John 8:5
Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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These accusers are twisting the Law! While Moses did command death for adultery, the specific method of stoning wasn't the only option and often applied to less severe cases, like a betrothed woman. They're leveraging a very specific, perhaps not even applicable, interpretation to trap Jesus into either condemning the woman and appearing harsh, or acquitting her and seeming to defy the Law.
Jesus has just returned to the temple and is teaching the crowds when the scribes and Pharisees, trying to trap him, drag a woman caught in adultery before him. They cite the Law of Moses, which commands stoning for such acts, and demand Jesus's verdict, hoping to either have him contradict the Law or expose him to Roman authorities if he upholds it.
The scribes and Pharisees present a supposed legal dilemma, but their real goal is far darker. Notice how they twist the Law to ensnare Jesus.
These religious leaders corner Jesus with a seemingly straightforward question based on the Law of Moses: "Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" (John 8:5).
A Legalistic Smokescreen
They cite Moses, referencing the punishment for adultery. However, the commentators point out that the Mosaic Law didn't always specify stoning for adultery. In many cases, strangulation was the prescribed method, and for a betrothed woman, stoning was indeed the punishment (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).
But their citation isn't about upholding justice. They are using the Law as a weapon.
The Two-Pronged Trap
Their motive, as Calvin notes, was "to lay traps for Christ" and "to constrain Christ to depart from his office of preaching grace."
Instead of playing their game, Jesus reveals a profound truth that disarms the accusers and offers hope to the accused. What is this radical approach?
Jesus, instead of directly answering their legalistic trap, shifts the focus entirely. He doesn't ignore the Law, but He certainly doesn't allow it to be used as a weapon of hypocrisy.
Writing on the Ground
Understand the original words
torah · Hebrew Noun
A term referring to the Pentateuch or the entire body of divine instruction given through Moses. It serves as the standard for holiness, righteousness, and the covenant relationship between God and Israel.
Mosheh · Hebrew Noun
The first prophet of Israel through whom God gave the covenant and the law at Sinai. He is the mediator of the Old Covenant and the foundational figure of the Jewish religious system.
lithazein · Greek Verb
A technical term for the capital punishment prescribed in the Mosaic Law for specific violations of the covenant, particularly sexual immorality or blasphemy. It symbolized the purging of evil from the community.
The accusers reference the Mosaic Law's command to stone adulteresses to trap Jesus. While the Law did prescribe death, the exact method, particularly stoning, had become a subject of rabbinic interpretation and was applied to specific scenarios, not always general adultery as they imply.
c. 1400 BC
Mosaic Law Promulgated
The Law given through Moses establishes various punishments, including death for adultery, though the specific method is not always detailed.
c. 700 BC
Ezekiel's Vision of Judgment
The prophet Ezekiel describes judgment on Jerusalem using imagery of stoning adulteresses, suggesting this was a known, though perhaps not universally applied, punishment.
c. 100 BC - AD 100
Rabbinic Interpretation of Adultery Law
Jewish oral traditions and interpretations (like those found in the Mishnah) debated and defined punishments for adultery, with stoning being a prominent, though not the only, prescribed penalty, often applied to specific circumstances like betrothal.
c. AD 30— this verse
Encounter in the Temple
Scribes and Pharisees bring a woman accused of adultery to Jesus in the Temple courts, challenging Him to apply the Mosaic Law and trap Him with His response.
This passage details the Mosaic Law's command that both the man and woman caught in adultery should be put to death, setting the legal precedent the accusers are referencing.
Deuteronomy 22:22-24This passage specifically outlines the punishment of stoning for a betrothed virgin who is found with a man not her betrothed, a detail that clarifies the specific application of the Law the accusers likely had in mind.
Ezekiel 16:40The prophet Ezekiel describes God's judgment on Jerusalem, stating they will stone her and pierce her with swords, reflecting an understanding of the severity of punishment for adultery that aligns with the accusers' intent.
Romans 2:1-3Paul speaks about the hypocrisy of those who judge others for the same sins they commit, mirroring the self-righteousness of the accusers who are trying to trap Jesus rather than genuinely uphold the Law.
Matthew 7:1-5Jesus' teaching on judging others serves as a direct contrast to the accusers' behavior; His later response in John 8 highlights the principle that one must first examine their own sin before condemning another.
barnesJohn 8:5: "Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?"
Moses in the law ... - The punishment of adultery commanded by Moses was death, Leviticus 20:10 ; Deuteronomy 22:22 . The particular manner of the death was not specified in the law. The Jews had themselves, in the time of Christ, determined that it should be by stoning. See this described in the notes at Matthew 21:35 , Matthew 21:44 . The punishment for adultery varied. In some cases it was strang…
calvinJohn 8:1-11: "Jesus went unto the mount of Olives."
- But Jesus went to the mountain of Olives. 2. And early in the morning he again came to the temple, and all the people came to him; and sitting down, he taught them 3. And the scribes and Pharisees bring to him a woman caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst, 4. They say to him, Master, this woman was caught in the very act, while she was committing adultery. 5. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such persons; but what sayes…
These accusers are twisting the Law! While Moses did command death for adultery, the specific method of stoning wasn't the only option and often applied to less severe cases, like a betrothed woman. They're leveraging a very specific, perhaps not even applicable, interpretation to trap Jesus into either condemning the woman and appearing harsh, or acquitting her and seeming to defy the Law.
Jesus has just returned to the temple and is teaching the crowds when the scribes and Pharisees, trying to trap him, drag a woman caught in adultery before him. They cite the Law of Moses, which commands stoning for such acts, and demand Jesus's verdict, hoping to either have him contradict the Law or expose him to Roman authorities if he upholds it.
Jesus has just returned to the temple and is teaching the crowds when the scribes and Pharisees, trying to trap him, drag a woman caught in adultery before him. They cite the Law of Moses, which commands stoning for such acts, and demand Jesus's verdict, hoping to either have him contradict the Law or expose him to Roman authorities if he upholds it.
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Jesus' initial response is silence, accompanied by writing on the ground (John 8:6). While the exact content of His writing is debated, it powerfully communicates His disregard for their malicious intent. He is not playing their game.
The Challenge to the Accusers
When they persist, Jesus issues a challenge that exposes their own sinfulness: "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7).
The Outcome
One by one, starting with the oldest, they depart, unable to meet Jesus' righteous standard. Jesus doesn't abolish the Law; He reveals its true intent – that it requires perfect obedience, something only He could fulfill. He then offers the woman mercy, not by condoning her sin, but by calling her to a new life: "Go, and sin no more" (John 8:11).
c. AD 30
Jesus' Response and Dismissal
Jesus offers a profound challenge to the accusers' hypocrisy and then offers mercy to the woman, urging her to 'sin no more'.
"Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”" — These accusers are twisting the Law! While Moses did command death for adultery, the specific method of stoning wasn't the only option and often applied to less severe cases, like a betrothed woman.…
