John 8:9 (DBY)

Passage

But they, having heard [that], went out one by one beginning from the elder ones until the last; and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing there.

Nearby Context

John 8:7 But when they continued asking him, he lifted himself up and said to them, Let him that is without sin among you first cast the stone at her.

John 8:8 And again stooping down he wrote on the ground.

John 8:9 But they, having heard [that], went out one by one beginning from the elder ones until the last; and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing there.

John 8:10 And Jesus, lifting himself up and seeing no one but the woman, said to her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Has no one condemned thee?

John 8:11 And she said, No one, sir. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "having", "heard", "went", "beginning", "elder", "ones", "until", and "last". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "having" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And again stooping down he wrote on..." into verse 10's "And Jesus lifting himself up and seeing...", so "having" and "heard" 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 "having" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.