John 8:22 (GNV)

Passage

Then said the Iewes, Will he kill himselfe, because he saith, Whither I goe, can ye not come?

Nearby Context

John 8:20 These wordes spake Iesus in the treasurie, as hee taught in the Temple, and no man layde handes on him: for his houre was not yet come.

John 8:21 Then saide Iesus againe vnto them, I goe my way, and ye shall seeke me, and shall die in your sinnes, Whither I goe, can ye not come.

John 8:22 Then said the Iewes, Will he kill himselfe, because he saith, Whither I goe, can ye not come?

John 8:23 And hee saide vnto them, Ye are from beneath, I am from aboue: ye are of this world, I am not of this worlde.

John 8:24 I said therefore vnto you, That ye shall die in your sinnes: for except ye beleeue, that I am he, ye shall die in your sinnes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "iewes", "kill", "himselfe", "saith", "whither", and "come". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "iewes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Then saide Iesus againe vnto them I..." into verse 23's "And hee saide vnto them Ye are...", so "said" and "iewes" 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 "iewes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.