Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 8:8
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
8. again he stooped down ] He again declines to have the office of judge thrust upon Him. The Reader of men’s hearts knew how His challenge must work: no one would respond to it.
and wrote on the ground ] A Venetian MS. ascribed to the tenth century has the remarkable reading ‘wrote on the ground the sins of each one of them.’ The same strange idea appears in Jerome, shewing how soon men began to speculate as to what He wrote. Others suppose that He wrote His answer in Joh 8:7. As has been shewn ( Joh 8:6), it is not certain that He wrote anything.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
When our Saviour had said this, he returneth to his former posture and action, (it being not a thing wherein he was concerned, who was not sent into the world to be a secular judge), as not at all regarding them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. again he stooped down andwroteThe design of this second stooping and writing on theground was evidently to give her accusers an opportunity to slinkaway unobserved by Him, and so avoid an exposure to His eyewhich they could ill have stood. Accordingly it is added.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. As before, having said enough to confound them; and yet unwilling to pursue the matter any further, or publicly expose them in any other way; and that they might have an opportunity of withdrawing themselves without any further notice of his, he took this method.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Again he stooped down ( ). First aorist active participle of , old and rare verb (in Epictetus II, 16. 22) instead of in verse 6.
With his finger ( ). Not genuine, only in D and Western class.
Wrote on the ground ( ). Imperfect active of the simplex , not . The second picture of Jesus writing on the ground.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And again he stooped down,” (kai palin katakupsas) “And again when he had stooped down,” from His erect stance of confrontation with her accusers, turning in contempt from them because of their fickle and fallacious trifling with the law of the Word, which they themselves did not keep, Mar 7:7-9; Mar 7:13.
2) “And wrote on the ground.“ (egrapsen eis ten gen) “He wrote on and visibly into the ground,” a second time. Some one has logically speculated that He simply wrote, where is the man?” involved in this act, who according to your own law should be condemned and stoned with her, if you all are honest and sincere, Lev 20:10; Deu 22:21-25.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(8) And wrote on the ground.The Cambridge MS. inserts, with His finger, as in Joh. 8:6. The repeated action repeats His determination to avoid the office of judge. He has answered them, and He leaves His answer to do its work. There is a law written in their hearts, and this, while He now writes on the ground, is convicting them.
There is a strange addition at the end of the verse, in one of the older MSS. of this section, showing how men have tried to give a definite meaning to the action of writing. It reads, and wrote on the ground the sin of each one of them.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Again wrote Now what does that awful finger write? On his part the act of writing declares that the finger of judgment (symbolized by the finger of the future final Judge) is ever making its record however the present case be dismissed. Each guilty memory on their part, perhaps, reads a different record of scenes of shame, or deeds of sin, to encounter the Judge’s eye.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And again he stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground.’
The dual mention must be seen as significant. The writer clearly sees it as important, and so therefore must we. Those with an eye to see would remember ‘the finger of God’ writing the covenant. Was He thereby saying, ‘remember all the commandments that God has given you?’
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Joh 8:8-9 . , . . .] To indicate that He has nothing further to do with the case. According to Jerome [8] and Euthymius Zigabenus, “in order to give space to the questioners to take themselves away;” but this is not in keeping with Joh 8:6 .
] descriptive imperfect.
] Mar 14:19 .
. .] is to be connected with , . . . being an intervening clause. See on Mat 20:8 .
The are the elders in years , not the elders of the people; for there would be no apparent reason why the latter should be the first who should have chosen to go away; besides, the elders of the people are not named along with the others in Joh 8:3 . Those more advanced in years , on the other hand, were also thoughtful and prudent enough to go away first, instead of stopping to compromise themselves further.
.] attested as genuine by preponderating evidence. It does not refer to rank, the least (so most modern expositors, even Lcke, B. Crusius, De Wette, Maier, Lange), which the context does not sanction; the context (see ) leads us rather to render it ‘ unto the last who went out ,’ i.e . until all were gone. The feature that the eldest (who probably stood nearest to Jesus) were the first to go out, is characteristic and original; but that the going away took place in the order of rank, is a meaning imported into the words by the expositors. After . the received text has , a gloss opposed to very important witnesses; but as to the matter of fact, right enough.
., . . .] Augustine well says: “Relicta sunt duo, miseria et misericordia .” But it does not exclude the presence of the disciples and the crowds of lookers-on at a distance.
[8] According to whom Christ wrote the sins of His accusers and of all mortals!
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
Ver. 8. And again he stooped down ] In sign of slighting, or that he might give them the more confidence of going out, seeJoh 8:6Joh 8:6 . Our Saviour dealt by this adulteress somewhat like as the Areopagites dealt by the dame of Smyrna, whom they appointed to appear some hundred years after, to show that they would neither condemn not acquit her. (Rous, Arch. Att.)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
8. ] , , , , , , . Euthym [122] The gloss in [123] (see var. readd.) is curious.
[122] Euthymius Zigabenus, 1116
[123] The Codex Nanianus 1, in St. Mark’s Library at Venice ([Gr. Class.] I. viii.), contains the Gospels entire, with the canons of Eusebius. It has been collated by Tischendorf and Tregelles. Assigned to the tenth century .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 8:8 . Having shot this arrow Jesus again stooped and continued writing on the ground, intimating that so far as He was concerned the matter was closed.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
wrote. The curses, as before.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
8.] , , , , , , . Euthym[122] The gloss in [123] (see var. readd.) is curious.
[122] Euthymius Zigabenus, 1116
[123] The Codex Nanianus 1, in St. Marks Library at Venice ([Gr. Class.] I. viii.), contains the Gospels entire, with the canons of Eusebius. It has been collated by Tischendorf and Tregelles. Assigned to the tenth century.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 8:8
Joh 8:8
And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.-He stooped again to write doubtless to give them opportunity to do what they desired free from restraint of observation.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Reciprocal: Num 5:17 – of the dust
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Joh 8:8. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. Jesus returned to His writing on the ground, and left His words to sink into the hearts of His hearers.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
This is another enigmatic reference. It had the result of freeing Jesus’ critics from His convicting gaze. Perhaps the writer mentioned it to show that it was God who would produce conviction through Jesus’ authoritative words rather than through His physical eye contact (cf. Mat 7:28-29; Joh 7:46). By writing on the ground again Jesus graciously gave the scribes and Pharisees another opportunity to rethink their decision and repent.