John 5:38

You don’t have his word living in you; because you don’t believe him whom he sent.

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

You don’t have his word living in you, because you don’t believe him whom he sent.

BSB

nor does His word abide in you, because you do not believe the One He sent.

KJV

And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

ASV

And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he sent, him ye believe not.

BBE

And you have not kept his word in your hearts, because you have not faith in him whom he has sent.

Original Greek

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καὶ kai And G2532 τὸν ton the G3588 λόγον logon word G3056 αὐτοῦ autou of Him G846 οὐκ ouk not G3756 ἔχετε echete you have G2192 ἐν en in G1722 ὑμῖν humin you G4771 μένοντα menonta abiding G3306 ὅτι hoti for G3754 ὃν hon whom G3739 ἀπέστειλεν apesteilen sent G649 ἐκεῖνος ekeinos He G1565 τούτῳ toutō in Him G3778 ὑμεῖς humeis you yourselves G4771 οὐ ou not G3756 πιστεύετε.¶ pisteuete believe G4100

The early church

"But why," He saith, "name I these things? Not only have ye 'neither heard His voice nor seen His shape,' but it is not even in your power to assert that of which you most boast and of which you are all most fully assured, namely, that ye have received and keep His commandments." Wherefore He addeth, "And ye have not His word abiding in you." That is, the ordinances, the commandments, the Law, and the Prophets. For even if God ordained these, still they are not with you, since ye believe not on Me. Because, if the Scriptures everywhere say that it is necessary to give heed to Me, and yet ye believe not, it is quite clear that His word is removed from you. Wherefore again He addeth, "For whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not."

John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on John

For it is not by the carnal ear, but by the spiritual understanding, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, that God is heard. And they did not hear the spiritual voice, because they did not love or obey Him, nor saw they His shape; inasmuch as that is not to be seen by the outward eye, but by faith and love.

Alcuin of York · d. 804Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 30–38

Our Lord returns to his declaration of the entire agreement between the Father and the Son, and declared himself the Son of God. He had higher testimony than that of John; his works bore witness to all he had said. But the Divine word had no abiding-place in their hearts, as they refused to believe in Him whom the Father had sent, according to his ancient promises. The voice of God, accompanied by the power of the Holy Ghost, thus made effectual to the conversion of sinners, still proclaims that this is the beloved Son, in whom the Father is well pleased. But when the hearts of men are full of pride, ambition, and the love of the world, there is no room for the word of God to abide in them.

Read Matthew Henry on John 5 →

Cross-references

Topics

Jesus, The Christ Unbelief

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.