Bible Strands
John 5:31
If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His Jewish interlocutors in John 5, immediately after declaring that He judges only by the Father's will and immediately before introducing another witness.
The words — The Greek phrase μαρτυρία ἐμαυτοῦ (marturia emautou) translates literally to "testimony of Myself," isolating the precise legal concept under examination.
The thread — The principle that self-testimony lacks validity until confirmed by another witness surfaces in John 8:13, where interlocutors cite the rule against Jesus, and in John 8:54, where Jesus distinguishes between self-glory and the Father's glorification.
Why it lands — The text demands that a reader accept divine claims cannot be self-authenticating but require external, authoritative confirmation.
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
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.
- John 8:54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. The One who glorifies Me is My Father, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
- John 8:13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”
- Revelation 3:14 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.