Limitless Word
Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice
John 5:28 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice,
  • KJV Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
  • NKJV Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
  • NASB Do not be amazed at this; for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
  • NLT Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son,

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

Jesus said not to marvel, for all in the tombs will hear his voice. He foretells a universal, bodily resurrection at his command.

Overview

Moving from present spiritual life to future bodily resurrection, Jesus declares that all the dead will hear his voice. This is a claim only God could make. It assures believers of resurrection and warns all that Christ's voice will summon every person from the grave.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Rev 20:12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
  • 1 Th 4:14–17For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
  • Isa 26:19Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead.
  • John 11:24–25Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
  • Job 19:25–26But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth.
  • 1 Cor 15:42–54So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable.
  • John 6:39–40And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.
  • 1 Cor 15:22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
  • Phil 3:21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
  • Ezek 37:1–10The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones.
  • Hos 13:14I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
  • John 3:7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’
  • John 4:21“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
  • John 5:20The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.
  • Acts 3:12And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 5:28YouTube · 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 5:28 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.