John 8:23 (ASV)

Passage

And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

Nearby Context

John 8:21 He said therefore again unto them, I go away, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sin: whither I go, ye cannot come.

John 8:22 The Jews therefore said, Will he kill himself, that he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come?

John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.

John 8:25 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "said", "beneath", and "above". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "The Jews therefore said Will he kill..." into verse 24's "I said therefore unto you that ye...", so "world" and "said" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "world" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.