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John 5:25

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does John 5:25 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.
John 5:25 — American Standard Version

Context — John 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
22For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son;
23that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father that sent him.
24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.
25Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.
26For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself:
27and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.
28Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice,
← John 5:24John 5:26 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, etc.] With the same asseveration as before, and for the further illustration and confirmation of the same thing, occasioned by the last clause of the preceding verse, as well as improving upon the argument in (<430521>John 5:21) for his equality with the Father, which he is still pursuing: the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live; which may be understood either of a corporeal resurrection, and of some particular instances of it, which should shortly be; and of some persons who would be in the state of the dead, and to whom the voice of Christ would be attended with such power as to…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“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.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The hour - The time. Is coming - Under the preaching of the gospel, as well as in the resurrection of the dead. Now is - It is now taking place. Sinners were converted under his ministry and brought to spiritual life. The dead - Either the dead in sins, or those that are in their graves. The words of the Saviour will apply to either. Language, in the Scriptures, is often so used as to describe two similar events. Thus the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world are described by Jesus in the same language, Matt. 24–25. The return of the Jews from Babylon, and the coming of the Messiah, and the spread of his gospel, are described in the same language by Isaiah, Isa. 40–61. Compare…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God - So did Jairus's daughter, the widow's son, Lazarus. John 5:26”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“The hour: Joh 4:23, Joh 13:1, Joh 17:1 when: Joh 5:21, Joh 5:28; Luk 9:60, Luk 15:24, Luk 15:32; Rom 6:4; Eph 2:1, Eph 2:5, Eph 5:14; Col 2:13; Rev 3:1 John 5:26”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification