Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 8:13

"The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true." — John 8:13 (ASV)

As usual, the Pharisees challenged Jesus’ claims. Legally a testimony concerning oneself would be unacceptable because it would presumably be biased . Here Jesus protested vigorously that his self- testimony is valid, for no one knew more about his own nature and experience than Jesus himself. He possessed knowledge concerning both where he came from and where he was going . The testimony about himself was therefore more accurate than that of his opponents, for they had no idea of either his origin or destiny (cf. 7:25–44).