John 8:55 (YLT)

Passage

and ye have not known Him, and I have known Him, and if I say that I have not known Him, I shall be like you--speaking falsely; but I have known Him, and His word I keep;

Nearby Context

John 8:53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died; whom dost thou make thyself?'

John 8:54 Jesus answered, `If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who is glorifying me, of whom ye say that He is your God;

John 8:55 and ye have not known Him, and I have known Him, and if I say that I have not known Him, I shall be like you--speaking falsely; but I have known Him, and His word I keep;

John 8:56 Abraham, your father, was glad that he might see my day; and he saw, and did rejoice.'

John 8:57 The Jews, therefore, said unto him, `Thou art not yet fifty years old, and Abraham hast thou seen?'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "known", "shall", "like", "you--speaking", and "falsely". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "known" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 54's "Jesus answered If I glorify myself my..." into verse 56's "Abraham your father was glad that he...", so "known" and "shall" 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 "known" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.