John 8:44

Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστέ, καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν. Ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐχ ἕστηκεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν αὐτῷ. Ὅταν λαλῇ τὸ ψεῦδος, ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων λαλεῖ· ὅτι ψεύστης ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ.

RBT Greek Interlinear:

Strongs 4771; hymeis; ὑμεῖς; yourselves; PPro-N2P

Strongs 1537; ek; ἐκ; from out; Prep

Strongs 3588; tou; τοῦ; the; Art-GMS

Strongs 3962; patros; πατρὸς; father; N-GMS

Strongs 3588; tou; τοῦ; the; Art-GMS

Strongs 1228; diabolou; διαβόλου; accuser; Adj-GMS

Strongs 1510; este; ἐστὲ; are; V-PIA-2P

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 3588; tas; τὰς; the; Art-AFP

Strongs 1939; epithymias; ἐπιθυμίας; desires/longings; N-AFP

Strongs 3588; tou; τοῦ; the; Art-GMS

Strongs 3962; patros; πατρὸς; father; N-GMS

Strongs 4771; hymōn; ὑμῶν; of yourselves; PPro-G2P

Strongs 2309; thelete; θέλετε; you desire; V-PIA-2P

Strongs 4160; poiein; ποιεῖν; to make; V-PNA

Strongs 1565; ekeinos; ἐκεῖνος; that one; DPro-NMS

Strongs 443; anthrōpoktonos; ἀνθρωποκτόνος; murderer; N-NMS

Strongs 1510; ēn; ἦν; was; V-IIA-3S

Strongs 575; ap’; ἀπ’; away from; Prep

Strongs 746; archēs; ἀρχῆς; origin; N-GFS

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 1722; en; ἐν; within; Prep

Strongs 3588; tē; τῇ; the; Art-DFS

Strongs 225; alētheia; ἀληθείᾳ; truth; N-DFS

Strongs 3756; ouk; οὐκ; not; Adv

Strongs 4739; estēken; ἔστηκεν; has stood; V-IIA-3S

Strongs 3754; hoti; ὅτι; that; Conj

Strongs 3756; ouk; οὐκ; not; Adv

Strongs 1510; estin; ἔστιν; is; V-PIA-3S

Strongs 225; alētheia; ἀλήθεια; truth; N-NFS

Strongs 1722; en; ἐν; within; Prep

Strongs 846; autō; αὐτῷ; self/itself/himself; PPro-DM/N3S

Strongs 3752; hotan; ὅταν; when; Conj

Strongs 2980; lalē; λαλῇ; he might chatter; V-PSA-3S

Strongs 3588; to; τὸ; the; Art-ANS

Strongs 5579; pseudos; ψεῦδος; falsehood; N-ANS

Strongs 1537; ek; ἐκ; from out; Prep

Strongs 3588; tōn; τῶν; the; Art-GNP

Strongs 2398; idiōn; ἰδίων; own; Adj-GNP

Strongs 2980; lalei; λαλεῖ; chatters; V-PIA-3S

Strongs 3754; hoti; ὅτι; that; Conj

Strongs 5583; pseustēs; ψεύστης; a liar; N-NMS

Strongs 1510; estin; ἐστὶν; is; V-PIA-3S

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 3588; ho; ὁ; the; Art-NMS

Strongs 3962; patēr; πατὴρ; father; N-NMS

Strongs 846; autou; αὐτοῦ; himself; PPro-GN3S

RBT Hebrew Literal:

The Father of the Accuser

You, yourselves are from out of the Father of the Accuser, and the Desires/Passionate Longings of the Father of yourselves, you are desiring to make! That one was a manslayer away from an origin, and within the True/Real One he has not stood ready, because there is not a true/real one within himself! Whenever he might chatter/utter, from his own self he is uttering the Deception, because he is a liar, and the Father of Himself!⁸⁷

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
Ye are of your father the devil, and the eager desires of your father will ye do. He was slaying men from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he would speak a lie, he speaks of his own things; for he is a liar, and the father of him.

LITV Translation:
You are of the Devil as father, and the lusts of your father you desire to do. That one was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own, because he is a liar, and the father of it.

ESV Translation:
Error retrieving verse.

Footnotes

87

The Irony

The phrase τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου (John 8:44) is traditionally rendered “[your] father, the devil”, taking both nouns as referring to a single person in apposition. However, grammatically, the construction permits an alternative reading: “the father of the accuser.” In this interpretation, τοῦ διαβόλου functions not appositively but as a possessive genitive dependent on τοῦ πατρός, yielding a syntactic structure akin to “the father belonging to the devil” or more idiomatically “the devil’s father.”

While such a reading is non-traditional, it is grammatically legitimate. In Classical and Koine Greek, possessive genitives of this type are common, and article repetition (τοῦ... τοῦ...) does not preclude a genitive relationship; it may simply mark specificity or emphasis. Thus, though the interpretive tradition overwhelmingly steers the text to the appositional reading, the phrase is structurally ambiguous and, under a strictly grammatical lens, can be taken as “the father of the accuser.”

So, what does the context support?

ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. The word "αὐτοῦ" (autoû) is a masculine form in ancient Greek. It is the genitive singular form of the pronoun "αὐτός" (autós), which means "he," "himself," or "it." This form indicates possession or association with a masculine noun or pronoun. It is modified in this case by ψεύστης "liar" which is a masculine noun, and not neuter.

"A liar" is not an "it". Himself being the liar, he is not the father of "it" but of "himself", the liar. The great irony here is that this text has apparently always been represented deceptively to the world as "father of lies." 

A few translations tried to be honest, but they didn't want to be too honest:

• "because he is a liar—also his father." (LSV)
• "for he is a liar, and its father." (New Heart English)
• "he is a liar, and the father of it." (Websters)
• "he speaketh, because he is a liar -- also his father." (Young's Literal Translation)
• "or he is a liar and its father" (Darby)
• "for he is a liar, and the father thereof" (RSV)
• "For he is a lyer, and the father of the same thyng" (Bishops Bible of 1568)

The only woman to have translated the Bible into English, Julia E. Smith, as it happens, gave the world the most accurate, honest translation there was:

"for he is a liar, and the father of him." (Smith's Literal Translation, 1876)

Smith's translation was perhaps the most honest of all translations ever done. But the multitudes never read or studied her translation or other literal translations. Julia's translation was not read or studied by many due to it being written by a woman in the 1850s, and not published until 21 years after she finished it. Although her "strictly literal rendering" still missed "the Mark", to her credit, she attempted to give the most honest renderings, notably with the distinguishing of the Hebrew incomplete and complete:

"And the heavens and the earth shall be completed, and all their army. And God will complete in the seventh day his work which he made, and he will rest in the seventh day from all his works which God formed to make." (Genesis 11:1-2 Smith's Literal)

So not having much opportunity to see the literal, accurate words, what did the multitudes study, memorize, and put their trust in?

In the last few centuries it was the King James "Authorized" Version:

• "for he is a liar, and the father of it" (KJV)

In the last couple of generations:

• "he is a liar, and the father of lies."  (NASB)
• "for he is a liar and the father of lies." (NIV)
• "for he is a liar and the father of lies." (New Living Translation)
• "for he is a liar and the father of lies." (ESV)