The Meaning of John 10:34 Explained

John 10:34

KJV: Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

YLT: Jesus answered them, 'Is it not having been written in your law: I said, ye are gods?

Darby: Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

ASV: Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Jesus  answered  them,  Is it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  Ye are  gods? 

What does John 10:34 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus proceeded to point out that the Jews" authoritative Revelation , the Old Testament, proved His claim. He cited Psalm 82:6 to show that the Old Testament used the word "god" (Heb. elohim) to refer to persons other than God Himself. If God spoke of people as "gods," why should the Jews object if Jesus implied that He was a god?
The identity of the people whom God addressed as gods in Psalm 82:6 is debatable. The most popular and probable view is that they were Israel"s judges who were functioning as God"s representatives and so were in that sense little gods ( Psalm 82:1-4; cf. Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:8). [1] Another view is that these gods were angels. [2] This seems unlikely since the contrast in view in the psalm is between God and mere Prayer of Manasseh , not angels. A third view is that God was addressing the whole nation of Israel when He gave them the Law. He spoke to the people as His sons and in this sense meant that they were gods. [3] However the contrast between God as the true Judge ( Psalm 82:1; Psalm 82:8) and the people whom He rebuked for judging falsely ( Psalm 82:2-7) seems to favor the first view.

Context Summary

John 10:31-42 - The Works Of The Father
In the strongest terms known to the Jews, our Lord insisted on His oneness with God; and they understood His claims, threatening Him with the penalty of blasphemy. This quotation from Psalms 82:6 was originally addressed to magistrates, and our Lord argued that if unjust judges were described by this phrase, because they exercised the divine prerogative of judgment, surely His opponents had no right to stone Him, when, as the Sent of God and sanctioned by God's witness in His works, He spoke of Himself as the Father's equal and fellow. See Zechariah 13:7; and Philippians 2:6. But their vindictive hate would brook no parley; and as His hour was not yet come, Jesus deemed it better to go beyond Jordan into hiding, until the minute-hand should reach the exact figure on the dial.
There was a special reason why He was attracted to the region beyond Jordan. It was the place of John's early appearance. That ground had been black with crowds, those waters had witnessed countless baptisms. All that wonderful past trooped back to memory, and the people remembered John's word as they saw in Christ their precise fulfillment. We may work no miracle, but let us speak true words about Jesus Christ. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 10

1  Jesus is the door, and the good shepherd
19  Diverse opinions of him
23  He proves by his works that he is Jesus the Son of God;
31  escapes the Jews;
39  and goes again beyond Jordan, where many believe on him

Greek Commentary for John 10:34

Is it not written? [ουκ εστιν γεγραμμενον]
Periphrastic perfect passive indicative of γραπω — graphō (as in John 2:17) in place of the usual γεγραπται — gegraptai “Does it not stand written?” In your law From Psalm 82:6. The term νομος — nomos (law) applying here to the entire O.T. as in John 12:34; John 15:25; Romans 3:19; 1 Corinthians 14:21. Aleph D Syr-sin. omit υμων — humōn but needlessly. We have it already so from Jesus in John 8:17. They posed as the special custodians of the O.T. I said Recitative οτι — hoti before a direct quotation like our quotation marks. Ειπα — Eipa is a late second aorist form of indicative with -α — a instead of -ον — on Ye are gods Another direct quotation after ειπα — eipa but without οτι — hoti The judges of Israel abused their office and God is represented in Psalm 82:6 as calling them “gods” (τεοι — theoi elohim) because they were God‘s representatives. See the same use of elohim in Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:9, Exodus 22:28. Jesus meets the rabbis on their own ground in a thoroughly Jewish way. [source]
Is it not written [οὐκ ἐστιν γεγραμμένον]
More strictly, does it not stand written. [source]
Law [νόμῳ]
The word is sometimes used in the New Testament of other scriptures. See John 12:34; John 15:25; Romans 3:19; 1 Corinthians 14:21. [source]
I said, etc. []
The reference is to Psalm 82:6. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 10:34

John 12:34 The law []
See on John 10:34. [source]
John 10:36 Of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world [ον ο πατηρ ηγιασεν και απεστειλεν εις τον κοσμον]
Another relative clause with the antecedent Recitative οτι — hoti again before direct quotation. Because I said Causal use of οτι — hoti and regular form ειπον — eipon (cf. ειπα — eipa in John 10:34). I am the Son of God Direct quotation again after ειπον — eipon This Jesus had implied long before as in John 2:16 (my Father) and had said in John 5:18-30 (the Father, the Son), in John 9:35 in some MSS., and virtually in John 10:30. They will make this charge against Jesus before Pilate (John 19:7). Jesus does not use the article here with υιος — huios perhaps (Westcott) fixing attention on the character of Son rather than on the person as in Hebrews 1:2. There is no answer to this question with its arguments. [source]
John 12:34 Out of the law [εκ του νομου]
That is, “out of the Scriptures” (John 10:34; John 15:25). The Christ abideth forever Timeless present active indicative of μενω — menō to abide, remain. Perhaps from Psalm 89:4; Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:25; Daniel 7:14. How sayest thou? In opposition to the law (Scripture). The Son of man Accusative case of general reference with the infinitive υπσωτηναι — hupsōthēnai (first aorist passive of υπσοω — hupsoō and taken in the sense of death by the cross as Jesus used it in John 12:32). Clearly the crowd understand Jesus to be “the Son of man” and take the phrase to be equivalent to “the Christ.” This is the obvious way to understand the two terms in their reply, and not, as Bernard suggests, that they saw no connexion between “the Christ” (the Messiah) and “the Son of man.” The use of “this” (ουτος — houtos) in the question that follows is in contrast to John 12:32. The Messiah (the Son of man) abides forever and is not to be crucified as you say he “must” (δει — dei) be. [source]
John 15:25 But this cometh to pass [αλλ]
Ellipsis in the Greek (no verb), as in John 9:3; John 13:18. In their law Cf. John 8:17; John 10:34 for this standpoint. “Law” The hatred of the Jews toward Jesus the promised Messiah (John 1:11) is “part of the mysterious purpose of God” (Bernard) as shown by ινα πληρωτηι — hina plērōthēi (first aorist passive subjunctive of πληροω — plēroō to fulfill). Without a cause Adverbial accusative of δωρεα — dōrea from διδωμι — didōmi gratuitously, then unnecessarily or gratis (in two Koiné tablets, Nageli) as here and Galatians 2:21. [source]
John 8:17 Yea and in your law [και εν τωι νομωι δε τωι υμετερωι]
Same use of καιδε — kai -de as in John 8:16. They claimed possession of the law (John 7:49) and so Jesus takes this turn in answer to the charge of single witness in John 8:13. He will use similar language (your law) in John 10:34 in an argumentum ad hominem as here in controversy with the Jews. In John 15:24 to the apostles Jesus even says “in their law” in speaking of the hostile Jews plotting his death. He does not mean in either case to separate himself wholly from the Jews and the law, though in Matthew 5 he does show the superiority of his teaching to that of the law. For the Mosaic regulation about two witnesses see Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15. This combined witness of two is not true just because they agree, unless true in fact separately. But if they disagree, the testimony falls to the ground. In this case the Father confirms the witness of the Son as Jesus had already shown (John 5:37). [source]
Hebrews 2:7 Thou madest him a little lower [ελαττωσας αυτον βραχυ τι]
First aorist active of old verb ελαττοω — elattoō from ελαττων — elattōn (less), causative verb to lessen, to decrease, to make less, only here, and Hebrews 2:9 and John 3:30 in N.T. ραχυ τι — Brachu ti is accusative neuter of degree like 2 Samuel 16:1, “some little,” but of time in Isaiah 57:17 (for a little while). Than the angels “Beside angels” like παρα — para with the accusative of comparison in Hebrews 1:4, Hebrews 1:9. The Hebrew here has υοι τεου — Elohim which word is applied to judges in Psalm 82:1, Psalm 82:6 (John 10:34.). Here it is certainly not “God” in our sense. In Psalm 29:1 the lxx translates εστεπανωσας — Elohim by στεπανοω — huoi theou (sons of God). Thou crownedst First aorist active indicative of old verb, stephanoō to crown, in N.T. only here and 2 Timothy 2:5 The Psalmist refers to God‘s purpose in creating man with such a destiny as mastery over nature. The rest of Hebrews 2:7 is absent in B. [source]

What do the individual words in John 10:34 mean?

Answered them - Jesus Not is it written in the law of you - I said gods you are
Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς Οὐκ ἔστιν γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὑμῶν ὅτι Ἐγὼ εἶπα Θεοί ἐστε

Ἀπεκρίθη  Answered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
ἔστιν  is  it 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
γεγραμμένον  written 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: γράφω 
Sense: to write, with reference to the form of the letters.
νόμῳ  law 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: νόμος  
Sense: anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ὅτι  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
εἶπα  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Θεοί  gods 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἐστε  you  are 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.