These nineteen King James verses cover the story in John 8 and the wider Bible teaching on judging, mercy and forgiveness that surrounds it.
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
John 8:3 (KJV)
The scene behind the cast the first stone bible verse opens with a person treated as an exhibit. The woman is dragged into the middle of a crowd so that her shame can become a weapon against Jesus. Notice how the leaders care more about the trap than about her life.
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
John 8:6 (KJV)
John tells us plainly that the cast the first stone bible verse began as a test. Jesus does not rush to answer. His silence and his writing in the dust slow the whole scene down, giving anger time to cool and conscience time to wake up before anyone speaks.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
John 8:7 (KJV)
This is the cast the first stone bible verse itself. Jesus does not deny the law or excuse the sin. He simply moves the question from her guilt to the accusers’ own hearts, and that single turn changes everything in the courtyard.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
John 8:9 (KJV)
After the cast the first stone bible verse is spoken, the eldest leave first, perhaps because they carry the longest list of failures. The crowd dissolves without a single argument being won, which shows how powerfully conscience works once truth is spoken gently and plainly.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
John 8:10 (KJV)
After the cast the first stone bible verse, Jesus speaks to her with dignity, calling her Woman and asking a simple question. He lets her see for herself that the danger has passed, and in doing so he begins to restore the courage the crowd tried to crush.
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
John 8:11 (KJV)
Mercy and holiness meet in one sentence, the sequel to the cast the first stone bible verse. Jesus refuses to condemn, yet he does not call sin harmless. The grace comes first and the new direction follows, which is the pattern of the whole Gospel for every sinner.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Matthew 7:1 (KJV)
Often quoted, often misunderstood, this companion to the cast the first stone bible verse warns against the harsh, self-righteous kind of judging that the crowd in John 8 displayed. It is a call to humility, not a ban on telling right from wrong.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Matthew 7:3 (KJV)
Jesus uses a funny, exaggerated picture to make a serious point: we spot small flaws in others while ignoring huge ones in ourselves. The men holding stones in the cast the first stone bible verse were living inside this very image.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luke 6:37 (KJV)
Luke places forgiveness right beside the refusal to condemn. The way we treat others becomes the measure we invite for ourselves, which gives the cast the first stone bible verse a practical, daily edge.
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Romans 2:1 (KJV)
Paul presses the same point as Jesus in the cast the first stone bible verse. Pointing at someone else’s wrong often hides our own, so the one who judges loudly should first ask whether the same fault lives quietly in him.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23 (KJV)
This short verse, a partner to the cast the first stone bible verse, levels the courtyard. No one standing there, and no one reading today, has a spotless record, which is exactly why the call to throw the first stone leaves every hand empty.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:1 (KJV)
The words Jesus spoke after the cast the first stone bible verse become a settled promise for all who trust him. Condemnation is lifted, and the believer is free to walk forward in the Spirit instead of under a cloud of shame.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:17 (KJV)
Jesus did not come with stones in his hands, as the cast the first stone bible verse shows. His mission is rescue, which explains why he protects the woman instead of joining the crowd, and why his refusal to condemn is not weakness but purpose.
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
James 2:13 (KJV)
Like the cast the first stone bible verse, James gives a memorable line: mercy rejoices against judgment. People who show no mercy to others have little ground to expect it, while those who forgive freely find that mercy is gladly given back.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Galatians 6:1 (KJV)
Here is the better way to handle another person’s failure. Restore, do not wound, and do it gently while remembering your own weakness. It is the practical shape of what Jesus did in the temple courts with the cast the first stone bible verse.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (KJV)
After the stones are dropped at the cast the first stone bible verse, the real answer to sin is confession and cleansing. God is faithful and just, so forgiveness rests on his character, which gives anyone who has fallen a secure place to return.
And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Leviticus 20:10 (KJV)
This is the law the scribes and Pharisees had in mind. It names both the man and the woman, which makes the missing man in the cast the first stone bible verse story a pointed detail, and it shows why Jesus’ answer was so striking for its first hearers.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
The standard for how we treat each other, as the cast the first stone bible verse implies, is how God has treated us. Kindness and forgiveness are not optional extras but the natural fruit of having been forgiven ourselves.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Psalms 103:8 (KJV)
Long before John 8, the psalmist described the God who stands behind Jesus’ words: merciful, gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy. The woman in the cast the first stone bible verse met in person what David had sung about.
The cast the first stone bible verse sits in the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 7. The words are spoken by Jesus in the temple courts in Jerusalem, early in the morning, while a crowd had gathered to hear him teach. The whole account runs from John 8:1 to 8:11, eleven short verses that have shaped how Christians think about sin, justice and mercy for two thousand years.
The cast the first stone bible verse is often shortened in everyday speech to people saying someone should not cast the first stone. In the King James Version the wording is: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. Many readers know the idea without ever having opened the passage, so reading the original wording carefully is worthwhile.
It helps to see the cast the first stone bible verse as the high point of a small drama rather than a stand-alone quote. A trap is set, a woman is exposed, a crowd waits, and Jesus answers in a way no one expected. If you want a wider view of how Jesus handled the topic of sin, you can also browse our collection of Bible verses about Jesus’ teachings.
John 8 begins with Jesus going to the Mount of Olives and then returning at dawn to the temple, where people came to him and he sat down to teach. This detail matters. The incident happens in a public, religious place at a time when many would be listening, which means the leaders chose a stage on purpose and wanted the whole city to see what happened.
In the cast the first stone bible verse story, the scribes and Pharisees arrive with a woman and place her in the middle. The Bible calls her a woman taken in adultery, and says she was caught in the very act. We are never told her name, her age or her story, and that silence invites readers to see in her any person who has been publicly shamed and suddenly feels alone.
Before the cast the first stone bible verse, Jesus is sitting as a rabbi, surrounded by listeners, when the interruption comes. Rather than standing to defend himself, he stays low, and as we will see, he stoops even lower. The picture of a teacher bending toward the ground while accusers stand tall is one of the most striking images in the Gospels.
John states the motive directly in verse 6: this they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. The leaders were not seeking justice for the woman. They were hunting for a charge against Jesus, and they believed they had built a perfect snare with no way out.
The trap behind the cast the first stone bible verse worked like this. The law of Moses, as they said, commanded that such women be stoned. If Jesus agreed, he would lose his reputation as a friend of sinners and might also clash with the Roman authorities, who did not allow the Jews to carry out executions. If he said to release her, they could accuse him of ignoring the law of God.
Notice how clever and cruel the plan behind the cast the first stone bible verse was. A human being was used as bait. When we use another person’s failure to win an argument, score a point or protect our own image, we step into the same pattern, and this is why the passage is more than ancient history. It asks us to check our motives whenever we are quick to point out someone else’s wrongdoing.
One of the most discussed details in the story is that Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. John does not tell us what he wrote. Readers have offered many guesses over the centuries, from the sins of the accusers to a verse of the law, but the text itself is silent, and honest teaching must admit that we simply do not know.
What we can say about the cast the first stone bible verse is what the action does. It breaks the tension. By looking away from the crowd, Jesus refuses to feed their excitement, and he gives everyone a pause in which the shouting dies down. People who came ready to throw stones are suddenly left with nothing to do but wait and think.
The writing also shows, before the cast the first stone bible verse, that Jesus was not rattled. He did not argue back or lose his temper. Calm is a form of authority, and his quiet posture teaches that the strongest response to a hostile crowd is sometimes patience. This helps anyone dealing with conflict, whether in a family, a workplace or a church, to slow down before speaking.
When the leaders kept asking, Jesus stood up and spoke the sentence that gives the passage its fame: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. Look closely at how it works. He does not say the woman is innocent, and he does not say the law is wrong. He simply sets a condition that no one in the crowd can meet.
Under the law behind the cast the first stone bible verse, the witnesses to a crime were to throw the first stones, so Jesus is calling them to examine their own standing before taking that step. The sentence turns the court around. Suddenly the accusers are on trial, not before Jesus, but before their own memory of what they have done in secret.
This is why the cast the first stone bible verse remains so sharp. It does not give us a rule about every legal punishment. It gives us a mirror. Anyone ready to condemn must first ask honestly whether their own record would survive the same examination, and when that question is asked sincerely, most stones are quietly set down.
After the cast the first stone bible verse, John says the listeners were convicted by their own conscience and went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. There was no shouting match, no reply, and no clever argument. The sentence of Jesus did its work inside each person, and each one made a private decision to leave.
The detail about the eldest going first after the cast the first stone bible verse is thoughtful. Those with the longest lives have the longest histories, and they may have understood sooner how much they needed mercy themselves. Younger members, seeing the elders leave, followed. It is a quiet lesson that honesty about oneself often grows with age and experience.
We should not read the departure as proof that the leaders became good people that day. The Gospel simply records that they could not honestly claim sinlessness, so they dropped the stones. Real change usually takes longer than one morning, but a moment of conscience is often where it begins, and the Bible treats such moments as precious.
After the crowd left, Jesus was alone with the woman. He asked her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She answered, No man, Lord. Then he said the words that have comforted countless people: Neither do I condemn thee. This is the true ending of the account, and it should be read together with the famous challenge that came before it.
The one person in the courtyard who actually was without sin chose not to throw a stone. That fact is the beating heart of the Gospel. The only one with the right to condemn offered mercy instead, and the woman received a future she had not expected to have an hour earlier.
The mercy that follows the cast the first stone bible verse is not a loophole. It is a gift given at real cost, which Christians believe was fully shown at the cross. If you want to explore this thread further, our page on Bible verses about God’s mercy gathers many passages that show the same heart.
Some readers stop at the mercy and forget the second half of the sentence: go, and sin no more. Jesus does not leave the woman where she was. He sends her out with a call to a changed life. Grace and truth are held together, and neither cancels the other.
Think about how the cast the first stone bible verse balances two opposite mistakes. One mistake is harshness, which says the sinner must be destroyed. The other is permissiveness, which says sin does not matter at all. Jesus avoids both. He declares the woman free from condemnation, and in the same breath he names her conduct as something to leave behind.
Notice also the order. Jesus says neither do I condemn thee before he says go and sin no more. Forgiveness does not follow a perfect performance; it makes a new performance possible. People who feel loved and accepted are often the first to find the strength to change, which is a pattern worth remembering in our own families and churches.
The scene is a living illustration of what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount about judgment. He warned against the habit of judging others harshly while ignoring our own faults, using the picture of a speck in a brother’s eye and a plank in our own. The men in the temple courts were standing right inside that picture with stones in their hands.
The cast the first stone bible verse does not mean that every kind of discernment is forbidden. The Bible calls us to tell good from evil, to correct gently, and to guard the community. What it forbids is the proud, condemning attitude that treats people as cases to be crushed. For a fuller look at this theme, see our page of Bible verses about judging others.
A good test for the cast the first stone bible verse is to ask what we want to happen to the person. If we want them restored, we are probably acting in line with Galatians 6:1. If we want them punished or humiliated, we may be acting like the crowd. The cast the first stone bible verse invites that honest self-check every time we feel the urge to speak harshly about someone.
In the cast the first stone bible verse story, the accusers quoted the law, and the law did indeed require serious consequences for adultery. Leviticus 20:10 speaks of both the man and the woman, and Deuteronomy 22:22 says the same. This raises an obvious question that readers have noticed for centuries: if she was caught in the very act, where was the man?
The absence of the man suggests that the leaders were not applying the law fairly, but using it selectively to build a trap. Their zeal for the law was not for the law’s sake. Jesus, who knew their hearts, did not argue the legal point at all. He went straight to the deeper problem of their own sin.
This should make us thoughtful about how the cast the first stone bible verse and other Scripture can be used. A verse can be quoted accurately and still be used unjustly if the heart behind it is cold or self-serving. Those who want to study what the Bible says on this serious subject can read our collection of Bible verses about adultery with that balance in mind.
Careful readers should know that many Bible translations place John 7:53 to 8:11 in brackets or a footnote. Some of the oldest surviving manuscripts of John do not include the account, and it appears in different places in other copies. Scholars have discussed this for a long time, and it is an honest part of the study of the passage.
This does not mean the cast the first stone bible verse story is false or that Christians should be embarrassed by it. The King James Version, the translation used on this site, includes the account as part of John, and the church has long treated it as authentic Scripture and a faithful picture of how Jesus treated sinners. Many believers see in it the same character they find everywhere else in the Gospels.
If you have questions about manuscripts, a good approach is to compare several study resources and talk with a trusted pastor or teacher. The central message of the story fits closely with other teachings found in unquestioned passages, such as Luke 6:37 and John 3:17, so its heart is firmly supported across the whole New Testament.
The challenge of Jesus only works because of a truth the Bible states in many places: everyone has sinned. Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. If that is true, the crowd in John 8 included no innocent judge, and neither does any crowd today.
Accepting the cast the first stone bible verse is not meant to crush us. It actually frees us from the exhausting effort of pretending to be better than others. When I admit I am also a person in need of mercy, I can look at someone else’s failure without disgust, because I know the road they are on is one I could easily walk myself.
The doctrine of universal sin behind the cast the first stone bible verse also explains why the Gospel is such good news. If no one can claim to be without sin, then everyone needs a Savior, and Jesus is that Savior. The woman in the temple courts was no worse off than her accusers; she was simply the one whose need was out in the open. You can read more about that need and its answer in our verses on sin and forgiveness.
The words neither do I condemn thee find their full echo in Romans 8:1, which states that there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. What Jesus said to one woman in one morning becomes a standing promise for all who trust him. That is why the story brings such comfort to people carrying guilt from their past.
Many believers struggle not only with the sins they commit but with the voice inside that keeps accusing them long after they have been forgiven. The story reminds us that the accusing voices lose their authority when Jesus speaks. When he says there is no condemnation, no other voice can overturn it.
If this is your struggle, you may find help in our pages on forgiving yourself and on God’s grace. They collect verses that speak to the heavy feelings of shame and show how the promise of no condemnation can become real in daily life.
The first lesson from the cast the first stone bible verse is simple: before speaking harshly about someone, pause and reflect. A single question can change the whole conversation. Have I ever struggled with something similar, or something worse? Taking even ten seconds for this thought can keep gossip, public shaming and cruel comments from ever leaving our mouths.
The second lesson from the cast the first stone bible verse concerns social media and online life. Today the crowds are digital, and stones come in the form of angry posts, mocking comments and shared screenshots. The cast the first stone bible verse speaks directly into this world. A person can be publicly shamed in minutes, and the Christian response is to refuse to join in, and to ask what mercy would look like instead.
The third lesson from the cast the first stone bible verse is about courage. Jesus stood between the woman and the crowd, which put himself at some risk. Sometimes mercy means speaking up for a person who is being treated unfairly, even when it is uncomfortable. Being kind in private is good, but standing beside someone in public, as Jesus did, is a stronger form of love.
The cast the first stone bible verse does not say that wrongdoing should never be addressed. Jesus himself told the woman to leave her sin. The question is how to speak the truth in a way that heals rather than harms. Galatians 6:1 gives a clear model: restore such a person in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.
A gentle correction usually has certain marks. It is done in private where possible, it is motivated by love instead of anger, it listens before it speaks, and it offers a way forward. Matthew 18 outlines a similar pattern of going first to the person alone, which is the opposite of the public exposure shown in John 8.
It also helps to be honest about our own limits. When we admit that we, too, have needed patience and forgiveness, our words carry a different weight. People can hear hard truth from someone who obviously cares and who is not pretending to be perfect. That kind of humility is the real meaning of the cast the first stone bible verse in everyday relationships.
Ephesians 4:32 draws a straight line from God’s forgiveness to ours: be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. The woman in John 8 received forgiveness she had not earned, and the Bible asks us to pass along the same kind of generosity.
Forgiveness, in the spirit of the cast the first stone bible verse, is not the same as pretending nothing happened, and it does not always mean returning to a harmful situation. It means letting go of the right to punish and trusting God with justice. This can be a long process, and it often happens in stages rather than in a single moment of decision.
When forgiveness feels impossible, it can help to remember what we ourselves have been forgiven. Our resources on forgiving others offer scripture to lean on during those hard seasons, and prayer asking God for a soft heart is always a good place to begin.
Some readers come to the cast the first stone bible verse not as a crowd member but as the woman in the middle. You may feel exposed, ashamed or afraid that your worst moment defines you. If so, notice that Jesus did not leave her there. He turned the crowd away, spoke to her with respect, and offered her a fresh start.
You do not need to hide from God. First John 1:9 promises that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The path back is confession, not perfection. He meets us at the point of honest need, just as he met her.
If you feel judged by people around you, take heart that the opinion of the crowd is not the final word. Our page for those feeling judged may encourage you. Remember also that going and sinning no more is a journey you take with his help, not a burden you carry alone.
Beyond the practical lessons, the cast the first stone bible verse story shows us who God is. Psalm 103:8 says the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. In John 8 that description walks into the room in human form, and the woman experiences it face to face.
We see a God who is holy and does not call sin small, yet who is also patient and kind to those who fall. His justice and his mercy are not enemies. John 3:17 reminds us that God sent his Son not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
This picture of God can correct the false images we sometimes carry, such as a distant judge waiting to punish or a harsh critic who is never satisfied. The Jesus of John 8 is gentle with the broken and firm with the proud, and our understanding of the Father is shaped by seeing him this way. For related reading, explore the verses on God’s love.
Readers of the cast the first stone bible verse often ask whether Jesus was saying that no one should ever punish a crime. The answer from the wider Bible is no. Governments are described in Romans 13 as having a role in justice, and the church is told to address serious sin. The point of the story is that judgment must be free of hypocrisy and carried out with humility and mercy.
Others ask whether the woman was really forgiven or simply let go. Jesus said neither do I condemn thee, and he sent her away with a charge to leave sin behind, which together describe forgiveness and a call to a new life. The passage does not describe every detail of her future, but the direction is clear.
People also wonder what to do when they are the ones who have been wronged and feel anger. The story does not erase that pain. It simply asks us not to let anger turn us into people who enjoy another’s downfall. You can bring your hurt honestly to God in prayer, and ask for the wisdom to respond in a way that honors both justice and mercy.
In the end, the cast the first stone bible verse is an invitation to a different way of living. It asks us to put down the stones of gossip, contempt and self-righteousness, and to pick up patience, honesty and kindness. This is not a weak way of life; it takes more strength to show mercy than to join a crowd.
A simple practice can help. At the end of each day, think about whether you spoke about anyone in a way you would not want spoken about you. Ask God to forgive any harshness, and ask for opportunities to show mercy tomorrow. Small habits like these slowly reshape the heart, and they make us more like the Jesus who stooped down in the dust.
Whether you came here looking for the exact wording, for comfort after a failure, or for guidance in dealing with others, the message is the same. We have all been forgiven much, and we are called to forgive. Take the verses above, read them slowly, and let the mercy of Christ in John 8 shape how you treat the next person who falls short.
If this story spoke to you, these pages on mercy, judgment and forgiveness make a helpful next step: Bible Verses About Judging Others, Bible Verses About Adultery, Bible Verses About Forgiveness, Bible Verses About Mercy, Bible Verses About Repentance, Bible Verses About Compassion, Bible Verses About Grace and Forgiveness, Bible Verses About Forgiveness and Love, Bible Verses About Jesus Christ.
To study these verses in more depth, try Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, Bible Study Tools, Blue Letter Bible.
The cast the first stone bible verse is found in John 8:7 in the Gospel of John. The full story runs from John 8:1 to 8:11, where Jesus responds to a crowd that brought a woman accused of adultery. The King James wording is: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
In the cast the first stone bible verse, Jesus meant that only someone without sin had the right to carry out the punishment. Since everyone present had sinned, no one could claim that right. He turned the focus from the woman’s guilt to the accusers’ own hearts, calling them to humility and honesty.
After the cast the first stone bible verse, Jesus told her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. This offered her mercy and a fresh start while also calling her to leave her sin behind. Christians see in it a picture of grace joined with a call to a changed life.
The Bible does not say what he wrote, only that he stooped down and wrote with his finger on the ground. Many ideas have been offered, but none can be proven. The action itself created a pause that allowed anger to cool and conscience to speak.
Some very early manuscripts do not include the passage, and others place it elsewhere, so many modern Bibles mark it with brackets or a note. The King James Version includes it in John. Its message, including the cast the first stone bible verse, agrees closely with other teachings of Jesus about mercy and judgment.
No. Beyond the cast the first stone bible verse, the Bible still calls believers to tell right from wrong, correct gently, and uphold justice. What Jesus warns against is hypocritical, harsh judgment that ignores our own faults. Galatians 6:1 teaches restoring others with meekness while remembering that we, too, can be tempted.
