John 5:21
New International Version
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

New Living Translation
For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.

English Standard Version
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

Berean Standard Bible
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

Berean Literal Bible
For even as the Father raises up the dead and gives life, thus also the Son gives life to whom He will.

King James Bible
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

New King James Version
For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

New American Standard Bible
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.

NASB 1995
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.

NASB 1977
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.

Legacy Standard Bible
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.

Amplified Bible
Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life [and allows them to live on], even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.

Christian Standard Bible
And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to.

American Standard Version
For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will.

Contemporary English Version
Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants to.

English Revised Version
For as the Father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son also quickeneth whom he will.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the same way that the Father brings back the dead and gives them life, the Son gives life to anyone he chooses.

Good News Translation
Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, in the same way the Son gives life to those he wants to.

International Standard Version
Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to those he chooses.

Majority Standard Bible
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

NET Bible
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.

New Heart English Bible
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.

Webster's Bible Translation
For as the Father raiseth the dead, and reviveth them; even so the Son reviveth whom he will.

Weymouth New Testament
For just as the Father awakens the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom He wills.

World English Bible
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For as the Father raises the dead, and makes alive, so also the Son makes alive whom He wills;

Berean Literal Bible
For even as the Father raises up the dead and gives life, thus also the Son gives life to whom He will.

Young's Literal Translation
'For, as the Father doth raise the dead, and doth make alive, so also the Son doth make alive whom he willeth;

Smith's Literal Translation
For as the Father arouses the dead, and makes alive; so also the Son makes alive whom he will.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and giveth life: so the Son also giveth life to whom he will.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wills.

New American Bible
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.

New Revised Standard Version
Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to those whom he will.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For just as The Father raises the dead and gives them life, thus also The Son gives life to them whom he will.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
For as the Father raises the dead, and makes them alive, so also the Son makes alive whom he will.

Godbey New Testament
For as the Father raiseth up the dead and createth life in them, so the Son also createth life in whom He will.

Haweis New Testament
For as the Father raiseth the dead, and quickeneth them; so also doth the Son quicken whom he pleases.

Mace New Testament
for as the father raiseth up the dead, and restores them to life: even so the son gives life to whom he will.

Weymouth New Testament
For just as the Father awakens the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom He wills.

Worrell New Testament
For, as the Father raiseth the dead, and maketh them alive; so also the Son maketh alive whom He willeth.

Worsley New Testament
For as the Father raiseth up the dead and giveth life: even so the Son maketh alive whom He pleaseth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Father and the Son
20The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes. 22Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,…

Cross References
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

Romans 4:17
As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.

1 Corinthians 15:45
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

Ephesians 2:5
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

Colossians 2:13
When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses,

1 John 5:11-12
And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. / Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Revelation 1:18
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

John 6:39-40
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. / For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

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.

Acts 17:25
Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

2 Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

1 Timothy 6:13
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate:

Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.


Treasury of Scripture

For as the Father raises up the dead, and vivifies them; even so the Son vivifies whom he will.

as.

Deuteronomy 32:39
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

1 Kings 17:21
And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

2 Kings 4:32-35
And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed…

even.

John 11:25,43,44
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: …

John 17:2
As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Luke 7:14,15
And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise…

Jump to Previous
Alive Awakens Dead Desires Gives Life Pleased Quickeneth Quickens Raise Raises Raiseth Reviveth Way Willeth Wills Wishes
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Alive Awakens Dead Desires Gives Life Pleased Quickeneth Quickens Raise Raises Raiseth Reviveth Way Willeth Wills Wishes
John 5
1. Jesus on the Sabbath day cures him who was diseased thirty-eight years.
10. The Jews therefore object, and persecute him for it.
17. He answers for himself, and reproves them, showing by the testimony of his Father,
31. of John,
36. of his works,
39. and of the Scriptures, who he is.














For just as the Father
This phrase establishes the divine authority and power of God the Father. The Greek word for "Father" is "πατήρ" (patēr), which signifies not only a paternal relationship but also authority and origin. In the Jewish context, God as Father is a familiar concept, denoting His role as Creator and Sustainer. This phrase sets the stage for understanding the unity and equality between the Father and the Son, a central theme in the Gospel of John.

raises the dead
The act of raising the dead is a profound demonstration of divine power. The Greek word "ἐγείρει" (egeirei) means to awaken or to raise up. In the Old Testament, God is often depicted as having the power to give life and to resurrect, as seen in the accounts of Elijah and Elisha. This power is uniquely attributed to God, emphasizing His sovereignty over life and death.

and gives them life
The phrase "gives them life" underscores the life-giving nature of God. The Greek word "ζωοποιεῖ" (zōopoiei) means to make alive or to quicken. This is not just physical life but also spiritual life, which is a recurring theme in John's Gospel. The life that God gives is abundant and eternal, reflecting His desire for humanity to experience fullness in Him.

so also the Son
Here, the phrase draws a parallel between the Father and the Son, indicating their shared divine nature and authority. The Greek word "ὁ Υἱός" (ho Huios) refers to the Son, emphasizing His unique relationship with the Father. This equality in power and purpose is a cornerstone of Christian doctrine, affirming the deity of Christ.

gives life
The ability of the Son to give life is a testament to His divine authority. The same Greek word "ζωοποιεῖ" (zōopoiei) is used here, reinforcing the idea that Jesus possesses the same life-giving power as the Father. This is a profound claim, as it asserts that Jesus is not merely a prophet or teacher but is God incarnate, with the power to grant eternal life.

to whom He wishes
This phrase highlights the sovereign will of the Son in dispensing life. The Greek word "θέλει" (thelei) means to will or to desire. It indicates that the giving of life is not arbitrary but is according to the divine will and purpose. This reflects the grace and mercy of God, who desires that all should come to life through His Son.

(21) The following verses (John 5:21-29) show what these greater works are. They are the Resurrection and the judgment; but these are regarded as spiritual as well as physical, as present as well as future. Once again the background of the thought is to be found in John 5:17. Resurrection and Judgment were the work of the Father--"My Father worketh hitherto;" but the manifestation in limits of space and time is the work of the Son--"and I work."

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them.--The "them" after "quickeneth" is better omitted. The words are purposely general. Raising the dead and making alive are attributes of God. "He kills and He makes alive" (Deuteronomy 32:39). "He bringeth down to the underworld and bringeth up" (1Samuel 2:6; Tobit 13:2). "He has the power of life and death" (Wisdom Of Solomon 16:13). These the Son seeth the Father doing, and these also He doeth in like manner. He, too, has the power to quicken whom He will, and He useth that power. Deadened souls have felt it, and are living in the new-born life. There is in His word, for the man who hears it and believes it, a moral change which is nothing other than an actual passing out of death into life (John 5:24). . . .

Verses 21-26. - Greater works:

(1) the resurrection of the dead. Verse 21. - For (γὰρ introduces an illustration, a proof of the previous assertion. viz. that the eternal love of the Son would issue in such new marvels) as the Father raiseth the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. This is the most exhaustive expression of the Father's love and revelation to the Son. This thing the Son sees, and this same thing he will do, whether these Jews attempt to put any arrest upon his will or not. The majority of commentators regard vers. 21-27 as descriptive of the moral and spiritual resurrection of dead souls, and hold that a transition is made in vers. 28, 29 to the resurrection of dead bodies and the final consummation. There are some, however, who regard the whole passage - even vers. 28, 29 - as referring, with the previous verses, to moral resurrection, although the words, "in their tombs" (μνημείοις) are there added to give distinctness and explicitness to that future resurrection; and though "now is" of ver. 25 is not there predicated or repeated. Others (with many of the older expositors) refer the entire passage to the final resurrection, which, however, is incompatible with ver. 20 and with the "now is" of ver. 25. Others, again, see in ver. 21, in ἐγείρει and ζωοποιεῖ,, the whole process of resurrection and renewal, both physical and moral, bodily and spiritual. They suppose that in ver. 25 Christ refers first to the spiritual renovation, to be affirmed and consummated in the universal resurrection and judgment of the last day. The generality of the terms ἐγείρει and ζωοποιει, attributed to the Father, makes it possible that the Lord was referring to the numerous events of uplifting from the pit, from the lowest sheol, which formed the staple religious nutrition of the Jewish race. The history of Divine revelation is one lengthened series of interpositions and deliverances, of resurrections of the people of Israel, and of the theocracy from bondage, exile, and spiritual and civil death, and of references to the wonderful transformations of saints and prophets and kings from the depths of despair to the light of life and Divine favour. Ezekiel (37) had likened the most memorable of these resurrections to the uprising of a huge army from a valley of vision, strown with the dry bones of both houses of Israel. "So also," says Jesus, "the Son quiekeneth." including under this term, it may be, the physical healing which is often the precursor and condition of spiritual awakening and moral health and vigour. The Son, the incarnate Logos, revealing himself on earth, both as Logos and Son of man, is now quickening after the same fashion whom he will. The will of Christ is in such entire harmony with the Father's will that there is no rivalry here. The will of the Son is in spontaneous accord with the Divine purpose of resurrection and quickening. He is already doing thus here on earth, as the great organ of the Father, that which makes his will the revelation of the Father. There is no arbitrary decree, such as Calvin found here, nor such as Roues insists upon. The emphasis is simply upon the subject of the verb θέλει; and we have in the expression a vindication of the nineteenth verse, "The Son doeth that which he sees the Father doing." His own θέλημα being the origin and revealed centre on earth of Divine manifestations.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

just as
Ὥσπερ (Hōsper)
Adverb
Strong's 5618: Just as, as, even as. From hos and per; just as, i.e. Exactly like.

the
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Father
Πατὴρ (Patēr)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

raises
ἐγείρει (egeirei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1453: (a) I wake, arouse, (b) I raise up. Probably akin to the base of agora; to waken, i.e. Rouse.

the
τοὺς (tous)
Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

dead
νεκροὺς (nekrous)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3498: (a) adj: dead, lifeless, subject to death, mortal, (b) noun: a dead body, a corpse. From an apparently primary nekus; dead.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

gives [them] life,
ζωοποιεῖ (zōopoiei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2227: To make that which was dead to live, cause to live, quicken. From the same as zoon and poieo; tovitalize.

so
οὕτως (houtōs)
Adverb
Strong's 3779: Thus, so, in this manner. Or (referring to what precedes or follows).

also
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Son
Υἱὸς (Huios)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5207: A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.

gives life
ζωοποιεῖ (zōopoiei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2227: To make that which was dead to live, cause to live, quicken. From the same as zoon and poieo; tovitalize.

to whom
οὓς (hous)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

He wishes.
θέλει (thelei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.


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NT Gospels: John 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead (Jhn Jo Jn)
John 5:20
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