 3. A woman taken in adultery] Some of the popish writers say that her name was Susanna; that she was espoused to an old decrepid man, named Manasseh; that she died a saint in Spain, whither she had followed St. James. These accounts the judicious Calmet properly terms fables.

It is allowed that adultery was exceedingly common at this time, so common that they had ceased to put the law in force against it. The waters of jealousy were no longer drunk, the culprits or those suspected of this crime, being so very numerous; and the men who were guilty themselves dared not try their suspected wives, as it was believed the waters would have no evil effect upon the wife, if the husband himself had been criminal. See the whole of the process on the waters of jealousy in the notes on Nu 5:14, &c.; and see at the end of chap. 18. See Clarke on Joh 18:40.

Verse 5. That such should be stoned] It is not strictly true that Moses ordered adultery in general to be punished by stoning. The law simply says that the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. Le 20:10; De 22:22. The rabbins say they were strangled. This they affirm was the ordinary mode of punishment, where the species of death was not marked in the law, If the person guilty of an act of this kind had been betrothed, but not married, she was to be stoned: De 22:23. But if she was the daughter of a priest, she was to be burned alive: Le 16:9. It appears, from Eze 16:38, 40, that adulteresses in the time of that prophet were stoned, and pierced with a sword.

Selden and Fagius suppose that this woman's case was the same with that mentioned, De 22:23. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; then ye shall stone them with stones that they die, the damsel because she cried not, and the man because he hath humbled his neighbours wife. As the Pharisees spoke of stoning the woman, it is possible this was her case; and some suppose that the apparent indulgence with which our Lord treated her insinuates that she had suffered some sort of violence, though not entirely innocent. Therefore he said, I do not condemn thee, i.e. to death, because violence had been used. Sin no more. Nevertheless thou art in certain respects guilty; thou mightest have made more resistance.

Verse 6. That they might have to accuse him.] Had our Lord condemned the woman to death, they might have accused him to Pilate, as arrogating to himself the power of life and death, which the Romans had taken away from the Jews; besides, the Roman laws did not condemn an adulteress to be put to death. On the other hand, if he had said she should not be put to death, they might have represented him to the people as one who decided contrary to the law, and favoured the crime of which the woman was accused.

With his finger wrote] Several MSS. add their sins who accused her, and the sins of all men. There are many idle conjectures concerning what our Lord wrote on the ground, several of which may be seen in Calmet.

We never find that Christ wrote any thing before or after this; and what he wrote at this time we know not. On this the pious Quesnel makes the following reflections:-

"1. Since Jesus Christ never wrote but once that we hear of in his whole life; 2. since he did it only in the dust; 3. since it was only to avoid condemning a sinner; and, 4. since he would not have that which he wrote so much as known; let men learn from hence never to write but when it is necessary or useful; to do it with humility and modesty; and to do it on a principle of charity. How widely does Christ differ from men! He writes his Divine thoughts in the dust: they wish to have theirs cut in marble, and engraved on brass." Schools for children are frequently held under trees in Bengal, and the children who are beginning to learn write the letters of the alphabet in the dust. This saves pen, ink, and paper. WARD.

Verse 7. He that is without sin] αναμαρτητος, meaning the same kind of sin, adultery, fornication, &c. Kypke has largely proved that the verb αμαρτανειν is used in this sense by the best Greek writers.

Let him first cast a stone at her.] Or, upon her, επαυτη. The Jewish method of stoning, according to the rabbins, was as follows: The culprit, half naked, the hands tied behind the back, was placed on a scaffold, ten or twelve feet high; the witnesses, who stood with her, pushed her off with great force: if she was killed by the fall there was nothing farther done; but, if she was not, one of the witnesses took up a very large stone, and dashed it upon her breast, which generally was the coup de grace, or finishing stroke. This mode of punishment seems referred to, Mt 21:44. However, this procedure does not appear to have been always attended to. See Le 24:16, and ver. 59 of this chapter. Joh 8:59

Verse 9. Being convicted by their own conscience] So it is likely they were all guilty of similar crimes. Their own is not in the original, and is needless: being convicted by conscience is expressive enough.

Beginning at the eldest even unto the last] αποτωνπρεσβυτερων εωςτωνεσχατων, from the most honourable to those of the least repute. In this sense the words are undoubtedly to be understood.

The woman standing in the midst.] But if they all went out, how could she be in the midst? It is not said that all the people whom our Lord had been instructing went out, but only her accusers: see Joh 8:2. The rest undoubtedly continued with their teacher.

Verse 11. Neither do I condemn thee] Bishop Pearce says: "It would have been strange if Jesus, when he was not a magistrate, and had not the witnesses before him to examine them, and when she had not been tried and condemned by the law and legal judges, should have taken upon him to condemn her. This being the case, it appears why Jesus avoided giving an answer to the question of the scribes and Pharisees, and also how little reason there is to conclude from hence that Christ seems in this case not enough to have discouraged adultery, though he called it a sin. And yet this opinion took place so early among the Christians, that the reading of this story was industriously avoided, in the lessons recited out of the Gospels, in the public service of the churches; as if Jesus's saying, I do not condemn thee, had given too much countenance to women guilty of that crime. In consequence of this, as it was never read in the churches, and is now not to be found in any of the Evangelistaria, and as it was probably marked in the MSS. as a portion not to be read there, this whole story, from Joh 8:1-11, inclusive, came, in length of time, to be left out in some MSS., though in the greater part it is still remaining." Thus far the judicious and learned bishop. How the passage stands in all the MSS. hitherto collated may be seen in Wetstein and Griesbach. After weighing what has been adduced in favour of its authenticity, and seriously considering its state in the MSS., as exhibited in the Var. Lect. of Griesbach, I must confess, the evidence in its favour does not appear to me to be striking. Yet I by no means would have it expunged from the text. Its absence from many MSS., and the confused manner in which it appears in others, may be readily accounted for on the principles laid down by Bishop Pearce above. It may however be necessary to observe, that a very perfect connection subsists between Joh 7:52 and Joh 8:12-all the intermediate verses having been omitted by MSS. of the first antiquity and authority. In some MSS. it is found at the end of this Gospel; in others a vacant place is left in this chapter; and in others it is placed after the 21st chapter of Luke. See at the end of this chapter. Joh 8:59