John 8:37 (DRB)

Passage

I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Nearby Context

John 8:35 Now the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the son abideth for ever.

John 8:36 If therefore the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

John 8:37 I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and you do the things that you have seen with your father.

John 8:39 They answered and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "children", "abraham", "seek", "kill", "word", "hath", and "place". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "children" and "abraham", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "If therefore the son shall make you..." into verse 38's "I speak that which I have seen...", so "children" and "abraham" 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 "children" and "abraham" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.