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 |
|---|---|---|
| John 5:37 | And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form. | Jn 5:30; Jn 8:18; 1 Jn 5:9 |
| John 5:37 | ...nor seen his form. | Jn 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16; Col 1:15 |
| John 5:37 | You do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. | Jn 5:38; Jn 8:47; 1 Jn 2:14 |
| John 5:37 | You have never heard his voice... | Jn 8:43; 1 Jn 4:6; Ex 20:19 |
| John 5:37 | ...nor seen his form. | Jn 14:9; Jn 12:45; Jn 10:30 |
| John 5:37 | For the Father himself has testified of me. | Jn 5:32; Jn 8:18; Mt 3:17 |
| John 14:9 | Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” | Jn 5:37; Jn 10:30; Jn 12:45 |
| John 8:18 | I bear witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” | Jn 5:31; Jn 5:37; 1 Jn 5:9 |
| John 10:30 | I and the Father are one.” | Jn 5:37; Jn 14:9; Col 1:15 |
| 1 John 5:9 | If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. | Jn 5:37; Jn 8:18; 1 Jn 5:10 |
| Deuteronomy 18:15 | "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet from among your own people, like me. You must listen to him." | Jn 5:37; Acts 3:22; Acts 7:37 |
| Exodus 20:19 | Then they said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we will die." | Ex 19:19; Deut 5:25; Heb 12:19; Jn 5:37 |
| Matthew 11:27 | All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. | Lk 10:22; Jn 5:37; Jn 6:46 |
| 1 Timothy 6:16 | who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. | 1 Tim 1:17; Jn 1:18; Jn 5:37; Col 1:15 |
| John 8:43 | Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. | Jn 8:47; Jn 7:17; Jer 6:10; Jn 5:37 |
| John 12:45 | And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. | Jn 14:9; Jn 5:30; Jn 10:30; Jn 5:37 |
| 1 John 4:6 | We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. | 1 Jn 2:23; Jn 5:37; 1 Jn 4:8 |
| John 6:46 | Not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is with the Father; it is he who has seen the Father. | Jn 1:18; Jn 5:37; 1 Jn 4:12 |
| John 14:7 | If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” | Jn 8:19; Jn 5:37; Jn 14:16 |
| John 8:47 | Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.” | Jn 8:43; 1 Jn 4:6; Jn 5:37 |
| Colossians 1:15 | He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. | Col 2:9; Heb 1:3; Jn 1:14; Jn 5:37 |
| John 5:30 | I can do nothing on my own. I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. | Jn 5:19; Jn 8:28; Heb 5:8; Jn 5:37 |
John 5 verses
John 5 37 Meaning
Jesus states that although they have not heard the Father's voice nor seen His form, they are still rejecting Him. This verse underscores the complete absence of true divine reception in His audience, despite His direct claims and evident works. Their inability to acknowledge the Father through Jesus reveals a spiritual blindness and resistance to God's ultimate revelation.
John 5 37 Context
This verse appears in John chapter 5, immediately after Jesus describes His intimate relationship and unity with the Father. He has just presented compelling evidence for His identity and authority, including the Father's own testimony, His works, and the scriptures pointing to Him. The immediate context is Jesus addressing the Jewish leaders who are questioning and rejecting His claims. They are presented with overwhelming evidence of His divine commission, yet they remain unconvinced, revealing a deeper spiritual blindness. Historically, this encounter reflects the ongoing conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment of His day.
John 5 37 Word analysis
- Καὶ (kai) - "And"; A coordinating conjunction, linking this statement to the preceding affirmation of the Father's testimony.
- αὐτὸς (autos) - "He himself"; Emphasizes the Father personally and directly.
- ὁ (ho) - "The"; The definite article.
- πατὴρ (patēr) - "Father"; Refers to God the Father.
- ὁ (ho) - "The"; The definite article.
- ἀποστείλας (aposteilas) - "who sent"; Perfect active participle from apostellō, meaning to send out, commission. Highlights the Father's active role in sending Jesus.
- με (me) - "me"; Direct object, Jesus.
- ἐμαρτύρησεν (emartyresen) - "has testified"; Aorist active indicative from martyreō, meaning to bear witness, testify. A completed action, the Father's ongoing testimony.
- περὶ (peri) - "about"; Preposition indicating the subject of the testimony.
- ἐμοῦ (emou) - "me"; Genitive case of egō, indicating possession or reference.
- οὐκ (ouk) - "not"; Negates the following verb.
- ἔχετε (echete) - "have" / "hold"; Present active indicative from echō. Can also mean "possess" or "experience."
- αὐτοῦ (autou) - "his"; Genitive case of autos.
- τὴν (tēn) - "the"; The definite article.
- φωνὴν (phōnēn) - "voice"; Accusative case of phōnē, sound, voice.
- οὐδέποτε (oudepote) - "never"; "not ever."
- ἀκηκόατε (akēkoate) - "have heard"; Perfect active indicative from akouō, to hear. Emphasizes a continuous state of not having heard.
- οὐδὲ (oude) - "nor"; A stronger negation than kai ou.
- τὴν (tēn) - "the"; The definite article.
- ἰδέαν (idean) - "form" / "appearance"; Accusative case of idea, from eido, to see. Refers to the visual aspect or appearance.
- ἑωράκατε (heōrakate) - "have seen"; Perfect active indicative from horaō, to see. Similar to akouō, emphasizes a continuous state of not having seen.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἀποστείλας με ἐμαρτύρησεν περὶ ἐμοῦ" (kai autos ho patēr ho aposteilas me emartyresen peri emou): "And the Father himself who sent me has testified about me." This phrase highlights the Father's active sending and His direct, personal testimony, emphasizing that the ultimate confirmation comes from God Himself.
- "οὐκ ἔχετε αὐτοῦ τὴν φωνὴν οὐδέποτε ἀκηκόατε" (ouk echete autou tēn phōnēn oudepote akēkoate): "you have never heard his voice." This points to a complete lack of spiritual receptivity to the Father's communication through His revealed Word and Son.
- "οὐδὲ τὴν ἰδέαν ἑωράκατε" (oude tēn idean heōrakate): "nor his form have you seen." This signifies their inability to perceive God's true nature or presence as it is revealed in Jesus Christ.
John 5 37 Bonus section
The Father's voice is often associated with theophanies and moments of divine revelation in the Old Testament, such as at the burning bush (Exodus 3:4) or during the giving of the Law at Sinai (Exodus 20:18-19). Yet, at Sinai, Israel famously requested that Moses speak to them instead of God directly, fearing God’s voice. Jesus’ statement here implies that, in contrast, they should be hearing and seeing God in Him. The "form" mentioned also relates to God's divine nature, which is uniquely and fully revealed in Jesus, the express image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). Their failure to see Jesus is to fail to see the Father, as Jesus declares in other passages (John 14:9). This inability to "hear" and "see" is a critical theme, pointing to their spiritual opposition and their foundational misunderstanding of God’s salvific plan through Jesus.
John 5 37 Commentary
Jesus declares that the Father, who sent Him, has borne witness about Him. However, His listeners have neither heard the Father's voice nor seen His form. This highlights the crucial disconnect: despite Jesus' perfect revelation of the Father, those who reject Him fail to perceive God’s testimony or His very essence. Their inability to hear God’s voice or see His form through Jesus demonstrates a profound spiritual blindness and unwillingness to believe. They possess the scriptures and Jesus' miracles, yet lack the internal disposition to recognize divine truth. This spiritual deafness and blindness are not due to God withholding testimony, but rather due to their own hardened hearts and rejection of the One God has sent.