John 8:51 (GNV)

Passage

Verely, verely I say vnto you, If a man keepe my word, he shall neuer see death.

Nearby Context

John 8:49 Iesus answered, I haue not a deuil, but I honour my Father, and ye haue dishonoured me.

John 8:50 And I seeke not mine owne praise: but there is one that seeketh it, and iudgeth.

John 8:51 Verely, verely I say vnto you, If a man keepe my word, he shall neuer see death.

John 8:52 Then said the Iewes to him, Now know we that thou hast a deuill. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets: and thou sayest, If a man keepe my worde, he shall neuer taste of death.

John 8:53 Art thou greater then our father Abraham, which is dead? and the Prophets are dead: whome makest thou thy selfe?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "verely", "vnto", "keepe", "word", "shall", "neuer", and "death". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "verely" and "vnto", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 50's "And I seeke not mine owne praise..." into verse 52's "Then said the Iewes to him Now...", so "verely" and "vnto" 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 "verely" and "vnto" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.