And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,
Parallel translations
- WEB The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
- KJV And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
- NKJV And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
- NASB And the Father who sent Me, He has testified about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
- NLT And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face,
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 Father himself testifies about Jesus, yet they have never heard his voice or seen his form. Their unbelief shows estrangement from God.
Overview
Jesus claims the Father's own testimony, but his hearers' rejection proves they do not truly know God. Their failure to perceive the Father's witness exposes their spiritual blindness. To reject the Son is evidence of having no real relationship with the Father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- John 8:18I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.”
- Matt 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
- John 1:18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
- 1 Tim 1:17Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
- 1 Jn 4:20If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
- 1 Tim 6:16He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
- 1 Jn 4:12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
- John 14:9Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
- Deut 4:12And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
- Matt 17:5While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
- Exod 20:19“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
- John 6:27Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
- 1 Jn 1:1–2That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.
- John 15:24If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 5:37 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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