John 8:38 (GNV)

Passage

I speake that which I haue seene with my Father: and ye doe that which ye haue seene with your father.

Nearby Context

John 8:36 If that Sonne therefore shall make you free, ye shalbe free in deede.

John 8:37 I know that ye are Abrahams seede, but yee seeke to kill mee, because my worde hath no place in you.

John 8:38 I speake that which I haue seene with my Father: and ye doe that which ye haue seene with your father.

John 8:39 They answered, and saide vnto him, Abraham is our father. Iesus said vnto them, If ye were Abrahams children, ye woulde doe the workes of Abraham.

John 8:40 But nowe ye goe about to kill mee, a man that haue told you the trueth, which I haue heard of God: this did not Abraham.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "speake", "haue", "seene", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "speake" and "haue", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "I know that ye are Abrahams seede..." into verse 39's "They answered and saide vnto him Abraham...", so "speake" and "haue" 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 "speake" and "haue" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.