Writing In The Dust

Updated April 8, 2025

John 8:3-9 “The P’rushim and the Torah-teachers brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery and made her stand in the center of the group. Then they said to him, “Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in our Torah, Moshe commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. ‘What do you say about it?’ They said this to trap him, so that they might have ground for bringing charges against him; but Yeshua bent down and began writing in the dust with his finger. When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘The one of you who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and wrote in the dust again. On hearing this, they began to leave, one by one, the older ones first, until he was left alone, with the woman still there.”

Many have asked what Yeshua wrote in the dust when the Pharisees and Scribes brought an adulteress to him. And many have made multiple guesses, but have utterly failed to let scripture interpret scripture.

The Preposterous Explanations
Speculation about what Yeshua wrote in the dust with his finger runs rampant.
Here are some of the preposterous, ludicrous, ridiculous, nonsensical guesses:
1. Yeshua was remembering the time on Mt Sinai when he had written the Ten Commandments on stone tablets with His finger (Exodus 32:15-16).
2. He was mimicking Roman Law in which a judge would first write down his verdict then pronounce it.
3. He was writing a list of the sins committed by each of the Pharisees and Scribes present, or just their names.
4. Yeshua was just scribbling in the sand to give the Pharisees and Scribes time to understand – or was stalling for time until he collected his own thoughts.
5. The woman was naked, and Jesus was writing in the dirt to avert His eyes from seeing the naked woman.

None of these guesses is even remotely acceptable – they run from mildly nonsensical (1) to supremely ludicrous (5) and utterly fail to let scripture interpret scripture. Give us a break.

Let’s take a closer look:

John 8:5-6 – “In the Torah Moses commanded us to stone to death such women. What then do you say? . . .Yeshua bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger.”
In John Chapter 8 we have the account of a woman caught in the act of adultery who was brought before Yeshua by the Pharisees and Scribes to see what Yeshua would say and do. Would he commit her to death, as Moses commanded? Or not? Yeshua’s actions stunned them. He simply bent down and wrote in the dust – twice!!

Deuteronomy 13:9 and 17:7 – “The witnesses are to be the first to stone him to death; afterwards, all the people are to stone him.”
The Pharisees and Scribes were the witnesses to the act of adultery who failed to be the first to put the adulterous woman to death, but instead brought her before Yeshua in order to trap him. If he responded incorrectly they would once again declare that he was not their Mashiach (Messiah).

Leviticus 20:10 – “Both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.”
Judge Judy Scheindlin has a saying that goes something like this: “The law does not pronounce a penalty upon anyone who comes to court with dirty hands.” The Pharisees and Scribes had only sought death for the woman, but the Torah commands that both the man and the woman be stoned to death (see also Deuteronomy 22:22). Since the Pharisees and Scribes failed to bring the man for punishment, they came to “court with dirty hands” and the Judge, Yeshua, therefore, did not accede to their demands. But what he did do stunned everyone.

The Biblical Answer
Psalm 73:27 – “Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who adulterously leave you.”
Isaiah 1:28 – “Rebels and sinners together will be broken and those who abandon Yahweh will be consumed.”
Jeremiah 17:13 – “O Yahweh, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken You, the fountain of living waters.”

An accurate translation of the Hebrew of Jeremiah 17:13 is this:
“Oh Yahweh H3068, the Immerser H4723 of Israel H3478, all H3605 those who leave H5800 you shall be publicly embarrassed H954, those who turn aside H3279 from you will have their names written H3289 in the dust H776 for H3588 they have departed H5800 from Yahweh H3068, the fountain H4726 of Mayim H4325 Hayim H2416.”

In order to fully comprehend this verse one must first recognize that Yahweh and Yeshua are one – Yeshua IS Yahweh of the Tanakh (Older Covenant). The Bible states this many times – here are just a few verses:
Exodus 15:2 – “Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation [my Yeshua H3444 יְשׁוּעָה]!”
Psalm 118:14 – “Yahweh is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation [H3444].”
Isaiah 11:2 – “Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation [H3444].”
Isaiah 43:11 – “There is no other deliverer besides me.”

And the B’rit Hadashah (Newer Covenant) is just as clear:
Paul Said Yeshua is Yahweh – Romans 10:13 – “Everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.”
Philippians 2:9-11 – “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, . . . every knee will bow, . . . and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Mashiach is Yahweh.”
Peter Said Yeshua is Yahweh – Acts 2:21 – “Whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.”
Yeshua Himself Said He is Yahweh – John 8: 58 – “Yes, indeed! Before Abraham came into being, I AM!”

The Pharisees and Scribes were always refusing to acknowledge that Yeshua was indeed their Mashiach (Messiah), the hope of Israel, or that when he arrived he would destroy those who rejected him. This is confirmed by the following scriptures:
Psalm 130:7 – “O Israel, hope in Yahweh/Yeshua, for he exhibits loyal love, and is more than willing to deliver.”
Psalm 131:3 – “O Israel, hope in Yahweh/Yeshua now and forevermore!”
Jeremiah 14:8 – “You have been the object of Israel’s hopes.”
Psalm 73:27 – “Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who adulterously leave you.”
Isaiah 1:28 – “Rebels and sinners together will be broken and those who abandon Yahweh will be consumed.”

The Pharisees and Scribes were also always refusing to acknowledge that Yeshua was indeed the source (fountain) of living water. This is confirmed by the following scriptures:
Isaiah 12:3 – ​​​​​​​“Joyfully you will draw water (mayim H4325 מַיִם) from the springs of Yeshua [H3444 יְשׁוּעָה].”
Isaiah 55:1 – “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!”
Isaiah 49:10 – “They will be neither hungry nor thirsty; neither scorching wind nor sun will strike them; for he who has mercy on them will lead them and guide them to springs of water.”
John 4:10-14 –“Yeshua said, If you knew God’s gift, that is, who it is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink of water,’ then you would have asked him; and he would have given you living water . . . Whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again! On the contrary, the water I give him will become a spring of water inside him, welling up into eternal life!”
John 6:35 – Yeshua answered, “I am the bread which is life! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty.”
John 7:37-38 –“Now on the last and greatest day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!”
Revelation 7:17 – “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them, will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 22:17  – “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ Let anyone who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let anyone who is thirsty come – let anyone who wishes, take the water of life free of charge.”

Jeremiah 17:13 is a Messianic prophecy of what the Mashiach would do when he came. The answer Yeshua gave the Pharisees and Scribes is succinctly stated in Jeremiah 17:13 and likewise stated in other words in several other scriptures, such as:
Job 31:3 – “Isn’t it calamity to the unrighteous? disaster to those who do evil?”
Psalm 1:6 – “Yahweh watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.”
Psalm 5:5 – “Those who brag cannot stand before your eyes, you hate all who do evil.”
Psalm 73:27 – “Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who adulterously leave you.”
Psalm 92:9 – “For your enemies, Yahweh, your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.”
Psalm 104:35 – “May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more! Bless Yahweh, my soul!”
Isaiah 1:28 – “Rebels and sinners together will be broken and those who abandon Yahweh will be consumed.”

So once again, as he always did, Yeshua gave them a chance. They could have just been embarrassed and admitted their guilt – but not these guys.

No, instead they refused to repent, rejected the Mashiach, and Yeshua, who is Yahweh of the Tanakh, did exactly what the Torah stated Yahweh would do: he would write in the dust the names of those who turned aside and failed to recognize who truly stood before them as prophesied in Jeremiah 17:13.

And much to the surprise of the Pharisees and Scribes, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach fulfilled the prophecy exactly as written, according to John 8:5-6.

Conclusions
When one fails to let scripture interpret scripture, all sort and manner of preposterous, ludicrous, ridiculous, nonsensical explanations run rampant in trying to explain the account of Yeshua’s interaction with the adulteress, Pharisees, and Scribes. Oi Vey. Give us a break.

It is a dangerous thing to fail to recognize Yahweh/Yeshua and turn aside or away from him, particularly if he is standing directly in your presence. Doing so could result in your name being written in the dust and your name being blotted out from the Lamb’s Book of Life, as it was for the Pharisees and Scribes who stood before him years ago.

Final Thought for 2025
• Prophecy continues to unfold as foretold by the Hebrew prophets.
• History is moving extremely quickly towards the prophesied one world government, the one world financial system, and the rise of both the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
• The escalation of wars and rumors of wars continues to unfold, both in the Middle East and around the globe.
• Time is incredibly short – The birth pangs are just over the horizon.
• The great day of Yahweh is getting really near, even at the door. It hastens forth and will not delay.
• Be sure you are believing The Truth, not The Lie, and maintain an attitude of thanksgiving.
• Be sure Yeshua is your Redeemer, King, and High Priest, and your sins are forgiven.

The Powerpoint Slides
Yeshua Dust Wrting-Slides