John 5:37 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.
John 5:37 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.
John 5:37 niv
And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
John 5:37 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,
John 5:37 nlt
And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face,
John 5 37 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 3:17 | "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." | Father's voice at Baptism |
| Mark 1:11 | "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." | Father's voice at Baptism |
| Luke 3:22 | "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." | Father's voice at Baptism |
| Matt 17:5 | "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." | Father's voice at Transfiguration |
| Mark 9:7 | "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." | Father's voice at Transfiguration |
| Luke 9:35 | "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!" | Father's voice at Transfiguration |
| John 8:18 | "I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me also bears witness about me." | Father and Son bear witness |
| John 12:28 | "Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." | Father glorifies Himself through Son |
| John 3:17 | "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." | Father sending Son's mission |
| John 3:34 | "For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure." | Sent one speaks God's words |
| John 6:38 | "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." | Jesus fulfills Father's will |
| John 8:42 | "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here." | Jesus' divine origin |
| Exo 33:20 | "You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live." | God's unseeable nature |
| Deut 4:12 | "Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire... you heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice." | Heard voice, saw no form |
| John 1:18 | "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." | Jesus reveals unseen God |
| John 6:46 | "Not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father." | Only Son truly sees the Father |
| 1 Tim 6:16 | "He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see." | God's transcendent, unseen nature |
| Isa 6:9-10 | "Keep on hearing, but do not understand...lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears." | Spiritual blindness and deafness |
| Jer 5:21 | "Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not." | Leaders lacking spiritual perception |
| Matt 13:13-15 | "I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." | Purposeful spiritual hardening |
| 2 Cor 4:4 | "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel." | Blindness to God's revelation |
| Tit 1:16 | "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works." | Contradiction of profession and action |
| 1 John 2:4 | "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar." | False claim of knowing God |
John 5 verses
John 5 37 Meaning
John 5:37 highlights Jesus' assertion that God the Father, who commissioned Him, has personally borne witness to Jesus' divine identity and mission. It then reveals a profound spiritual accusation: the Jewish leaders, despite their claims, have never truly experienced God's direct revelation – neither discerning His authentic voice nor perceiving His true form, as evidenced by their failure to recognize Him in Jesus. This verse establishes the Father's testimony as ultimate while exposing the spiritual deafness and blindness of Jesus' accusers.
John 5 37 Context
John chapter 5 details Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, sparking intense conflict with the Jewish authorities. This act not only violated their rigid interpretation of Sabbath law but, more critically, Jesus' declaration of the Father working (v. 17) and His own equality with the Father (v. 18) was deemed blasphemy, warranting His death. In His subsequent discourse, Jesus presents a multi-faceted defense, demonstrating His unique relationship with the Father, His authority in judgment, and His mission. Verse 37 comes within this defense, where Jesus identifies five witnesses to His identity: the Father (v. 37-38), John the Baptist (v. 33), His own works (v. 36), the Scriptures (v. 39-40), and Moses (v. 45-46). Against this backdrop, verse 37 directly confronts the religious leaders' claim of knowing God, accusing them of spiritual detachment from the very God they claim to serve, a detachment manifested by their inability to discern God's active witness to His Son.
John 5 37 Word analysis
- And the Father himself:
- `Καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ` (Kai ho Patēr): "And the Father." Refers to God, the first person of the Trinity.
- `αὐτὸς` (autos): "himself." An emphatic pronoun, highlighting the Father's direct, personal, and active involvement. It underscores that God’s testimony is not mediated through secondary agents (like prophets) but comes directly from the Divine Being.
- which hath sent me:
- `ὁ πέμψας με` (ho pempsas me): "the one who sent Me." This participle identifies the Father by His action of sending Jesus, a recurring and foundational theme in John's Gospel. It establishes Jesus' divine authority and mission as originating from God.
- hath borne witness of me:
- `μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ ἐμοῦ` (memartyrēken peri emou): "has testified concerning Me" or "has borne witness about Me." The Greek perfect tense indicates an action completed in the past with ongoing, present effects. The Father's testimony for Jesus is not a single past event but a continuing reality, evidenced through various means like John the Baptist's witness, Jesus' miracles, the Scriptures, and direct heavenly pronouncements. This testimony is comprehensive and persistent.
- Ye have neither heard:
- `οὔτε φωνὴν ἀκηκόατε` (oute phōnên akēkoate): "nor voice you have heard." "Ye" (`ὑμεῖς`, humeis) specifically addresses the unbelieving Jewish leaders in the discourse. The verb "heard" is also in the perfect tense, suggesting a sustained state of not hearing.
- `φωνὴν` (phōnên): "voice," implying divine communication, not just an audible sound, but a message, a revelation from God. This speaks of a deep spiritual inability to truly perceive and understand God's truth as revealed.
- his voice at any time:
- `αὐτοῦ πώποτε` (autou pōpote): "His at any time/ever." The emphasis on "at any time" strongly negates any genuine, personal encounter or understanding of God's revelation concerning Jesus. Despite their claims of knowing God and studying the Scriptures, they have truly missed the divine communication about His Son.
- nor seen his shape:
- `οὔτε εἶδος ἑωράκατε` (oute eidos heōrakate): "nor form you have seen." Like "heard," "seen" is in the perfect tense.
- `εἶδος` (eidos): "form," "appearance," "outward look," or even the "nature" of a thing. This does not necessarily mean God's physical body (as God is spirit, John 4:24), but rather the divine manifestation, the self-disclosure of God's presence or character. It's about discerning the very nature and character of God, which ultimately is revealed in Jesus (John 14:9). The leaders are accused of failing to discern God's manifest presence or the true form of His revelation, especially in Jesus.
John 5 37 Bonus section
The concept of "hearing God's voice" and "seeing His shape" here extends beyond physical sensation to a deeper spiritual perception and recognition. It suggests that while the Jewish leaders might have studied the Law and prophets (the words about God), they lacked an intimate, living relationship that allows one to truly discern God's active presence and ongoing communication. This constitutes a fundamental spiritual failure. The Father's "shape" (eidos) in this context refers not to a physical body, but the perceptible manner of God's self-disclosure, His essential being and truth. By rejecting Jesus, who perfectly embodies and reveals the Father (John 14:9), they fundamentally reject the Father's true identity and message, proving their complete detachment from genuine spiritual apprehension of God.
John 5 37 Commentary
Jesus declares that the ultimate witness to His identity is God the Father Himself, whose testimony is profound and multifaceted. This witness is intrinsic to the Father's role as the one who "sent" Jesus, underpinning His authority. Yet, in a stark paradox, Jesus charges the very religious authorities who pride themselves on their devotion that they have never truly perceived God's voice nor His manifest form. This is not about literal auditory or visual experiences (as God is spirit and unseen) but refers to a spiritual discernment and intimate understanding of God's revelation. Their spiritual deafness and blindness to the Father's witness to Jesus reveal their superficial relationship with God, rendering them incapable of recognizing His ultimate revelation in His Son. Their failure to accept Jesus, the very embodiment of the Father's truth, demonstrates that they truly do not know the God they claim to worship.