A detailed Bible research infographic examining John 8:40 and the Greek word anthrōpon, meaning “man” or “human being.” It compares the Berean Literal Bible with several English translations that do not explicitly include the words “a man,” and examines other Scriptures describing Jesus as a man.
QUICK FACTS: JOHN 8:40
WHY DO SOME TRANSLATIONS LEAVE OUT THE WORDS “A MAN”?
John 8:40 contains a remarkably clear statement by Jesus about Himself:
“A MAN”
Yet several popular English translations do not explicitly include those words.
Does the Greek text actually say “a man”?
Let's examine it.
JOHN 8:40 — BEREAN LITERAL BIBLE
Jesus said:
“But now you seek to kill Me, A MAN who has spoken to you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.”
John 8:40 — BLB
Notice exactly how Jesus describes Himself:
“A MAN”
And notice the distinction in the same sentence:
Jesus — “A MAN”
speaks the truth that:
He “HEARD FROM GOD.”
Jesus therefore distinguishes Himself from the God from whom He heard the truth.
The original research highlights precisely this wording.
BUT LOOK AT SOME OTHER TRANSLATIONS
Contemporary English Version
“Instead, you want to kill me for telling you the truth that God gave me. Abraham never did anything like that.”
Good News Translation
“All I have ever done is to tell you the truth I heard from God, yet you are trying to kill me. Abraham did nothing like this!”
New Living Translation
“Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing.”
Something is missing from all three.
“A MAN.”
These translations communicate much of the sense of the sentence, but they do not explicitly translate the Greek noun ἄνθρωπον — anthrōpon, “man/human being,” in the same way as the BLB.
WHAT DOES THE GREEK ACTUALLY SAY?
The Greek text contains:
ἄνθρωπον — ANTHRŌPON
meaning:
MAN — HUMAN BEING — PERSON
So “a man” is genuinely present in the Greek text.
This is not a phrase invented by the Berean Literal Bible.
That is an important distinction.
However, we should also be careful before accusing individual translators of deliberately removing the word because of Trinitarian theology. Some translations use a more dynamic translation method and restructure sentences rather than translating every Greek word individually.
The undeniable textual fact is simpler:
THE GREEK CONTAINS “MAN.”
And the Berean Literal Bible explicitly preserves it.
JESUS SAID HE WAS A MAN
Jesus did not say in John 8:40:
“You seek to kill Me, God Almighty.”
He said:
“YOU SEEK TO KILL ME, A MAN…”
And then:
“…WHO HAS SPOKEN TO YOU THE TRUTH THAT I HEARD FROM GOD.”
Those two statements deserve to be read together.
Jesus is:
the man speaking
while God is:
the One from whom Jesus heard the truth.
Whatever theological conclusions someone ultimately reaches about Jesus, those are the actual distinctions made in the sentence.
THE APOSTLES ALSO CALLED JESUS “A MAN”
This language does not disappear after Jesus' resurrection.
Paul preached:
Acts 17:31 — Berean Literal Bible
“because He set a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He appointed, having provided a guarantee to all, having raised Him out from the dead.”
Again there are two parties:
GOD
who appointed,
and:
A MAN
whom God appointed.
The fuller research makes the same comparison between John 8:40, Acts 17:31 and other passages describing Jesus as a man.
ONE GOD — AND THE MAN CHRIST JESUS
Paul makes the distinction even clearer:
1 Timothy 2:5 — Berean Literal Bible
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Look carefully:
ONE GOD
and:
ONE MEDIATOR
Who is that mediator?
“THE MAN CHRIST JESUS.”
The verse does not identify the mediator as the one God mentioned immediately before Him.
Instead, Christ mediates between God and humanity.
JESUS WAS ALSO CALLED “THE SON OF MAN”
Jesus repeatedly called Himself:
THE SON OF MAN
And He said:
John 5:27
“And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”
Again Jesus receives authority.
The source research connects this title with Jesus' humanity and the repeated biblical distinction between Jesus and God.
WHAT ABOUT JESUS PRE-EXISTING HIS HUMAN LIFE?
John 8:40 by itself does not settle every question concerning pre-existence.
But it does establish something important:
Jesus explicitly describes Himself as:
“A MAN.”
The verse itself does not say:
“I was previously an angel.”
It does not say:
“I was previously a spirit being.”
It does not say:
“I was God before becoming a man.”
Those claims must therefore be established from other passages rather than inserted into John 8:40.
The original research develops this broader argument using Hebrews, 1 Peter, John and other passages.
FOREKNOWN DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN PRE-EXISTING
Consider:
1 Peter 1:20 — Berean Literal Bible
Christ was:
“foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but having been revealed in the last times for the sake of you.”
Something or someone can exist beforehand in God's knowledge, purpose and plan without this wording by itself requiring conscious personal existence.
The original research understands Christ's pre-history in precisely this sense: the Messiah was foreknown and prophetically promised before His historical appearance.
JESUS SAID HE WAS BORN
Jesus Himself told Pilate:
John 18:37 — Berean Literal Bible
“For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I may bear witness to the truth.”
Jesus therefore speaks explicitly about His birth.
Luke likewise describes Jesus growing normally:
Luke 2:40
“And the Child continued to grow and become strong, being filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon Him.”
And:
Luke 2:52
“And Jesus continued to advance in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
These passages form part of the broader biblical evidence considered in the original article.
QUICK FACT CONCLUSION
John 8:40 contains a small phrase with enormous theological importance:
“A MAN.”
The Greek text contains ἄνθρωπον — anthrōpon.
The Berean Literal Bible preserves it explicitly:
“But now you seek to kill Me, A MAN who has spoken to you the truth that I heard from God.”
Jesus identifies Himself as:
A MAN
who:
HEARD THE TRUTH FROM GOD.
Paul later describes Him as:
“A MAN WHOM HE APPOINTED.”
Acts 17:31
And:
“THE MAN CHRIST JESUS.”
1 Timothy 2:5
This gives us a very clear biblical pattern:
GOD → THE ONE WHO SENT AND APPOINTED
JESUS → THE MAN, MESSIAH AND MEDIATOR
So when studying John 8:40, don't overlook two Greek words hidden by the smoother wording of some English translations:
ἄνθρωπον — “A MAN.”
Those words are actually there.
OLD RESEARCH ARTICLE
John 8:40 — The Translations and More Biblical Facts About Jesus' Humanity
Research by Simon Brown
wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com
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