Bible Strands
John 15:27
And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples during the Farewell Discourse, immediately after describing the Spirit’s coming testimony. He issues a direct command for them to bear witness to Him.
The words — μαρτυρεῖτε (martureite) literally means "bear witness" or "testify," and ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς (ap' archēs) translates to "from the beginning." These terms specify that the disciples' testimony derives from their continuous, firsthand presence with Jesus.
The thread — The same eyewitness mandate appears in John 21:24, which identifies the disciple as the one who testifies and records these events, and in Acts 10:39, where believers declare they witnessed Jesus’ public ministry in Judea and Jerusalem.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that witness depends on prolonged, direct association with Jesus rather than secondary information. It demands active, grounded testimony that mirrors the original command.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Cross-references
- 1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.
- John 21:24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who has written them down. And we know that his testimony is true.
- Acts 10:39 We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
- Luke 24:48 You are witnesses of these things.
- Luke 1:2 just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
- Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”
- 1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.
- Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- Acts 4:20 For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
- 1 Peter 5:1 As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: