John 5 · Verse 28

John 5:28

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John 5:28, King James Version

John 5:28 in other translations

BSBDo not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice
WEBDon’t marvel at this, for the hour comes in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
ASVMarvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice,
YLT‘Wonder not at this, because there doth come an hour in which all those in the tombs shall hear his voice,
DARBYWonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice,
BBEDo not be surprised at this: for the time is coming when his voice will come to all who are in the place of the dead,
WebsterMarvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

What does John 5:28 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 5:25-29

25-29. The hour cometh--in its whole fulness, at Pentecost. and now is--in its beginnings. the dead--the spiritually dead, as is clear from Joh 5:28. Here He rises from the calmer phrase "hearing his word" (Joh 5:24), to the grander expression, "hearing the voice of the Son of God," to signify that as it finds men in a dead condition, so it carries with it a resurrection-power. shall live--in the sense of Joh 5:24.

Read the full comment on John 5:25-29 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 28. Marvel not. Do not wonder or be astonished at this.

The hour is coming. The time is approaching or will be.

All that are in the graves. All the dead, of every age and nation. They are described as in the graves. Though many have turned to their native dust and perished from human view, yet God sees them, and can regather their remains and raise them up to life. The phrase all that are in the graves does not prove that the same particles of matter will be raised up, but it is equivalent to saying all the dead. 1Cor 15:35-38.

Shall hear his voice. He will restore them to life, and command them to appear before him. This is a most sublime description, and this will be a wonderful display of almighty power. None but God can see all the dead, none but he could remould their frames, and none else could command them to return to life.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 28 Marvel not at this - I think it quite necessary to follow here, as noted above, the punctuation of both the Syriac, the Armenian, Chrysostom, Damascenus, Theophylact, Euthymius, and others; which is found also in some very good MSS. Theophylact says that the common method of reading this, which he highly objects to, was the invention of Paul of Samosata. In Joh 5:26, Joh 5:27, our Lord, speaking of himself as envoy of God, said, the Father had given him to have life in himself, so that, like any of the ancient prophets, he could vivify others; and that he had given him authority to execute judgment, probably referring to that judgment which he was shortly to execute on this unbelieving nation, and apparently in direct reference to Dan 7:13, Behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds, etc., a place which the Jews expound of the promised Messiah. In this verse he anticipates an objection, as if they had said: "This cannot be: thou art a man - thou wast born among us." Our Lord answers: Don't marvel at this, Because I am a man - for greater things than these shall be done by me: he who now addresses you, though disguised under the form of a man, shall appear in the great day to be the Judge of quick and dead: by his almighty power, he shall raise all the dead; and, by his unerring wisdom and justice, shall adjudge the wicked to hell, and the righteous to heaven. The first sense, however, of this passage, appears to some the most probable; though they both amount nearly to the same meaning.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 5:24-29

Our Lord declared his authority and character, as the Messiah. The time was come when the dead should hear his voice, as the Son of God, and live. Our Lord first refers to his raising those who were dead in sin, to newness of life, by the power of the Spirit, and then to his raising the dead in their graves. The office of Judge of all men, can only be exercised by one who has all knowledge, and almighty power. May…

Read the full comment on John 5:24-29 →

John 5:28 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.

ΜὴMēNotG3361
θαυμάζετεthaumazetedo marvelG2296
τοῦτο,toutoat this,G3778
ὅτιhotiforG3754
ἔρχεταιerchetaiis comingG2064
ὥραhōraan hourG5610
ἐνeninG1722
ᾗhēwhichG3739
πάντεςpantesallG3956
οἱhoithoseG3588
ἐνeninG1722
τοῖςtoistheG3588
μνημείοιςmnēmeioistombsG3419
ἀκούσουσινakousousinwill hearG191
τῆςtēstheG3588
φωνῆςphōnēsvoiceG5456
αὐτοῦautouof HimG846

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

Cross references for John 5:28

  • Revelation 20:12

    And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17

    For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

  • Isaiah 26:19

    Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

  • John 11:24-25

    Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

  • Job 19:25-26

    For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

  • 1 Corinthians 15:42-54

    So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. …

  • 1 Corinthians 15:22

    For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

  • John 6:39-40

    And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

  • Philippians 3:21

    Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

  • Ezekiel 37:1-10

    The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. …

  • Hosea 13:14

    I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Marvel.
20; 3:7; Ac 3:12
for.
6:39,40; 11:25; Job 19:25,26; Isa 26:19; Eze 37:1-10; Ho 13:14
1Co 15:22,42-54; Php 3:21; 1Th 4:14-17; Re 20:12

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

Context

  • John 5:27

    And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

  • John 5:28

    Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

  • John 5:29

    And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Read all of John 5

John 5:28 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		No os maravilléis de esto; porque vendrá hora, cuando todos los que están en los sepulcros oirán su voz;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ne vous étonnez pas de cela; car l’heure vient en laquelle tous ceux qui sont dans les sépulcres entendront sa voix;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wundert euch darüber nicht, denn es kommt die Stunde, in welcher alle, die in den Gräbern sind, seine Stimme hören,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Nolite mirari hoc, quia venit hora in qua omnes qui in monumentis sunt audient vocem Filii Dei: