John 7:24
New International Version
Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

New Living Translation
Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

English Standard Version
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Berean Standard Bible
Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”

Berean Literal Bible
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge the righteous judgment."

King James Bible
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

New King James Version
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

New American Standard Bible
Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

NASB 1995
“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

NASB 1977
“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Amplified Bible
Do not judge by appearance [superficially and arrogantly], but judge fairly and righteously.”

Christian Standard Bible
Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment.”

American Standard Version
Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Contemporary English Version
Don't judge by appearances. Judge by what is right.

English Revised Version
Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Stop judging by outward appearance! Instead, judge correctly."

Good News Translation
Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards."

International Standard Version
Stop judging by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment!"

Majority Standard Bible
Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”

NET Bible
Do not judge according to external appearance, but judge with proper judgment."

New Heart English Bible
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

Webster's Bible Translation
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Weymouth New Testament
Do not form superficial judgements, but form the judgements that are just."

World English Bible
Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Do not judge according to appearance, but the righteous judgment judge.”

Berean Literal Bible
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge the righteous judgment."

Young's Literal Translation
judge not according to appearance, but the righteous judgment judge.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Judge not according to sight, but judge just judgment.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgment.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Do not judge according to appearances, but instead judge a just judgment.”

New American Bible
Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly.”

New Revised Standard Version
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Do not judge by partiality, but judge a just judgment.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“Do not judge with partiality, but judge just judgment.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Godbey New Testament
Judge not according to sight, but judge righteous judgment.

Haweis New Testament
Judge not by appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Mace New Testament
judge not according to appearances, but judge according to equity.

Weymouth New Testament
Do not form superficial judgements, but form the judgements that are just."

Worrell New Testament
Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

Worsley New Testament
Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgement.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus Teaches at the Feast
23If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath? 24Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.” 25Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?…

Cross References
Matthew 7:1-2
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. / For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

James 2:1-4
My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism. / Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. / If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,” ...

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

Romans 2:1-3
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. / And we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. / So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

Proverbs 31:9
Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.

Luke 6:37
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Isaiah 11:3-4
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, / but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

Deuteronomy 1:16-17
At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. / Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Leviticus 19:15
You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

James 4:11-12
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it. / There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Zechariah 7:9
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.

Romans 14:10-13
Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. / It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.” / So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. ...

Proverbs 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.


Treasury of Scripture

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

John 8:15
Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

Deuteronomy 1:16,17
And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him…

Deuteronomy 16:18,19
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment…

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John 7
1. Jesus reproves the ambition and boldness of his kinsmen;
10. goes up from Galilee to the feast of tabernacles;
14. teaches in the temple.
40. Various opinions of him among the people.
45. The Pharisees are angry that their officers took him not,
50. and chide with Nicodemus for taking his side.














Stop judging by outward appearances
This phrase calls believers to move beyond superficial assessments. The Greek word for "judging" here is "κρίνετε" (krinete), which implies making a decision or forming an opinion. In the context of the Gospel of John, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and others who were quick to judge based on external factors, such as adherence to the law or social status. Historically, the Jewish leaders often judged Jesus based on their rigid interpretations of the law and their expectations of what the Messiah should be. This phrase challenges us to look deeper, to see beyond the surface, and to understand the heart and intentions of others, as God does.

and start judging justly
The call to "judge justly" is a call to righteousness and fairness. The Greek word for "justly" is "δικαίαν" (dikaian), which is derived from "δικαιοσύνη" (dikaiosyne), meaning righteousness or justice. This reflects a divine standard of judgment, one that aligns with God's character and His laws. In the scriptural context, Jesus is urging His listeners to adopt a God-centered perspective, one that values truth and justice over tradition and appearance. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative that emphasizes God's desire for His people to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). It is a reminder that true justice considers the heart and spirit of the law, not just the letter.

(24) Judge not according to the appearance.--He has put the case before them in its true light, I and from their own point of view. There was another Positive Precept of Moses which these judges were forgetting, though it, too, formed part of the first section of the Law read at Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 1:16-17). (Comp. Note on John 7:19.) Let them who profess to judge Him by the Law obey it, and form a just and honest opinion, and not be biased by the appearance of a mere technicality. Even if His work did fall under the condemnation of what they held to be the letter of the Mosaic law (comp. Note on John 5:10), they knew perfectly well--and their own practice as to circumcision proved this--that it did so in appearance only.

Verse 24. - Judge not according to appearance ? the superficial aspect of things, the merely formal side, the unexplained letter of the Law. Οψις id quod sub visum cadit res in conspicuo posita. According to that, the healing and the bed carrying consequent upon it would be a positive infraction of a certain enactment. But judge righteous judgment. Consider the case, and see that I have done, in this act of healing, less than you are doing yourselves, notwithstanding all your punctilio, and with a higher justification. The aorist κρίνατε involves probably "the one true and complete decision which the case admits" (Westcott).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Stop
μὴ (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

judging
κρίνετε (krinete)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2919: Properly, to distinguish, i.e. Decide; by implication, to try, condemn, punish.

by
κατ’ (kat’)
Preposition
Strong's 2596: A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined).

outward appearances,
ὄψιν (opsin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3799: From optanomai; properly, sight, i.e. the visage, an external show.

[and start]
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

judging
κρίνετε (krinete)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2919: Properly, to distinguish, i.e. Decide; by implication, to try, condemn, punish.

justly.”
δικαίαν (dikaian)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1342: From dike; equitable; by implication, innocent, holy.


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NT Gospels: John 7:24 Don't judge according to appearance but judge (Jhn Jo Jn)
John 7:23
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