John 8:20 (DBY)

Passage

These words spoke he in the treasury, teaching in the temple; and no one took him, for his hour was not yet come.

Nearby Context

John 8:18 I am [one] who bear witness concerning myself, and the Father who has sent me bears witness concerning me.

John 8:19 They said to him therefore, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know neither me nor my Father. If ye had known me, ye would have known also my Father.

John 8:20 These words spoke he in the treasury, teaching in the temple; and no one took him, for his hour was not yet come.

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

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "spoke", "treasury", "teaching", "temple", "took", "hour", and "come". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "spoke", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "They said to him therefore Where is..." into verse 21's "He said therefore again to them I...", so "words" and "spoke" 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 "words" and "spoke" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.