SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:33
Y le respondieron: Simiente de Abraham somos, y jams servimos a nadie, ¿cmo dices t: Seris libres?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 8:33
Verse 33. They answered] That is, the other Jews who had not believed-the carping, cavilling Pharisees already mentioned; for the words cannot be spoken of the simple people who had already believed. See ver. 30. Were never in bondage to any man] This assertion was not only false, but it was ridiculous in the extreme; seeing their whole history, sacred and profane, is full of recitals of their servitude in Egypt, in Chaldea, under the Persians, under the Macedonians, and under the Romans. But those who are not under the influence of the truth of God will speak and act according to the influence of the spirit of falsehood and error. If the words are to be restrained to themselves alone, they may be understood thus: We are Abraham's seed: and we were never in bondage. Both these propositions had a faint shadow of truth.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 33. They answered him , etc.] Not the believing Jews, whom he peculiarly addressed, but the unbelieving Jews, who were present, and heard these things: we be Abrahams seed ; this the Jews always valued themselves upon, and reckoned themselves, on this account, upon a level with the nobles and the princes of the earth. Says R. Akiba f385 , even the poor of Israel are to be considered as if they were yrwj ynb , noblemen, that are fallen from their substance, because they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and were never in bondage to any man ; which is a very great falsehood, for it was declared to Abraham himself, that his seed should serve in a land not theirs, and be afflicted four hundred years, as they were; and as the preface to the law which the Jews gloried in shows, which says, that the Lord their God brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; and they were frequently overcome by their neighbours, the Moabites, Ammonites, and Philistines, and reduced to servitude under them, until delivered by one judge, or another: and not to take notice of their seventy years captivity in Babylon, they were at this very time under the Roman yoke, and paid tribute to Caesar; and yet such was the pride of their hearts, they would not be thought to be in bondage; and therefore, with an haughty air, add, how sayest thou, ye shall be made free ? when they thought themselves, and would fain have been thought by others, to have been free already, and so to stand in no need of being made free.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 30-36 - Such power attended our Lord's words, that many were convinced, an professed to believe in him. He encouraged them to attend his teaching rely on his promises, and obey his commands, notwithstanding all temptations to evil. Thus doing, they would be his disciples truly; an by the teaching of his word and Spirit, they would learn where their hope and strength lay. Christ spoke of spiritual liberty; but carna hearts feel no other grievances than those that molest the body, an distress their worldly affairs. Talk to them of their liberty an property, tell them of waste committed upon their lands, or damage don to their houses, and they understand you very well; but speak of the bondage of sin, captivity to Satan, and liberty by Christ; tell of wrong done to their precious souls, and the hazard of their eterna welfare, then you bring strange things to their ears. Jesus plainl reminded them, that the man who practised any sin, was, in fact, slave to that sin, which was the case with most of them. Christ in the gospel offers us freedom, he has power to do this, and those who Christ makes free are really so. But often we see persons disputin about liberty of every kind, while they are slaves to some sinful lust.
Greek Textus Receptus
απεκριθησαν 611 5662 V-ADI-3P αυτω 846 P-DSM σπερμα 4690 N-NSN αβρααμ 11 N-PRI εσμεν 2070 5748 V-PXI-1P και 2532 CONJ ουδενι 3762 A-DSM δεδουλευκαμεν 1398 5758 V-RAI-1P πωποτε 4455 ADV πως 4459 ADV-I συ 4771 P-2NS λεγεις 3004 5719 V-PAI-2S οτι 3754 CONJ ελευθεροι 1658 A-NPM γενησεσθε 1096 5695 V-FDI-2P
Vincent's NT Word Studies
33. Were never in bondage (dedouleukamen pwpote). Rev., better, have never yet been in bondage; thus giving the force of the perfect tense, never up to this time, and of the pw, yet. In the light of the promises given to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 16; xxii. 17, 18, the Jews claimed not only freedom, but dominion over the nations. In their reply to Jesus they ignore alike the Egyptian, Babylonian, and Syrian bondage, through which the nation had successively passed, as well as their present subjection to Rome, treating these merely as bondage which, though a fact, was not bondage by right, or bondage to which they had ever willingly submitted, and, therefore, not bondage in any real sense. Beside the fact that their words were the utterance of strong passion, it is to be remembered that the Romans, from motives of policy, had left them the semblance of political independence. As in so many other cases, they overlook the higher significance of Jesus' words, and base their reply on a technicality. These are the very Jews who believed Him (ver. 31). Stier remarks: "These poor believers soon come to the end of their faith." The hint of the possible inconstancy of their faith, conveyed in the Lord's words if ye abide in my word, is thus justified.
