Read Scripture ad-free with Bible Gateway Plus—trusted Study Bibles and commentaries beside every verse. Try it FREE for 7 days.
Log In/Sign Up

#
John 7
New King James Version

### Jesus’ Brothers Disbelieve

7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, (A)because the [a]Jews sought to kill Him. 2 (B)Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 (C)His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For (D)even His (E)brothers did not believe in Him.

6 Then Jesus said to them, (F)“My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 (G)The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me (H)because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not [b]yet going up to this feast, (I)for My time has not yet fully come.” 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

### The Heavenly Scholar

10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then (J)the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” 12 And (K)there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. (L)Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him (M)for fear of the Jews.

14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and (N)taught. 15 (O)And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”

16 [c]Jesus answered them and said, (P)“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 (Q)If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 (R)He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who (S)seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and (T)no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 (U)Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? (V)Why do you seek to kill Me?”

20 The people answered and said, (W)“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”

21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 (X)Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, (Y)but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because (Z)I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 (AA)Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

### Could This Be the Christ?

25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to (AB)kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. (AC)Do the rulers know indeed that this is [d]truly the Christ? 27 (AD)However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, (AE)“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and (AF)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me (AG)is true, (AH)whom you do not know. 29 [e]But (AI)I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

30 Therefore (AJ)they sought to take Him; but (AK)no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 And (AL)many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”

### Jesus and the Religious Leaders

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33 Then Jesus said [f]to them, (AM)“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I (AN)go to Him who sent Me. 34 You (AO)will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you (AP)cannot come.”

35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to (AQ)the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

### The Promise of the Holy Spirit

37 (AR)On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, (AS)“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 (AT)He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, (AU)out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 (AV)But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those [g]believing in Him would receive; for the [h]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet (AW)glorified.

### Who Is He?

40 Therefore [i]many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is (AX)the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is (AY)the Christ.”

But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 (AZ)Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, (BA)where David was?” 43 So (BB)there was a division among the people because of Him. 44 Now (BC)some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

### Rejected by the Authorities

45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”

46 The officers answered, (BD)“No man ever spoke like this Man!”

47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

50 Nicodemus (BE)(he who came to [j]Jesus [k]by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 (BF)“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”

52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for (BG)no prophet [l]has arisen out of Galilee.”

### An Adulteress Faces the Light of the World

53 [m]And everyone went to his own house.

#### Footnotes

1. John 7:1 The ruling authorities
2. John 7:8 NU omits yet
3. John 7:16 NU, M So Jesus
4. John 7:26 NU omits truly
5. John 7:29 NU, M omit But
6. John 7:33 NU, M omit to them
7. John 7:39 NU who believed
8. John 7:39 NU omits Holy
9. John 7:40 NU some
10. John 7:50 Lit. Him
11. John 7:50 NU before
12. John 7:52 NU is to rise
13. John 7:53 NU brackets 7:53 through 8:11 as not in the original text. They are present in over 900 mss. of John.

#### Cross references

1. John 7:1 : Matt. 21:38; 26:4; John 5:18; 7:19, 25; 8:37, 40
2. John 7:2 : Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13–15; Neh. 8:14, 18; Zech. 14:16–19
3. John 7:3 : Matt. 12:46; Mark 3:21; John 7:5, 10; Acts 1:14
4. John 7:5 : Ps. 69:8; Mic. 7:6
5. John 7:5 : Matt. 12:46; 13:55; Mark 3:21; John 7:3, 10
6. John 7:6 : John 2:4; 8:20
7. John 7:7 : [John 15:19]
8. John 7:7 : John 3:19
9. John 7:8 : John 8:20
10. John 7:11 : John 11:56
11. John 7:12 : John 9:16; 10:19
12. John 7:12 : Matt. 21:46; Luke 7:16; John 6:14; 7:40
13. John 7:13 : [John 9:22; 12:42; 19:38]
14. John 7:14 : Ps. 22:22; Matt. 4:23; 5:2; 7:29; Mark 6:34; Luke 4:15; 5:3; John 8:2
15. John 7:15 : Matt. 13:54; Mark 6:2; [Luke 4:22]; Acts 2:7
16. John 7:16 : Deut. 18:15, 18, 19; John 3:11
17. John 7:17 : Ps. 25:9, 14; Prov. 3:32; Dan. 12:10; John 3:21; 8:43
18. John 7:18 : John 5:41
19. John 7:18 : John 8:50
20. John 7:18 : John 8:46; [2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2:22]
21. John 7:19 : Ex. 24:3; Deut. 33:4; Acts 7:38
22. John 7:19 : Matt. 12:14
23. John 7:20 : John 8:48, 52
24. John 7:22 : Lev. 12:3
25. John 7:22 : Gen. 17:9–14; Acts 7:8
26. John 7:23 : John 5:8, 9, 16
27. John 7:24 : Deut. 1:16; Prov. 24:23; John 8:15; James 2:1
28. John 7:25 : Matt. 21:38; 26:4; Luke 22:2; John 5:18; 8:37, 40
29. John 7:26 : John 7:48
30. John 7:27 : Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:22
31. John 7:28 : John 8:14
32. John 7:28 : John 5:43
33. John 7:28 : Rom. 3:4
34. John 7:28 : John 1:18; 8:55
35. John 7:29 : Matt. 11:27; John 8:55; 17:25
36. John 7:30 : Mark 11:18
37. John 7:30 : Matt. 21:46; John 7:32, 44; 8:20; 10:39
38. John 7:31 : Matt. 12:23
39. John 7:33 : John 13:33
40. John 7:33 : [Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9; Heb. 9:24; 1 Pet. 3:22]
41. John 7:34 : Hos. 5:6
42. John 7:34 : [Matt. 5:20; 1 Cor. 6:9; 15:50; Rev. 21:27]
43. John 7:35 : Ps. 147:2; [Is. 11:12; 56:8; Zeph. 3:10]; James 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1
44. John 7:37 : Lev. 23:36; Num. 29:35; Neh. 8:18
45. John 7:37 : [Is. 55:1]
46. John 7:38 : Deut. 18:15
47. John 7:38 : Is. 12:3; 43:20; 44:3; 55:1; [John 6:35]; Rev. 21:6; 22:17
48. John 7:39 : Is. 44:3; [Joel 2:28]; John 1:33
49. John 7:39 : John 12:16; 13:31; 17:5
50. John 7:40 : Deut. 18:15, 18
51. John 7:41 : John 4:42; 6:69
52. John 7:42 : Ps. 132:11; Jer. 23:5; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:5; [Luke 2:4]
53. John 7:42 : 1 Sam. 16:1, 4
54. John 7:43 : John 7:12
55. John 7:44 : John 7:30
56. John 7:46 : Matt. 13:54, 56; Luke 4:22
57. John 7:50 : John 3:1, 2; 19:39
58. John 7:51 : Deut. 1:16, 17; 19:15
59. John 7:52 : [Is. 9:1, 2]; Matt. 4:15

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

#### Bible Gateway Recommends

NKJV Study Bible, Full-Color, Comfort Print: The Complete Resource for Studying God’s Word
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $41.99
Save: $18.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, 2nd Edition, Comfort Print: Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God Through His Word
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $41.99
Save: $18.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, The Prayer Bible, Red Letter, Comfort Print
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $35.99
Save: $24.00 (40%)
Buy Now
NKJV, Gift and Award Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version
Retail: $9.99
Our Price: $6.99
Save: $3.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, The Everyday Bible, Red Letter, Comfort Print: 365 Daily Readings Through the Whole Bible
Retail: $29.99
Our Price: $20.99
Save: $9.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People
Retail: $19.98
Our Price: $13.99
Save: $5.99 (30%)
Buy Now
View more titles