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I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”
John 8:18 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”
  • KJV I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
  • BSB I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.”
  • NKJV I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
  • NASB I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”

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 says He testifies about Himself and the Father who sent Him also testifies about Him. The Father and the Son together provide the required double witness.

Overview

Jesus completes His argument by naming Himself and the Father as the two witnesses confirming His identity and mission. The Father's testimony comes through Scripture, Jesus' works, and His sending of the Son. This reveals the profound unity between Father and Son and grounds Jesus' claims in the very authority of God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • John 8:38I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.”
  • Rev 1:17–18When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last,
  • John 8:58Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM. ”
  • John 10:14I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;
  • John 8:25They said therefore to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
  • John 8:12Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
  • John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
  • John 5:31–40“If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.
  • Heb 2:4God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?
  • John 10:11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
  • John 8:51Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”
  • 1 Jn 5:6–12This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
  • John 10:9I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
  • John 10:30I and the Father are one.”
  • John 11:25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.

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 8:18YouTube · 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 8:18 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.