Bible Strands
John 5:26
For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His listeners while teaching about the resurrection and divine judgment. He speaks immediately after promising that the dead will hear His voice and live, and directly before explaining His authority to judge as the Son of Man.
The words — ἔχει (echei) literally means “has,” and ζωὴν (zōēn) means “life.” The text pairs these with ἐν ἑαυτῷ to state that life is possessed inherently, not derived.
The thread — This theme of inherent divine life appears in John 1:4, where life originates in Him, and John 11:26, where belief in Him conquers death. The concept echoes Exodus 3:14, where God identifies Himself as the self-existent source of being.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to acknowledge that the Son’s authority to give life and execute judgment rests on sharing the Father’s self-existent nature. The verse demands a clear distinction between derived authority and intrinsic divine life.
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
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Cross-references
- John 1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
- John 11:26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
- Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
- John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- John 17:2 For You granted Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him.
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
- 1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
- Psalms 36:9 For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
- Jeremiah 10:10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.
- 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.