But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Parallel translations
- WEB But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
- KJV But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
- BSB But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
- NKJV But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
- NASB But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
- NLT But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
If they do not believe Moses' writings, how will they believe Jesus' words? Rejecting Scripture's witness leaves them rejecting Christ.
Overview
Jesus exposes the inconsistency of claiming to honor Moses while rejecting the one Moses foretold. Disbelief of the written word and disbelief of the living Word go together. This closes his defense by tying faith in Scripture inseparably to faith in Christ himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Luke 16:31“He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
- Luke 16:29“But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 5:47 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.