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John 5:31
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- EveryParallel Translations
"If I tell people about myself, they cannot be sure that what I say is true.
Yf I beare witnes of my selfe my witnes is not true.
"If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.
"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.John 8:14; Revelation 3:14;">[xr]
"If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.
"If only I tell people about myself, what I say is not true.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
If I testify concerning myself, my testimony is not true.
If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
"If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.
If I testify of myself, my testimony is not valid.
"If I give testimony concerning myself, my testimony cannot be accepted.
If Y bere witnessing of my silf, my witnessyng is not trewe;
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.
If I speak for myself, there is no way to prove I am telling the truth.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
If I gave witness about myself, my witness would not be true.
"If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not valid.
If I bear witness concerning myself, my witness is not true.
If I should witness concerning myself, my testimony would not be (regarded as) truth:
If I should bear testimony respecting myself, my testimony would not be valid.
If I beare witnesse of my selfe, my witnesse is not true.
"If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid.
If I tell about Myself, My words are worth nothing.
"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.
If I should beare witnesse of my selfe, my witnesse were not true.
If I testify concerning myself, my testimony is not true.
If, I, bear witness, concerning myself, my witness, is not, true.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true;
Yf I shoulde beare witnesse of my selfe, my witnesse were not true.
"If I testify on my own behalf, what I say is not to be accepted as real proof.
“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.
If I witness concerning Myself, My witness is not true;
`If I testify concerning myself, my testimony is not true;
Yf I beare wytnesse of my self, my wytnesse is not true.
if I testified of my self, my testimony would be suspected.
"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.
"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
"You know, I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard about me already. I didn't just come up with this on my own.
"If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.
"If I alone bear witness about Myself, My witness is not true.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
John 8:13, John 8:14, John 8:54, Proverbs 27:2, Revelation 3:14
Reciprocal: John 3:11 - ye John 8:18 - and John 10:37 - General 1 John 5:9 - we
Gill's Notes on the Bible
If I bear witness of myself,.... Which was not allowed any man to do; nor indeed is it proper that a man should be a witness in his own cause: and, according to the Jewish canons, a man might not be a witness for his wife, because she was reckoned as himself.
"An husband is not to be believed in bearing witness for his wife, that had been carried captive, that she is not defiled, ש××× ××× ××¢×× ×עצ××, "for no man witness of himself" k.''
So likewise they say l,
"a city that is subdued by an army, all the priestesses (or priests' daughters) that are found in it are rejected (from the priesthood, as defiled); but if they have witnesses, whether a servant, or an handmaid, lo, they are to be believed; but no man is to be believed for himself: says R. Zechariah ben Hakatzah, by this habitation (swearing by the temple) her hand was not removed from my hand, from the time the Gentiles entered Jerusalem, till they went out: they replied to him, "no man bears witness of himself".''
Christ reasons here upon their own principles, and according to their sense of things, that should he bear witness of himself; then, says he,
my witness is not true, ×× × ×××, not to be believed, or admitted as an authentic testimony: and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "is not credible"; not valid in law, or in such a court of judicature in which Christ now was; for, as according to the Jewish law, no man was admitted a witness for himself, so neither was anything established by a single testimony, but by the mouth of two or three witnesses, Deuteronomy 19:15. Christ's meaning is, that his testimony alone, his single witness, how true soever it was, would stand for nothing in their court; and therefore he would not insist upon it, but drop it; for "true" here, is not opposed to that which is "false", but to that which is not valid in law. Christ's testimony was true in itself; nor could it be any other, it coming from him, who is truth itself, the "Amen", and faithful witness; but being considered as an human testimony, and in his own cause, was not to be admitted as sufficient; and this he allows. From arguments, proving his equality with the Father, he passes to testimonies; and without ranking use of his own, he had enough to produce, and which were valid and authentic, and are as follow.
k Maimon. Issure Bia, c. 18. sect. 19. l Misn. Cetubot, c. 2. sect. 9. T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 27. 2. Juchasin, fol. 56. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
If I bear witness of myself - If I have no other evidence than my own testimony about myself.
My witness - My testimony; my evidence. The proof would not be decisive.
Is not true - The word âtrue,â here, means worthy of belief, or established by suitable evidence. See Matthew 22:16; âWe Know that thou art trueâ - that is, worthy of confidence, or that thou hast been truly sent from God, Luke 20:21; John 8:13, John 8:17. The law did not admit a man to testify in his own case, but required two witnesses, Deuteronomy 17:6. Though what Jesus said was true John 8:13, John 8:17, yet he admitted it was not sufficient testimony alone to claim their belief. They had a right to expect that his statement that he came from God would be confirmed by other evidence. This evidence he gave in the miracles which he performed as proof that God had sent him.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 31. If I bear witness — If I had no proof to bring of my being the Messiah, and equal to God, common sense would direct you to reject my testimony; but the mighty power of God, by which I work my miracles, sufficiently attests that my pretensions are well founded.
Bishop Pearce gives a different turn to this verse, by translating it interrogatively, thus: "If I only bear witness of myself, is not my witness true? i.e. is it, on that account, not true? In John 8:14, he says, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true. And in John 8:18, he says, I am one that bear witness of myself."
