1. John 8:7 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Does “without sin” mean “sinless”?

John 8:7 (ESV)

7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

It doesn’t mean sinless. Nobody is sinless. No judge could pass sentence on a suspect if he ought to be “without sin.” Jesus means, “Be honest. Do you want to stone her yourself?” He is confronting them with their own motives.