John 5:18

John 5:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
• New International Version (NIV)For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
• English Standard Version (ESV)This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

Context of John 5:18

16The Jews began to persecute Jesus because he kept healing people on the day of rest—a holy day. 17Jesus replied to them, “My Father is working right now, and so am I.” His reply made the Jews more intent on killing him. Not only did he break the laws about the day of rest—a holy day, but also he made himself equal to God when he said repeatedly that God was his Father. 19Jesus said to the Jews, “I can guarantee this truth: The Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing. Indeed, the Son does exactly what the Father does. 20The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. The Father will show him even greater things to do than these things so that you will be amazed.

John 5:18 word by word

διὰ τοῦτο οὖν μᾶλλον ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀποκτεῖναι, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἔλυεν τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πατέρα ἴδιον ἔλεγεν τὸν θεὸν ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ θεῷ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Thereforeδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• ·οὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• ·οὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• the JewsἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• soughtζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
• the moreμᾶλλονmallon · moreG3123
• to killἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• becauseὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• heλύωluō · to looseG3089
• notοὐou · noG3756
• onlyμόνονmonon · onlyG3440
• the sabbathσάββατονsabbaton · SabbathG4521
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• was hisἴδιοςidios · one's own/privateG2398
• Fatherπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
• makingποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• equalἴσοςisos · equalG2470

Cross-references for John 5:18

• John 7:19Didn’t Moses give you his teachings? Yet, none of you does what Moses taught you. So why do you want to kill me?”
• John 7:22Moses gave you the teaching about circumcision (although it didn’t come from Moses but from our ancestors). So you circumcise a male on a day of rest—a holy day.
• Matthew 12:5Or haven’t you read in Moses’ Teachings that on the day of rest—a holy day, the priests in the temple do things they shouldn’t on the day of rest yet remain innocent?
• John 5:23so that everyone will honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.
• John 8:54Jesus said, “If I bring glory to myself, my glory is nothing. My Father is the one who gives me glory, and you say that he is your God.
• John 10:30The Father and I are one.”
• John 14:9Jesus replied, “I have been with all of you for a long time. Don’t you know me yet, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
• Zechariah 13:7“Arise, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my friend,” declares the Lord of Armies. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. Then I will turn my hand against the little ones.”
• Philippians 2:6Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality.
• Revelation 21:22I did not see any temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.
• Revelation 22:1The angel showed me a river filled with the water of life, as clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and the lamb.

Commentaries on John 5:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Making himself equal with God - This the Jews understood from the preceding verse: nor did they take a wrong meaning out of our Lord's words; for he plainly stated that, whatever was the Father's work, his was the same; thus showing that He and the Father were One. They had now found out two pretenses to take away his life: one was that he had broken the Sabbath - , dissolved, as they pretended, the obligation of keeping it holy. The other was that he was…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18The more to kill him - The answer of Jesus was suited greatly to irritate them. He did not deny what he had done, but he “added” to that what he well knew would highly offend them. That he should claim the right of dispensing with the law, and affirm that, in regard to its observance, he was in the same condition with God, was eminently suited to enrage them, and he doubtless knew that it might endanger his life. We may learn from his answer: 1.that we…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-23Verses 17-23 The Divine power of the miracle proved Jesus to be the Son of God, and he declared that he worked with, and like unto his Father, as he saw good. These ancient enemies of Christ understood him, and became more violent, charging him not only with sabbath-breaking, but blasphemy, in calling God his own Father, and making himself equal with God. But all things now, and at the final judgment, are committed to the Son, purposely that all men might…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-40This chapter is structured like a courtroom case (a legal trial). It begins with a description of the event that led to the conflict (5:1–15). This is followed by the decision of the Jewish leaders to take action against Jesus (5:16). Next comes a statement of the charges against him (5:18). The chapter then presents the defense given by Jesus, where he explains his authority and his relationship with the Father (5:17, 19–40).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-1817-18. My Father worketh hitherto and I work--The "I" is emphatic; "The creative and conservative activity of My Father has known no sabbath-cessation from the beginning until now, and that is the law of My working."Read the comment

Topics related to John 5:18

• Bigotry
• God
• Power
• Slander

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Folk
• Judgment
• Lest
• Light
• Son of God
• Step
• Trouble
• Troubling

Commentaries on 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
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• 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
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings