John 7:24
What does John 7:24 mean?
A plain-English look at John 7:24 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 7:24 means
Jesus commands them to stop judging by appearance and instead judge with righteous judgment. External impressions, rigid applications, and surface-level readings produce injustice. True discernment weighs God’s intentions, mercy, and truth. The verse is a call to moral clarity, free from hypocrisy and partiality. It applies especially to their evaluation of His Sabbath healing, but more broadly, to their evaluation of Him. If they judged righteously, they would see that His works and words align with the Father. The command invites them to move from reaction to reflection, from legalism to the heart of God’s Law.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Let not your decisions be based on what you see, but on righteousness.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862judge not according to appearance, but the righteous judgment judge.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Judge not according to the appearance: but judge just judgment.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Judge not according to sight, but judge righteous judgment.
Context
This imperative concludes Jesus’ defense of healing on the Sabbath. The narrative immediately shows how appearances mislead: residents of Jerusalem acknowledge the plot to kill Him even as He speaks openly (verse 25), raising questions about the rulers’ knowledge of His identity (verse 26). Misjudgment based on superficial knowledge will continue as people debate His origins and the Messiah’s expected background (verses 27–29).
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Leviticus 19:15
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.
- Proverbs 17:15
He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.
- Psalms 94:20
Shall the throne of wickedness have fellowship with thee, Which frameth mischief by statute?
- James 2:9
but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
- Isaiah 5:23
that justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
- James 2:1
My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lordof glory, with respect of persons.
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