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Selected Verse: John 5:37 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Joh 5:37 |
King James |
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. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
the Father himself . . . hath borne witness of me--not referring, probably, to the voice of His baptism, but (as seems from what follows) to the testimony of the Old Testament Scripture [CALVIN, LUCKE, MEYER, LUTHARDT, &c.].
neither heard his voice, &c.--never recognized Him in this character. The words are "designedly mysterious, like many others which our Lord uttered" [STIER]. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
The Father himself ...hath borne witness of me - This God had done,
1. By the miracles which Jesus had performed, and of which he was conversing.
2. At the baptism of Jesus, where he said, "This is my beloved Son," Mat 3:17.
3. In the prophecies of the Old Testament. It is not easy to say here to which of these he refers. Perhaps he has reference to all.
Ye have neither heard his voice - This difficult passage has been interpreted in various ways. The main design of it seems to be clear - to reprove the Jews for not believing the evidence that he was the Messiah. In doing this he says that they were indisposed to listen to the testimony of God. He affirmed that God had given sufficient evidence of his divine mission, but they had disregarded it. The first thing that he notices is that they had not heard his voice. The word "hear," in this place, is to be understood in the sense of "obey" or listen to. See the notes at Joh 5:25. The voice of God means his commands or his declarations, however made; and the Saviour said that it had been the "characteristic" of the Jews that they had not listened to the voice or command of God. As this had been their general characteristic, it was not wonderful that they disregarded now his testimony in regard to the Messiah. The voice of God had been literally heard on the mount. See Deu 4:12; "Ye heard the voice of the words."
At any time - This has been the uniform characteristic of the nation that they have disregarded and perverted the testimony of God, and it was as true of that generation as of their fathers.
Nor seen his shape - No man hath seen God at any time, Joh 1:18. But the word "shape," here, does not mean "God himself." It refers to the visible "manifestation" of himself; to the "appearance" which he assumed. It is applied in the Septuagint to his manifesting himself to Moses, Num 12:8; "With him will I speak mouth to mouth, 'even apparently;'" in Greek, "in a form" or "shape" the word used here. It is applied to the visible symbol of God that appeared in the cloud and that rested on the tabernacle, Num 9:15-16. It is the same word that is applied to the Holy Spirit appearing in bodily shape like a dove, Luk 3:22. Jesus does not here deny that God had "appeared" in this manner, but he says they had not seen - that is, had not "paid attention to," or "regarded," the appearance of God. He had manifested himself, but they disregarded it, and, in particular, they had disregarded his manifestations in attestation of the Messiah. As the word "hear" means to obey, to listen to, so the word "see" means "to pay attention to, to regard" Jo2 1:8; Jo1 3:6, and thus throws light on Joh 14:9; "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." "I am a 'manifestation' of God - God appearing in human flesh, as he appeared formerly in the symbol of the cloud; and he that 'regards me,' or attends to me, regards the Father." |
| The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917] |
seen
(See Scofield) - (Joh 1:18). |
| Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886] |
Himself (αὐτὸς)
The best texts substitute ἐκεῖνος, he; reading, "the Father which sent me, He hath born witness." So Rev.
Voice - shape
Not referring to the descent of the dove and the voice from heaven at Jesus' baptism, but generally and figuratively to God's witness in the Old Testament Scriptures. This is in harmony with the succeeding reference to the word. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| He hath testified of me - Namely at my baptism. I speak not of my supposed father Joseph. Ye are utter strangers to him of whom I speak. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
The Father himself - hath borne witness - That is, by his prophets.
Ye have neither heard his voice - I make these words, with Bp. Pearce, a parenthesis: the sense is - "Not that my Father ever appeared visibly or spake audibly to any of you; but he did it by the mouths of his prophets." Lately, however, he had added to their testimony his own voice from heaven, on the day of Christ's baptism. See Mat 3:17. |
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.
16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.