Bible Strands
John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the Jewish leaders who have just claimed Abraham as their father (v.39), in a confrontation that has moved from questioning to direct accusation.
The words — ὑμεῖς (humeis) is the emphatic "you yourselves," isolating this group from any other; διαβολός (diabolos) is the noun that names the father, not a generic "evil spirit" but a specific figure.
The thread — 1 John 3:8 echoes the "from the beginning" language, calling the devil the one who has been sinning "from the very start"; 1 John 3:12 ties Cain's murder to belonging to the evil one, and Acts 13:10 applies "child of the devil" to a practitioner of deceit.
Why it lands — The verse does not ask whether you believe a doctrine about Satan; it asks whose desires you carry out and whose language you speak when you lie.
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
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Cross-references
- Acts 13:10 and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
- 1 John 3:12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- 1 John 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.
- 2 Corinthians 11:3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
- Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
- John 8:38 I speak of what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
- Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,
- John 8:41 You are doing the works of your father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.”
- Matthew 13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
- 1 John 2:4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.