John 5 · Verse 45

John 5:45

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
John 5:45, King James Version

John 5:45 in other translations

BSBDo not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope.
WEB“Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
ASVThink not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, on whom ye have set your hope.
YLT‘Do not think that I will accuse you unto the Father; there is who is accusing you, Moses--in whom ye have hoped;
DARBYThink not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom ye trust;
BBEPut out of your minds the thought that I will say things against you to the Father: the one who says things against you is Moses, on whom you put your hopes.
WebsterDo not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

What does John 5:45 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 5:43-47

43-47. if another shall come, &c.--How strikingly has this been verified in the history of the Jews! "From the time of the true Christ to our time, sixty-four false Christs have been reckoned by whom they have been deceived" [Bengel].

Read the full comment on John 5:43-47 →

Barnes' Notes
Verses 45,46. Do not think that I will accuse you. Do not suppose that I intend to follow your example. They had accused Jesus of breaking the law of God, Jn 5:16. He says that he will not imitate their example, though he implies that he might accuse them.

To the Father. To God.

There is one that accuseth you. Moses might be said to accuse or reprove them. He wrote of the Messiah, clearly foretold his coming, and commanded them to hear him. As they did not do it, it might be said that they had disregarded his command; and as Moses was divinely commissioned and had a right to be obeyed, so his command reproved them: they were disobedient and rebellious.

He wrote of me. He wrote of the Messiah, and I am the Messiah, Gen 3:15, 12:3; comp. Jn 8:56, Gen 49:10, De 18:15

(u) "there is one" Rom 2:12.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 45 Do not think that I will accuse you - You have accused me with a breach of the Sabbath, which accusation I have demonstrated to be false: I could, in return, accuse you, and substantiate the accusation, with the breach of the whole law; but this I need not do, for Moses, in whom ye trust, accuses you. You read his law, acknowledge you should obey it, and yet break it both in the letter and in the spirit. This law, therefore, accuses and condemns you. It was a maxim among the Jews that none could accuse them but Moses: the spirit of which seems to be, that only so pure and enlightened a legislator could find fault with such a noble and excellent people! For, notwithstanding their abominations, they supposed themselves the most excellent of mankind!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 5:45-47
Many trust in some form of doctrines or some parties, who no more enter into the real meaning of those doctrines, or the views of the persons whose names they bear, than the Jews did into those of Moses. Let us search and pray over the Scriptures, as intent on finding eternal life; let us observe how Christ is the great subject of them, and daily apply to him for the life he bestows.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

John 5:45 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
δοκεῖτεdokeitedo thinkG1380
ὅτιhotithatG3754
ἐγὼegōI myselfG1473
κατηγορήσωkatēgorēsōwill accuseG2723
ὑμῶνhumōnyouG4771
πρὸςprostoG4314
τὸνtontheG3588
πατέρα·pateraFather;G3962
ἔστινestinThere isG1510
ὁho[one]G3588
κατηγορῶνkatēgorōnaccusingG2723
ὑμῶνhumōnyouG4771
ΜωϋσῆςMōusēsMosesG3475
εἰςeisinG1519
ὃνhonwhomG3739
ὑμεῖςhumeisyou yourselvesG4771
ἠλπίκατε.ēlpikatehave hoped.G1679

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

Cross references for John 5:45

  • Romans 3:19-20

    Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

  • Galatians 3:10

    For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

  • Romans 2:12

    For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

  • 2 Corinthians 3:7-11

    But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. …

  • John 9:28-29

    Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.

  • Romans 10:5-10

    For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; …

  • Romans 2:17-29

    Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. …

  • John 7:19

    Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?

  • Matthew 19:7-8

    They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

  • John 8:5-6

    Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

  • Romans 7:9-14

    For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. …

  • John 8:9

    And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
there.
7:19; 8:5,9; Ro 2:12,17-29; 3:19,20; 7:9-14; 2Co 3:7-11; Ga 3:10
in.
8:5,6; 9:28,29; Mt 19:7,8; Ro 10:5-10

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

Context

  • John 5:44

    How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

  • John 5:45

    Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

  • John 5:46

    For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

Read all of John 5

John 5:45 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		No penséis que yo os tengo de acusar delante del Padre; hay quien os acusa, Moisés, en quien vosotros esperáis.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ne pensez pas que moi, je vous accuserai devant le Père; il y en a un qui vous accuse, Moïse en qui vous espérez.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wähnet nicht, daß ich euch bei dem Vater verklagen werde; da ist einer, der euch verklagt, Moses, auf den ihr eure Hoffnung gesetzt habt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Nolite putare quia ego accusaturus sim vos apud Patrem: est qui accusat vos Moyses, in quo vos speratis.