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And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
John 15:27 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
  • BSB And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
  • NKJV And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
  • NASB and you are testifying as well, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
  • NLT And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The disciples will also testify about Jesus because they have been with Him from the beginning. Their eyewitness witness joins the Spirit's testimony.

Overview

Alongside the Spirit's testimony, the disciples are called to bear witness, qualified by having been with Jesus from the start of His ministry. Their firsthand experience grounds the apostolic proclamation that would spread the gospel. The partnership of the Spirit's witness and the apostles' eyewitness testimony assures the reliability of the Christian message.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 21

  • 1 Jn 4:14And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
  • Acts 10:39–42And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
  • John 21:24This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
  • Luke 24:48And ye are witnesses of these things.
  • Luke 1:2–3Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
  • Acts 23:11And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
  • 1 Jn 1:1–2That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
  • 1 Pet 5:12By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
  • 1 Pet 5:1The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
  • Acts 4:20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
  • Acts 1:8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
  • John 19:35And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
  • Acts 1:21–22Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
  • Acts 4:33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
  • Acts 18:5And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
  • Rev 1:9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
  • 2 Pet 1:16–18For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
  • Acts 13:31And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
  • Rev 1:2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
  • Mark 1:1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
  • Acts 3:15And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 15:27YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 15:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.