John 5:37

John 5:37 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
• New International Version (NIV)And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

Context of John 5:37

35John was a lamp that gave off brilliant light. For a time you enjoyed the pleasure of his light. 36But I have something that testifies more favorably on my behalf than John’s testimony. The tasks that the Father gave me to carry out, these tasks which I perform, testify on my behalf. They prove that the Father has sent me. The Father who sent me testifies on my behalf. You have never heard his voice, and you have never seen his form. 38So you don’t have the Father’s message within you, because you don’t believe in the person he has sent. 39You study the Scriptures in detail because you think you have the source of eternal life in them. These Scriptures testify on my behalf.

John 5:37 word by word

καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ ἐκεῖνος μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ ἐμοῦ· οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ πώποτε ἀκηκόατε, οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• the Fatherπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
• himselfαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• which hath sentπέμπωpempō · to sendG3992
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• hath borne witnessμαρτυρέωmartureō · to testifyG3140
• ofπερίperi · aboutG4012
• Ye haveἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• neitherοὔτεoute · neitherG3777
• voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456
• at any timeπώποτεpōpote · everG4455
• seenὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• shapeεἶδοςeidos · appearanceG1491

Cross-references for John 5:37

• John 6:27Don’t work for food that spoils. Instead, work for the food that lasts into eternal life. This is the food the Son of Man will give you. After all, the Father has placed his seal of approval on him.”
• John 8:18I testify on my own behalf, and so does the Father who sent me.”
• Matthew 3:17Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love—my Son with whom I am pleased.”
• Matthew 17:5He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love and with whom I am pleased. Listen to him!”
• John 5:32Someone else testifies on my behalf, and I know that what he says about me is true.
• John 1:18No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known.
• 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’?
• John 15:24If I hadn’t done among them what no one else has done, they wouldn’t have any sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
• Exodus 20:19Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we’ll die!”
• Deuteronomy 4:12The Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard a voice speaking but saw no one. There was only a voice.
• 1 Timothy 1:17Worship and glory belong forever to the eternal king, the immortal, invisible, and only God. Amen.
• 1 Timothy 6:16He is the only one who cannot die. He lives in light that no one can come near. No one has seen him, nor can they see him. Honor and power belong to him forever! Amen.
• 1 John 1:1The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed and touched it.
• 1 John 4:12No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Commentaries on John 5:37

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37The Father himself - hath borne witness - That is, by his prophets. Ye have neither heard his voice - I make these words, with Bp. Pearce, a parenthesis: the sense is - "Not that my Father ever appeared visibly or spake audibly to any of you; but he did it by the mouths of his prophets." Lately, however, he had added to their testimony his own voice from heaven, on the day of Christ's baptism. See Matthew 3:17.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37The Father himself … hath borne witness of me - This God had done, 1.By the miracles which Jesus had performed, and of which he was conversing. 2.At the baptism of Jesus, where he said, “This is my beloved Son,” Matthew 3:17. 3.In the prophecies of the Old Testament. It is not easy to say here to which of these he refers. Perhaps he has reference to all. Ye have neither heard his voice - This difficult passage has been interpreted in various ways. The…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-38Verses 30-38 Our Lord returns to his declaration of the entire agreement between the Father and the Son, and declared himself the Son of God. He had higher testimony than that of John; his works bore witness to all he had said. But the Divine word had no abiding-place in their hearts, as they refused to believe in Him whom the Father had sent, according to his ancient promises. The voice of God, accompanied by the power of the Holy Ghost, thus made…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31-40God's law requires more than one witness in a trial (Deuteronomy 17:6). A single person’s word is not enough to prove a case. Jesus recognized this principle. He said that his own testimony needed support from others. So he presented several witnesses who confirmed who he was. These witnesses supported his claims and showed that his message was true.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 36-3836-38. I have greater witness--rather, "The witness which I have is greater." the works ... bear witness of me--not simply as miracles nor even as a miracle of mercy, but these miracles, as He did them, with a will and a power, a majesty and a grace manifestly His own.Read the comment

Topics related to John 5:37

• God
• God Continued...
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Voice

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Folk
• Judgment
• Lest
• Light
• Step
• Trouble
• Troubling
• Witness
• Form

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