King James Version
What Does John 7:8 Mean?
“Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.”
Context
6
Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
7
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
8
Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.
9
When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10
But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
Commentary
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers(8) **Go ye up unto this feast.**—This should be, rather, *Go ye up unto the feast,* with the stress on the pronoun “ye,” and the article instead of the demonstrative “this.”
**I go not up yet unto this feast.**—The “yet” is of doubtful authority, though it is found in some early MSS. and versions, and the more so because it removes an apparent difficulty. Without it, the words do not involve a change of purpose, and Porphyry’s often-repeated charge of fickleness has no real ground. He is not going up unto the feast in the sense in which they intended—openly, with the usual caravan from Galilee. Another going up publicly, as they intended, and with an issue the dark presages of which now crowd upon Him, is present to His mind. “Ye, go ye up to the feast; *I* go not up to *this* feast.” The verb is in the present, and its meaning does not exclude a going up afterwards. (See also Note on John 7:10.) They were then going; the caravan was preparing to start. I am not going up (now). The time is coming, but it has not yet fully come. (Comp. Note on Luke 9:51.)
Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of John. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
John 7:8 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Cross-References
Verses related to John 7:8
Cross-references from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge