What Does John 8:15 Mean?
You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.THE KEY
“Flesh” names the narrow vantage point that reduces a person to what can be seen, and Jesus refuses that verdict over anyone.
THE MEANING
The visible body, status, or behavior can be treated as a complete account of you. Jesus describes a way of seeing that refuses to issue a verdict on anyone from that narrowed, flesh-bound vantage.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
A visible condition or social category gives a complete, final verdict on a person.
THE ROOT
σάρξ
sarx
GROWS FROM
σαρκ-
sark-
Flesh; by extension, the human or outward standpoint.
The phrase κατὰ σάρκα (kata sarka) means “according to flesh”: it names the standpoint from which judgment proceeds. The verse reveals how that limited standpoint can mistake the visible part of a person for the whole.
ALSO GROWS
sarkikos: Characterized by or governed by flesh.
σαρκικός
It shows how “flesh” can describe a way of seeing or acting, not only the body itself.
sarkinos: Fleshy, or composed of flesh.
σάρκινος
It keeps the concrete bodily sense beside the broader human standpoint in the verse.
κρίνω
krinō
GROWS FROM
κριν-
krin-
To distinguish, decide, or judge.
The same verb appears in both halves: κρίνετε (krinete, “you judge”) and κρίνω (krinō, “I judge”). The contrast is between human verdicts made according to flesh and Jesus’ statement that he judges no one.
ALSO GROWS
kritēs: One who makes a judgment or decision.
κριτής
It makes visible the person who carries out the act named by the repeated verb.
krisis: A decision, judgment, or process of judging.
κρίσις
It names the judgment that grows from the verb at the center of the verse.
THE PATTERN
Judgment based on outward appearance mistakes a visible part for the whole person.
But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have pushed him away. The LORD does not see as the human sees. The human sees what is outside, but the LORD sees the heart.Do not judge by what the eye sees, but judge the judgment of alignment.My brothers, do not hold the trust of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Lord of weight, by receiving faces.THE THREAD
Do not judge by what the eye sees, but judge the judgment of alignment.John 7:24 repeats the Greek verb κρίνω (krinō, “judge”) and makes explicit the appearance-based judgment implied by “after the flesh.” The shared word connects the two verses: what is visible does not provide a complete measure of a person.
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