John 5 39

John 5:39 kjv

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:39 nkjv

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

John 5:39 niv

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,

John 5:39 esv

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

John 5:39 nlt

"You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!

John 5 verses

John 5 39 Meaning

Jesus directly confronts the Jewish leaders, stating that while they diligently study the Old Testament Scriptures, believing that these writings grant them eternal life, their fundamental understanding is flawed. The true purpose and ultimate testimony of these very Scriptures are to point to Jesus Himself as the source and embodiment of that eternal life. They diligently pursued the vessel (Scriptures) but missed the treasure (Christ) it contained and revealed.

John 5 39 Context

John 5 details a significant confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, following Jesus' healing of a man on the Sabbath at the pool of Bethesda. This act ignites hostility because Jesus performed a work on the Sabbath, and critically, because He claims a unique, divine relationship with God the Father ("My Father is working until now, and I am working," John 5:17). This led to the Jews seeking to kill Him. In His defense and rebuke, Jesus delivers a powerful discourse, asserting His equality with God, His power over life and judgment, and His Father's testimony to Him. John 5:39 is a pivotal part of this discourse where Jesus directly addresses their method of seeking spiritual life.

Historically, in 1st-century Judaism, intense study of the Torah (Scriptures) was considered a path to righteousness and eternal life. Rabbis taught that meditating on the Law was akin to fulfilling its commands. The scribes and Pharisees, the very individuals Jesus often challenged, were revered for their deep knowledge and adherence to the Scriptures. However, their zeal for the text had become an end in itself, a source of self-righteousness, rather than a means to understand and obey God's true revelation, especially concerning the Messiah. They sought life in the Scriptures but missed life through the one revealed by the Scriptures.

John 5 39 Word analysis

• You search (ἐραυνᾶτε - eraunate): This Greek word denotes a diligent, careful, and investigative search, implying a deep and serious study. It can refer to digging, examining thoroughly, or scrutinizing. Jesus acknowledges their earnest effort, validating their scholarly pursuit, but immediately qualifies its misguided intent.
• the Scriptures (τὰς γραφάς - tas graphás): Refers to the Old Testament, which was the divinely inspired written word available to the Jewish people. This body of text was revered as God's revelation. Jesus affirms its authority and divine origin here.
• because you think (ὅτι ὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε - hoti hymeis dokeite): "Think" (δοκεῖτε - dokeite) suggests a personal conviction or belief that may be mistaken. It points to their presumption and misperception. It's not about the Scripture itself lacking eternal life, but their flawed understanding of how life is derived from it. They believed their meticulous study merited eternal life, rather than seeing the Scriptures as a guide to the Giver of eternal life.
• that in them you have eternal life (ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν - en autais zoēn aiōnion echein): "Eternal life" (ζωὴν αἰώνιον - zoēn aiōnion) is not just unending existence but life in its fullest, divine quality, intimately connected with God. The Jews believed that the study and adherence to the Law found within these Scriptures were the direct source and guarantee of this life. Jesus challenges this self-sufficient view.
• and it is these that bear witness about me (καὶ ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ - kai ekeinai eisin hai martyrousai peri emou): "Bear witness" (μαρτυροῦσαι - martyrousai) means to give evidence, to testify, to provide proof. This is the profound reorientation. The primary purpose of the Old Testament is not merely self-justification or achieving life through study, but to point to Jesus as the Messiah, the one who fulfills all its prophecies and embodies true life. The Scriptures are a testament to Him.

Words-group analysis:

• "You search the Scriptures...you have eternal life": This phrase encapsulates the Jewish theological error. They perform a righteous action (studying Scripture) with a flawed motive and understanding. Their expectation of life from the letter misses the Spirit's intent behind the word.
• "it is these that bear witness about me": This forms the core of Jesus' argument and reveals the profound Christological understanding of the Old Testament. The Scriptures are not an end in themselves, but a means to an end – Jesus. All of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms foreshadow and prefigure Christ.

John 5 39 Bonus section

The "life" (ζωή - zoē) Jesus refers to here, and often throughout John's Gospel, is not merely biological existence (βίος - bios) or continued being, but specifically "divine life" or "spiritual life." It is the life that God Himself possesses and imparts. This nuanced meaning underscores the depth of their misunderstanding; they sought something only God could give, from the text alone. Jesus, being fully God, is therefore the unique and exclusive source of this kind of life (John 1:4; 14:6).

Furthermore, this verse also subtly highlights the danger of external religiosity and intellectual knowledge apart from a living relationship with God. The very act of "searching the Scriptures" – which outwardly appears commendable – can become a barrier to truth when performed with the wrong heart and a misguided goal. Jesus indicts them not for searching, but for the conclusion they drew from their search, and for their refusal to come to Him (John 5:40) despite the Scriptures bearing witness to Him. Their blindness was a choice.

John 5 39 Commentary

John 5:39 serves as a potent theological declaration by Jesus concerning the true purpose and interpretation of Scripture. While the Jewish leaders dedicated their lives to studying the Old Testament, their intense devotion led them to misplace its ultimate value. They sought eternal life within the text, as if the words themselves possessed the power to confer life upon their diligent readers, thereby overlooking the God who spoke those words and the Messiah they heralded. Jesus reveals their critical flaw: the Scriptures were given not as a self-contained means to life, but as a pointer, a divinely inspired witness (μαρτυροῦσαι) to Himself. He is the living Word, the fulfillment of all the written words. To embrace the Scriptures without embracing Jesus is to look at a map to treasure and merely admire the map, rather than seeking the treasure it directs one to. True eternal life is found not in textual mastery, but in a personal relationship with the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is the focus and fulfillment of all God's revelation. The danger lies in religious ritual (studying) devoid of divine revelation (understanding Christ).

Examples:

• Reading a recipe book (Scriptures) with great zeal, learning every ingredient and instruction, but never actually cooking or tasting the meal (Christ, the bread of life).
• Memorizing the directions to a treasure (Scriptures) but never embarking on the journey to find the actual treasure (eternal life in Christ).