John 8:47

Christ answers His own question and at the same time gives a final disproof of their claim to call God their father (John 8:41).

heareth God's words Christ here assumes, what He elsewhere maintains explicitly, that He speaks the words of God (John 8:26; John 3:34; John 7:16; John 17:8).

ye therefore hear them not Better, for this cause (John 12:18; John 12:27) ye hear not. It is not S. John's favourite particle -therefore," but, as in John 5:16; John 5:18; John 6:65; John 7:22 (see notes there), a preposition and pronoun with which he not unfrequently begins a sentence to prepare the way for a -because" afterwards. These characteristics of his language should be preserved in English, and kept distinct, so far as is possible. In the First Epistle he uses the very same test as Christ here applies to the Jews; -We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (John 4:6).