John 8:9 (YLT)

Passage

and they having heard, and by the conscience being convicted, were going forth one by one, having begun from the elders--unto the last; and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Nearby Context

John 8:7 and when they continued asking him, having bent himself back, he said unto them, `The sinless of you--let him first cast the stone at her;'

John 8:8 and again having stooped down, he was writing on the ground,

John 8:9 and they having heard, and by the conscience being convicted, were going forth one by one, having begun from the elders--unto the last; and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

John 8:10 And Jesus having bent himself back, and having seen no one but the woman, said to her, `Woman, where are those--thine accusers? did no one pass sentence upon thee?'

John 8:11 and she said, `No one, Sir;' and Jesus said to her, `Neither do I pass sentence on thee; be going on, and no more sin.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "having", "heard", "conscience", "convicted", "going", "forth", and "begun". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "having" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "and again having stooped down he was..." into verse 10's "And Jesus having bent himself back and...", so "having" and "heard" 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 "having" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.