Passage

John 8.32

Book: John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"30. As he spake these things, many believed on him. 31. Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples;"

"32. and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

"33. They answered unto him, We are Abraham's seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin." (John 8:30-34, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"30. As he spoke these things, many believed in him. 31. Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples."

"32. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”"

"33. They answered him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34. Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin." (John 8:30-34, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"30. As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;"

"32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

"33. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." (John 8:30-34, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"30. As he is speaking these things, many believed in him; 31. Jesus, therefore, said unto the Jews who believed in him, 'If ye may remain in my word, truly my disciples ye are, and ye shall know the truth,"

"32. and the truth shall make you free.'"

"33. They answered him, 'Seed of Abraham we are; and to no one have we been servants at any time; how dost thou say, Ye shall become free?' 34. Jesus answered them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, Every one who is committing sin, is a servant of the sin," (John 8:30-34, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: John the Apostle (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
Audience: later Christian audience (high-Christological emphasis; against early gnosticism)
Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Ephesus (composition)
Time period: events c. 26-33 AD (3-Passover chronology); composed c. AD 85-95

Theological reading

Key words

G0225 - aletheia, aletheia (Strong's G225). Also appears in: Mark 12, Luke 22.54-62, John 1.14.
G1097 - ginosko, ginosko (Strong's G1097). Also appears in: Matthew 1, Mark 4.11-12, Mark 6.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.