John 8:55 (DBY)

Passage

And ye know him not; but I know him; and if I said, I know him not, I should be like you, a liar. But I know him, and I keep his word.

Nearby Context

John 8:53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who has died? and the prophets have died: whom makest thou thyself?

John 8:54 Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: it is my Father who glorifies me, [of] whom ye say, He is our God.

John 8:55 And ye know him not; but I know him; and if I said, I know him not, I should be like you, a liar. But I know him, and I keep his word.

John 8:56 Your father Abraham exulted in that he should see my day, and he saw and rejoiced.

John 8:57 The Jews therefore said to him, Thou hast not yet fifty years, and hast thou seen Abraham?

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 54's "Jesus answered If I glorify myself my..." into verse 56's "Your father Abraham exulted in that he...", so "said" and "should" 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 "said" and "should" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.