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Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
John 5:28 · New King James Version
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,
  • BSB Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their 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 20:12I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.
  • 1 Th 4:14–17For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
  • Isa 26:19Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.
  • John 11:24–25Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
  • Job 19:25–26But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. In the end, he will stand upon the earth.
  • 1 Cor 15:42–54So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable.
  • John 6:39–40This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day.
  • 1 Cor 15:22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
  • Phil 3:21who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.
  • Ezek 37:1–10Yahweh’s hand was on me, and he brought me out in Yahweh’s 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! Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your destruction? “Compassion will be hidden from my eyes.
  • John 3:7Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’
  • John 4:21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father.
  • John 5:20For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
  • Acts 3:12When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him 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.