“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
Parallel translations
- WEB “If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.
- KJV If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
- BSB If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.
- NASB “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.
- NLT “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid.
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 acknowledges that self-testimony alone would not be considered valid. He grants the principle that a claim needs corroborating witness.
Overview
Speaking to legal standards requiring multiple witnesses, Jesus concedes that testimony resting on himself alone would not satisfy his hearers. This sets up his appeal to other witnesses. He shows his willingness to meet their objections with abundant testimony to his identity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Prov 27:2Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
- John 8:54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.
- John 8:13–14The Pharisees therefore said to him, “You testify about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”
- Rev 3:14“To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: “The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God’s creation, says these things:
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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 5:31 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
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