Bible Strands
John 7:24
Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the Jerusalem crowd during a Sabbath dispute, immediately following His defense of healing a man on the Sabbath. He speaks to Jewish onlookers who are questioning His authority and safety.
The words — The Greek κρίνετε (krinete) means "do judge," paired with ὄψιν (opsin) for "appearance" and δικαίαν (dikaian) for "righteous." These terms frame the command to reject superficial assessment in favor of fair evaluation.
The thread — This principle echoes in Isaiah 11:3, where the Messiah will not judge by sight, and in Proverbs 17:15, which condemns perverting justice. James 2:9 later warns that showing favoritism violates the law.
Why it lands — The text demands readers abandon superficial assessments and apply impartial standards to their evaluations. It requires concrete attention to factual righteousness rather than first impressions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 11:3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,
- James 2:9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
- Proverbs 17:15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD.
- John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
- Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- James 2:1 My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.
- Leviticus 19:15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- Deuteronomy 1:16 At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.
- Deuteronomy 16:18 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
- Isaiah 5:23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.