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John 5:31 — King James Version← Study notes

If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.


John 5:31Greek Interlinear

Greek · John 5:3111 words
GreekMeaning
ἘὰνEan
IfwordG1437
ἐγὼegō
I myselfpronounG1473
μαρτυρῶmartyrō
shall bear witnessverbG3140
περὶperi
concerningprepositionG4012
ἐμαυτοῦemautou
MyselfpronounG1683
thearticleG3588
μαρτυρίαmartyria
testimonynounG3141
μουmou
of MinepronounG1473
οὐκouk
notadverbG3756
ἔστινestin
isverbG1510
ἀληθήςalēthēs
trueadjectiveG227
Greek text from the SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT). Transliteration follows SBL Academic conventions.

Church Fathers on John 5:31

He now brings proof of those high declarations respecting Himself. He answers an objection: If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. These are Christ’s own words. But does not Christ in many places bear witness of Himself? And if all this is false, where is our hope of salvation? Whence shall we obtain truth, when the Truth Itself says, My witness is not true. We must believe then that true, here, is said, not with reference to the intrinsic value of His…

Chrysostom · 4th century

He knew Himself that His witness of Himself was true, but in compassion to the weak and unbelieving, the Sun sought for candles, that their weak sight might not be dazzled by His full blaze. And therefore John was brought forward to give his testimony to the truth. Not that there is such testimony really, for whatever witnesses bear witness to Him, it is really He who bears witness to Himself; as it is His dwelling in the witnesses, which moves them so to give their witness…

Augustine · 4th century

Or thus; Christ, being both God and man, He shows the proper existence of both, by sometimes speaking according to the nature he took from man, sometimes according to the majesty of the Godhead. If I bear witness of Myself; My witness is not true: this is to be understood of His humanity; the sense being, If I, a man, bear witness of Myself, i.e. without God, My witness is not true: and then follows, There is another that bears witness of Me. The Father bore witness of…

Alcuin · 8th century
Read all 19 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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