John 5:39

The Pulpit Commentary - John 5:39

The Scriptures and the Christ. Jesus is expostulating with the Jews, who refuse to admit his claims, to accept his salvation. The course of his argument and censure is somewhat thus: "You revere and examine the canonical Scriptures. You profess to think of them so highly that you regard them as the source of eternal life for men. Yet you will not yield faith and allegiance to me . What inconsistency is here! The true value of the Scriptures lies just in this, that they bear witness to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 5:39-40

(d) The witness of the Scriptures. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 5:39-40

A commendable search and a sad failure. We have here— I. A COMMENDABLE SEARCH . Commendable because: 1 . It is a search for the proper object. "Eternal life." 2 . It is a search for the proper object in the proper field. "The Scriptures." 3 . The chief object is sought in a praiseworthy manner. "Ye search," etc. The Scriptures, as the revelation of God's will, are worthy of the most diligent search. No search can be too minute and no effort can be too thorough.... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - John 5:39

Search the scriptures - The word translated “search” here means to “search diligently” or “search anxiously.” It was applied to miners, who search for precious metals - who look anxiously for the “bed” of the ore with an intensity or anxiety proportionate to “their sense” of the value of the metal. Compare the notes at Job 28:3. It is applied by Homer to a lioness robbed of her whelps, and who “searches” the plain to “trace out” the footsteps of the man who has robbed her. It is also applied by... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - John 5:39-40

John 5:39-40. Search the Scriptures Because the Jews were exceedingly averse to acknowledge Jesus for their Messiah, notwithstanding that the evidences of his mission were so unexceptionable, he appeals, lastly, to their own scriptures, which, for further proof, and their full satisfaction, he desires them to search, because these writings, as they justly supposed, contained the knowledge of eternal life, and of the way leading to it, and therefore the knowledge of the Messiah. As if he had... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - John 5:30-47

47. Witness to Jesus (John 5:30-47)Jesus acted with God’s authority, but he would not give evidence on his own behalf to try to convince the Jews. God was his witness, and Jesus accepted his witness even if the Jews did not (John 5:30-32). With God as his witness, Jesus needed no other, but if the Jews wanted earthly witnesses, they were available. Jesus gave them three, which would satisfy those who wanted to judge him according to the requirements for witnesses under Jewish law (cf.... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - John 5:39

Search . Greek. ereunao = to search as a lion or hound tracks by the scent. Not the same word as in Acts 17:11 . Here the Verb may be the imperative or indicative mood; but the indicative never commences a sentence without the pronoun or some other word, while the imperative is so used. See John 7:52 ; John 14:11 (Believe); John 15:20 (Remember). the scriptures = the (sacred) writings. eternal. App-151 . as in John 5:24 . testify . See note on John 1:7 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 5:39

Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me.Ye search the Scriptures ... is not a command for his hearers so to do, but a recognition of their familiarity with the Old Testament. The significance of this is seen in the preceding verse, where it was stated that these learned leaders did not have God's word in them at all, in spite of the fact that they were in a sense familiar with it. If they had known God's word,... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - John 5:39

John 5:39. Search the scriptures;— Because the Jews were exceedingly averse to acknowledge the Lord Jesus for their Messiah, not withstanding that the evidences of his divine mission were so unexceptionable; he desired them, for further proof, to search their own scriptures, and particularly the writings of the prophets; which, says he, is certainly your duty, because those writings, as you justly suppose, contain the knowledge of eternal life,and therefore the knowledge of the Messiah; and I... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - John 5:39

39-42. Search the scriptures, c.—"In the Scriptures ye find your charter of eternal life go search them then, and you will find that I am the Great Burden of their testimony; yet ye will not come to Me for that life eternal which you profess to find there, and of which they tell you I am the appointed Dispenser." (Compare Acts 17:11; Acts 17:12). How touching and gracious are these last words! Observe here (1) The honor which Christ gives to the Scriptures, as a record which all have a right... read more

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