The Woman Caught in Adultery

John 8:6

Why translations differ here

The woman caught in adultery: part of John? The story of the woman caught in adultery is accepted as Scripture by the Catholic Church, printed in the Orthodox Church's Greek text and in Protestant Bibles, and has been read in worship since at least the fifth century; scholars of every tradition call it a genuinely ancient story about Jesus.

In 9 translations

BSB: They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.
KJV: This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
WEB: They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
ASV: And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
LSV: And this they said, trying Him, that they might have to accuse Him. And Jesus, having stooped down, with the finger He was writing on the ground,
YLT: and this they said, trying him, that they might have to accuse him. And Jesus, having stooped down, with the finger he was writing on the ground,
DBY: But this they said proving him, that they might have [something] to accuse him [of]. But Jesus, having stooped down, wrote with his finger on the ground.
DRC: And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground.
GNV: And this they saide to tempt him, that they might haue, whereof to accuse him. But Iesus stouped downe, and with his finger wrote on the groud.

Word by word Greek · tap a word

Words in brackets are English the glossers added; the Greek has no word for them, and they can carry a choice of tense or meaning.

Where the editions differ

Editions are published forms of the Hebrew and Greek texts. Meet the editions and sources →

In STEPBible’s comparison, NA28, NA27, Tyndale House, Westcott–Hort, Textus Receptus, Byzantine text include τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας τῷ δακτύλῳ (“This now they were saying testing Him so that they may have [grounds] to accuse Him. the But Jesus down having stooped the with [His] finger”); SBLGNT (2010), Tregelles do not include this wording.
Textus Receptus, Byzantine text read ἔγραφεν (“he was writing”); NA28, NA27, Tyndale House, Westcott–Hort read κατέγραφεν (“he was delineating”).
In STEPBible’s comparison, NA28, NA27, Tyndale House, Westcott–Hort, Textus Receptus, Byzantine text include εἰς τὴν γῆν (“on the ground”); SBLGNT (2010), Tregelles do not include this wording.
In STEPBible’s comparison, Byzantine text, Greek reading followed by the King James Version include μὴ προσποιούμενος (“not pretending”); NA28, NA27, Tyndale House, SBLGNT (2010), Westcott–Hort, Tregelles, Textus Receptus do not include this wording.

Edition differences: STEP Bible, based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0). Names and codes expanded; consecutive words grouped. Comparisons follow the editions used by the source; see version details.

Original-language editions

SBLGNT: τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας, τῷ δακτύλῳ ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν, μὴ προσποιούμενος.
RP2018: Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας, τῷ δακτύλῳ ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν, μὴ προσποιούμενος.
TR-Boyd: Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσι κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας, τῷ δακτύλῳ ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν.γῆν ¦ γῆν, μὴ προσποιούμενος SCR
SCR1894: τουτο δε ελεγον πειραζοντες αυτον ινα εχωσιν κατηγορειν αυτου ο δε ιησους κατω κυψας τω δακτυλω εγραφεν εις την γην μη προσποιουμενος

Who and where

👤 Jesus Christ◆ Woman Caught in Adultery

People, places and events the Theographic dataset links to this verse.

In the reference works topics that cite this verse

Adultery Criticism of the Bible Ostraca Purity Literature, Sub-Apostolic Harlot Text and Manuscripts of the New Testament Gesture Hypocrisy Women

From public-domain Bible dictionaries and topical indexes (1884–1915).

Cross-references most cited first

Jeremiah 17:13O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.
Luke 10:25One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Psalms 38:12–14Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long. But like a deaf man, I do not hear; and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth. I am like a man who cannot…
Ecclesiastes 3:7a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
Matthew 19:3Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
Amos 5:10There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.
Numbers 14:22not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times—
Amos 5:13Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.
1 Corinthians 10:9We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.
Proverbs 26:17Like one who grabs a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.
Luke 11:53–54As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things, waiting to catch Him in something He might say.
Genesis 49:9Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
Matthew 16:1Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
Matthew 22:18But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?
Matthew 26:63But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Matthew 22:35One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question:

From the OpenBible.info cross-reference set (votes from readers; not every link is a quotation or allusion).