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 like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. 36But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, 38and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you. 39“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!

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 6:27But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
• John 8:18I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”
• Matthew 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
• Matthew 17:5But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”
• John 5:32But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true.
• John 1:18No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
• John 14:9Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?
• John 15:24If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.
• Exodus 20:19And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”
• Deuteronomy 4:12And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice.
• 1 Timothy 1:17All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.
• 1 Timothy 6:16He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.
• 1 John 1:1We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
• 1 John 4:12No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression 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