Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Parallel translations
- WEB Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”
- BSB Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”
- NKJV Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
- NASB Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone follows My word, he will never see death.”
- NLT I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”
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 promises that whoever keeps his word will never see death. He offers eternal life to those who hold to his teaching.
Overview
With a solemn affirmation, Jesus pledges that obeying his word brings deliverance from death's ultimate power. He speaks of spiritual and eternal death, not the cessation of physical life. This promise points to the gospel hope of eternal life through faith in Christ, who is himself the resurrection and the life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- John 11:25–26Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
- John 5:24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
- John 3:15–16That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- John 6:50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
- John 15:20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
- Luke 2:26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
- Heb 11:5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
- Ps 89:48What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
- John 8:55Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
- John 8:12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
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 8:51 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.