Charles Ellicott Commentary John 8:40

"But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I heard from God: this did not Abraham." — John 8:40 (ASV)

But now you seek to kill me—that is, as a matter of fact, in opposition to the conduct that would characterize the true children of Abraham, you are seeking to kill Me. (Compare to Note on John 8:37.)

A man that has told you the truth, which I have heard (better, which I heard) from God.—The term “a man,” expresses His revelation, by means of human form, of the divine truth which He heard in the pre-human state (John 8:38). The crime of seeking to kill Him is aggravated by the fact that He was One who came to tell them truth, and that from God. They seek to destroy the human life which for the sake of humanity He has assumed.

This did not Abraham.—It is usual to explain these words by a reference to Abraham’s receptivity of the divine truth and messengers (Genesis 14:0; Genesis 18:0; Genesis 22:0); but they probably point to the whole course of the patriarchal life as directly opposed to the spirit of those who claim to be his children.