1 John 5 · Verse 12

1 John 5:12

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

1 John 5:12, King James Version

1 John 5:12 in other translations

BSB	Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
WEB	He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life.
ASV	He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.
YLT	he who is having the Son, hath the life; he who is not having the Son of God--the life he hath not.
DARBY	He that has the Son has life: he that has not the Son of God has not life.
BBE	He who has the Son has the life; he who has not the Son of God has not the life.
Webster	He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.

What does 1 John 5:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

12. the Son ... life--Greek, "THE life." Bengel remarks, The verse has two clauses: in the former the Son is mentioned without the addition "of God," for believers know the Son: in the second clause the addition "of God" is made, that unbelievers may know thereby what a serious thing it is not to have Him. In the former clause "has" bears the emphasis; in the second, life. To have the Son is to be able to say as the bride, "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine" [So 6:3]. Faith is the mean whereby the regenerate HAVE Christ as a present possession, and in having Him have life in its germ and reality now, and shall have life in its fully developed manifestation hereafter. Eternal life here is: (1) initial, and is an earnest of that which is to follow; in the intermediate state (2) partial, belonging but to a part of a man, though that is his nobler part, the soul separated from the body; at and after the resurrection (3) perfectional. This life is not only natural, consisting of the union of the soul and the body (as that of the reprobate in eternal pain, which ought to be termed death eternal, not life), but also spiritual, the union of the soul to God, and supremely blessed for ever (for life is another term for happiness) [Pearson, Exposition of the Creed].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 12. He that hath the Son, hath life. Jn 5:24. John evidently designs to refer to that passage in the verse before us, and to state a principle laid down by the Saviour himself. This is the sense of all the important testimony that had ever been borne by God on the subject of salvation, that he who believes in the Lord Jesus already has the elements of eternal life in his soul, and will certainly obtain salvation. Comp. Jn 17:3.

And he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. He that does not believe on him will not attain to eternal life. Jn 3:36; Mk 16:16.

(c) "He that" Jn 5:24

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 12 He that hath the Son hath life - As the eternal life is given In the Son of God, it follows that it cannot be enjoyed without him. No man can have it without having Christ; therefore he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life. It is in vain to expect eternal glory, if we have not Christ in our heart. The indwelling Christ gives both a title to it, and a meetness for it. This is God's record. Let no man deceive himself here. An indwelling Christ and Glory; no indwelling Christ, No glory. God's record must stand.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 John 5:9-12

Nothing can be more absurd than the conduct of those who doubt as to the truth of Christianity, while in the common affairs of life they do not hesitate to proceed on human testimony, and would deem any one out of his senses who declined to do so. The real Christian has seen his guilt and misery, and his need of such a Saviour. He has seen the suitableness of such a Saviour to all his spiritual wants and…

Read the full comment on 1 John 5:9-12 →

1 John 5:12 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ὁhoThe [one]G3588

ἔχωνechōnhavingG2192

τὸνtontheG3588

υἱὸνhuionSonG5207

ἔχειecheihasG2192

τὴνtēn<the>G3588

ζωήν·zōēnlife;G2222

ὁhothe [one]G3588

μὴmēnotG3361

ἔχωνechōnhavingG2192

τὸνtontheG3588

υἱὸνhuionSonG5207

τοῦtou<the>G3588

θεοῦtheouof GodG2316

τὴνtēn<the>G3588

ζωὴνzōēnlifeG2222

οὐκouknotG3756

ἔχει.¶echeihas.G2192

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 John 5:12

John 3:36
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
1 Corinthians 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
John 3:15
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Mark 16:16
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
2 John 1:9
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Hebrews 3:14
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
1 John 2:23-24
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

that hath the.
2:23,24; Joh 1:12; 3:36; 5:24; 1Co 1:30; Ga 2:20; Heb 3:14; 2Jo 1:9
and he.
Mr 16:16; Joh 3:36

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 John 5:11
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:12
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1 John 5:13
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Read all of 1 John 5

1 John 5:12 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	El que tiene al Hijo, tiene la vida: el que no tiene al Hijo de Dios, no tiene la vida.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Celui qui a le Fils a la vie, celui qui n’a pas le Fils de Dieu n’a pas la vie.
German Elberfelder 1871	Wer den Sohn hat, hat das Leben; wer den Sohn Gottes nicht hat, hat das Leben nicht.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Qui habet Filium, habet vitam: qui non habet Filium, vitam non habet.