John 8:7 (DRB)

Passage

When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Nearby Context

John 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest thou?

John 8:6 And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground.

John 8:7 When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

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

John 8:9 But they hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "continued", "asking", "lifted", "himself", "said", "without", and "first". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "continued", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And this they said tempting him that..." into verse 8's "And again stooping down he wrote on...", so "therefore" and "continued" 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 "therefore" and "continued" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.