Jesus tells people that he is the light of the world. His opponents say his testimony is untrue because he is talking about himself.
John 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
John 8:15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.
You yourselves about the flesh judge. I myself don't judge nothing.
This verse has a lot of humorous wordplays that are lost in translation. At first, it seems like a reiteration of John 7:24 "Don't judge by appearances." But this verse says more. The verb translated as "condemn" regarding the adulteress in John 8:10 and John 8:11 is from a compound verb meaning to "judge down" or "judge against"." The prefix meaning "down" or "against" is a preposition in this verse, translated here as a "after" and "by." The root verb is translated here as "judge." So Jesus just saying both that they are judge "according to" the flesh, and they judge "down" on or "against" the flesh." This could refer the adulteress in the earlier.
The last clause is a double negative, "I don't judge nothing." While this seems like bad grammar in English, the double negative can work in Greek as a stronger negative, but here it has a more specific purpose. This is a reference to his earlier statement the "flesh doesn't help nothing" (John 6:63), another double negative. Both verses equate the flesh with nothing. So Jesus is saying that he doesn't judge by the flesh because it is nothing. Jesus clearly does judge because he talked about when he judges in the next verse. The word translated as "no man/no one" has the same form for the masculine, "no man," the neuter, "nothing," and the feminine, which is the gender of "flesh."
An oddity of this Greek verb for "judge" is the same form for the present and future tenses and the form of possibility. So this verb could mean "I don't judge," I will not judge," or "I should/might not judge." In the next verse, however, the verb is the form of possibility because it is in a "when" clause.
We get to wrapped up in the flesh, making it more important than it is.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "yourselves" is not shown in the English translation, but it is needed to capture the pronoun as well as the form of the verb.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "no" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW -- Missing Word -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "yourselves" is not shown in the English translation, but it is needed to capture the pronoun as well as the form of the verb.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "flesh is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "human standards" should be something more like "flesh."
- MW -- Missing Word -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "no" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "pass judgment" is the same word translated as "judge" above.
Ye -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It is plural.
missing "yourselves" ---- (MW) The pronoun is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "you yourselves."
judge -- The term used here for "judge" is a much more complicated idea. Unlike most words, which Christ uses specifically, he uses this word in a variety of senses simply because no English word corresponds to it precisely. He can mean "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context.
after --The word translated as "after" means "down from," "down into," "against," "opposite," "separately," "at a time," "towards," "in accordance with," "concerning," "corresponding with," "during the course of a period," and "severally." This is the prefix that turns "judge" into "judge against."
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
flesh; -- The Greek word translated as "the flesh" means "flesh," "meat," and "the physical order of things" as opposed to the spiritual. In contrasting it with "spirit," he is making it clear that he has been using it in the later sense.
I -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
missing "no" -- (MW) The untranslated word "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly."
judge-- The term used here for "judge" is a much more complicated idea. Unlike most words, which Christ uses specifically, he uses this word in a variety of senses simply because no English word corresponds to it precisely. He can mean "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context.
no man. -- The Greek word translated as "no man" also means "no one," "nothing," and other negative nouns. However, to avoid the English double-negative, we translate it as its opposite "anyone" when used with another Greek negative.
You -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It is plural.
missing "yourselves" ---- (MW) The pronoun is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "you yourselves."
judge -- The term used here for "judge" is a much more complicated idea. Unlike most words, which Christ uses specifically, he uses this word in a variety of senses simply because no English word corresponds to it precisely. He can mean "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context. We try to keep as closely as possible to the primary meaning of "separate" except when it doesn't fit.
by -- The word translated as "by" means "down from," "down into," "against," "opposite," "separately," "at a time," "towards," "in accordance with," "concerning," "corresponding with," "during the course of a period," and "severally." This is the prefix that turns "judge" into "judge against."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article,"the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
human standards; -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "human standards" means "flesh," "meat," and "the physical order of things" as opposed to the spiritual. In contrasting it with "spirit," he is making it clear that he has been using it in the later sense.
I -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
missing "no" -- (MW) The untranslated word "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly."
pass judgment --- (CW) The term used here for "pass judgement" is the same word translated as "judge" above. Unlike most words, which Jesus uses specifically, he uses this word in a variety of senses simply because no English word corresponds to it precisely. He can mean "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context.
no man. -- The Greek word translated as "no man" also means "no one," "nothing," and other negative nouns. However, to avoid the English double-negative, we translate it as its opposite "anyone" when used with another Greek negative.
ὑμεῖς [92 verses](pron 2nd pl nom) "You" is hymeis (humeis), which is the plural nominative form of the second person, "you."
κατὰ [60 verses](prep) "Against" is kata can be a preposition or an adverb. As a preposition with the genitive, it means, means "downwards," "down from," "down into," "against," "down toward," "down (from)," and, or time, "for." With the accusative, it means "down (to)," "according to," "about," " during," of motion, "on," "over," "throughout a space," "opposite," "separately," "individually," "at a time," "towards," "in accordance with," "concerning," "corresponding with," "during the course of a period," and "severally." As an adverb, it means "according as," "just as," "in so far as," "wherefore," "like as if" and "exactly as."
τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
σάρκα [19 verses](noun sg fem acc) "The flesh" is sarx, which means "flesh," "the body," "fleshy," "the pulp of fruit," "meat," and "the physical and natural order of things" (opposite of the spiritual or supernatural).
κρίνετε [30 verses](2nd pl pres ind act) "Judge" is krino, which primarily means "to separate," "to put asunder," and "to distinguish." It has a lot of other secondary meanings, including "to pick out," "to choose," "to decide" disputes or accounts, "to win" a battle, "to judge" especially in the sense of "estimate," "to expound," or "to interpret" in a particular way.
ἐγὼ [162 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom) "I" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I." It also means "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," and for myself.
οὐ [440 verses](conj) Untranslated is ou , the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
κρίνω [30 verses] (verb 1st sg pres/fut ind act) "Judge" is krino, which primarily means "to separate," "to put asunder," and "to distinguish." It has a lot of other secondary meanings, including "to pick out," "to choose," "to decide" disputes or accounts, "to win" a battle, "to judge" especially in the sense of "estimate," "to expound," or "to interpret" in a particular way.
οὐδένα. [69 verses](adj sg masc/fem acc or pl neut nom/acc) "No man" is oudeis which means "no one," "not one," "nothing," "naught," "good for naught," and "no matter."
The word translated in the bible as "condemn" is katakrino. The words translated as "judge" and "after" here are "krino" and "kata." So in Greek there is a double meaning: "judging based on the physical" and "condemning the physical." The double negative equates "the body" or "they physical" with nothing.