1 John 5:8

1 John 5:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
• New International Version (NIV)the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
• English Standard Version (ESV)the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

Context of 1 John 5:8

6Jesus Christ is the man that God sent into the world. John baptized Jesus in water. When Jesus died, his blood poured out. God showed that Jesus is his Son with the water and with the blood. It was not only with the water of Jesus' baptism. It was also with the blood of his death. God's Holy Spirit also shows us that Jesus is God's Son. The Holy Spirit always says what is true. 7So there are three things that show us clearly that Jesus came from God. Those things are the Holy Spirit, the water of Jesus' baptism and the blood of his death on the cross. These all show us the same thing, that Jesus came from God. 9We believe people who tell us about things that they know. So we can believe even more what God says. He has told us what is true about his Son. So we should believe his message. 10Anyone who believes in Jesus, the Son of God, will know that what God says is true. But anyone who does not believe God is saying that God tells lies. He does not believe the message that God has told us clearly about his Son.

1 John 5:8 word by word

τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• there areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• threeτρεῖςtreis tria · ThreeG5140
• that bear witnessμαρτυρέωmartureō · to testifyG3140
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• earthὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• the waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• the bloodαἷμαaima · bloodG129
• inεἰςeis · towardG1519
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520

Cross-references for 1 John 5:8

• 1 John 5:7So there are three things that show us clearly that Jesus came from God.
• 1 John 5:6Jesus Christ is the man that God sent into the world. John baptized Jesus in water. When Jesus died, his blood poured out. God showed that Jesus is his Son with the water and with the blood. It was not only with the water of Jesus' baptism. It was also with the blood of his death. God's Holy Spirit also shows us that Jesus is God's Son. The Holy Spirit always says what is true.
• Matthew 26:26While Jesus and his disciples were eating, he took a loaf of bread. He thanked God for it and then he broke the bread into pieces. He gave some of it to each of them. He said, ‘Take this bread and eat it. This is my body.’
• Matthew 28:19So you must go to people in every country of the world. Teach them how to become my disciples. Baptize them by the authority of God the Father, his Son and the Holy Spirit.
• John 15:26When I return to my Father, I will send the Helper to you. The Helper is God's Spirit who speaks only true things. He comes to you from the Father. I will send him to you and he will speak true things about me.
• Romans 8:16God's Spirit himself causes us to know that we are God's children. God's Spirit and our own spirits agree that this is true.
• Hebrews 6:4That is important, because we must not turn away from Christ, after we have first believed in him. Some people have come into God's light. They have understood God's message. They have started to enjoy the true life that God has given them. They have received the Holy Spirit, like other believers.
• Acts 2:2Suddenly, as they were sitting together, they heard a noise. The noise came from the sky and it filled the whole house. It was like the sound of a strong wind.
• 2 Corinthians 1:22He has also put his mark on us, to show that we belong to him. He has given his Spirit to us, to live in us. Because of that, we know that we will receive all the good things that God has promised.
• Hebrews 13:12In the same way, Jesus also died outside the city. He died as a sacrifice on our behalf. His blood has made his people clean from their sins.
• 1 Peter 3:21That shows how God now saves you. It is like a picture of baptism. The water of baptism does not wash dirt from a person's body. Instead, it shows that a person has decided to obey God. He is choosing to do what is right. That saves you, because Jesus Christ became alive again after his death.
• Mark 14:56Many people said things against Jesus that were not true. But they did not agree with each other in what they said.
• Acts 15:15The message of God's prophets agrees completely with this. They wrote long ago:

Commentaries on 1 John 5:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8The Spirit, and the water, and the blood - This verse is supposed to mean "the Spirit - in the word confirmed by miracles; the water - in baptism, wherein we are dedicated to the Son, (with the Father and the Holy Spirit), typifying his spotless purity, and the inward purifying of our nature; and the blood - represented in the Lord's Supper, and applied to the consciences of believers: and all these harmoniously agree in the same testimony, that Jesus…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8And there are three that bear witness in earth - This is a part of the text, which, if the reasoning above is correct, is to be omitted. The genuine passage reads, 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record (or witness, ͂ marturountes) - the Spirit, and the water, and the blood.” There is no reference to the fact that it is done “in earth.” The phrase was introduced to correspond with what was said in the interpolated passage, that there are three…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-8Verses 6-8 We are inwardly and outwardly defiled; inwardly, by the power and pollution of sin in our nature. For our cleansing there is in and by Christ Jesus, the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Some think that the two sacraments are here meant: baptism with water, as the outward sign of regeneration, and purifying from the pollution of sin by the Holy Spirit; and the Lord's supper, as the outward sign of the shedding Christ's…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8there are three that testify: The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus at his baptism (see John 1:32–34). The water refers to the water in which John baptized Jesus (see Matthew 3:13–15; Mark 1:9–11). The blood refers to the blood Jesus shed when he died on the cross (see Mark 15:37–39). These three (the Spirit, the water, and the blood) together proclaim that Jesus is God’s Son (1 John 5:6). After the phrase three that testify, a few very late manuscripts add…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. agree in one--"tend unto one result"; their agreeing testimony to Jesus' Sonship and Messiahship they give by the sacramental grace in the water of baptism, received by the penitent believer, by the atoning efficacy of His blood, and by the internal witness of His Spirit (1Jo 5:10): answering to the testimony given to Jesus' Sonship and Messiahship by His baptism, His crucifixion, and the Spirit's manifestations in Him (see on 1Jo 5:6). It was by His…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 5:8

• Blood
• Holy Spirit
• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• Idol
• Agree
• Blood and Water
• Criticism of the Bible
• Hope
• John, the Epistles of
• Sacrifice
• Trinity
• testimony, testify, witness, eyewitness, evidence

Commentaries on 1 John 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings