John 5:35

He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
He	ἐκεῖνος ekeinos	G1565	that one (or (neuter) thing) · demonstrative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
was	ἦν ēn	G2258	I (thou
a	λύχνος luchnos	G3088	a portable lamp or other illuminator (literally or figu… · noun — nominative singular masculine
burning	καιόμενος kaiomenos	G2545	to set on fire · verb — present passive participle, nominative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
a shining	φαίνων, phainōn	G5316	to lighten (shine) · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
light	λύχνος lýchnos	G3088	a portable lamp or other illuminator (literally or figu…
and	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
ye	ὑμεῖς hymeîs	G5210	you (as subjective of verb)
were willing	ἠθελήσατε ēthelēsate	G2309	to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural
for	πρὸς pros	G4314	a preposition of direction · preposition
a season	ὥραν hōran	G5610	an "hour" (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular feminine
to rejoice	ἀγαλλιαθῆναι agalliathēnai	G21	properly · verb — aorist passive deponent infinitive
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
his	αὐτοῦ. autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
light	φωτὶ phōti	G5457	compare G5316 (φαίνω) · noun — dative singular neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the d…
John 1:7-8 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is le…
Matthew 3:5-7 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
Luke 1:76-77 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Matthew 11:7-9 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken wit…
Matthew 13:20-21 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Matthew 21:26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 5:31–end

In these verses our Lord Jesus proves and confirms the commission he had produced, and makes it out that he was sent of God to be the Messiah. I. He sets aside his own testimony of himself (Joh 5:31): "If I bear witness of myself, though it is infallibly true (Joh 8:14), yet, according to the common rule of judgment among men, you will not admit it as legal proof, nor allow it to be given in evidence." Now, 1. This reflects reproach upon the sons of men, and their veracity and integrity. Surely we may say deliberately, what David said in haste, All men are liars, else it would never have been such a received maxim that a man's testimony of himself is suspicious, and not to be relied on; it i…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 5:35

He was a burning and a shining light--literally, "the burning and shining lamp" (or torch):--that is, "the great light of his day." Christ is never called by the humble word here applied to John--a light-bearer--studiously used to distinguish him from his Master, but ever the Light in the most absolute sense. (See on Joh 1:6). willing for a season--that is, till they saw that it pointed whither they were not prepared to go. to rejoice in his light--There is a play of irony here, referring to the hollow delight with which his testimony tickled them.

Adam Clarke on John 5:35

He was a burning and a shining light - Ην ὁ λυχνος ὁ καιομενος και φαινων, should be translated, He was a burning and a shining Lamp. He was not το φως του κοσμου, the light of the world, i.e. the sun; but he was ὁ λυχνος, a lamp, to give a clear and steady light till the sun should arise. It is supposed that John had been cast into prison about four months before this time. See the note on Joh 4:35. As his light continued no longer to shine, our Lord says he Was. The expression of lamp our Lord took from the ordinary custom of the Jews, who termed their eminent doctors the lamps of Israel. A lighted candle is a proper emblem of a minister of God; and, Alteri serviens consumor - "In servi…

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The Church Fathers

"He [John] was a lamp that was burning," which even as it grew was also passing away, for he was shining in the night so that he might show that the appointed time of the sun's power was fading, and its beams of light were vanishing.
— Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 13.10

John was a candle lighted by Christ, the Light, burning with faith and love, shining in word and deed. He was sent before, to confound the enemies of Christ, according to the Psalm, I have ordained a lantern for Mine Anointed; as for His enemies, I shall clothe them with shame. (Ps. 131)
— Alcuin of York ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The birth of John [the Baptist] brought the dumbness of Zacharias to an end. For he did not burden his father, when the voice issued forth from silence; but as when not believed it rendered him tongue-tied, so did the voice sounding out clearly set his father free, to whom he had both been announced and born. Now the voice and the burning light were a precursor of the Word and the Light.
— Irenaeus, Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

John the Baptist — The “forerunner of our Lord.” We have but fragmentary and imperfect accounts of him in the Gospels. He was of priestly descent. His father, Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia (1 Chr.…
Light — The offspring of the divine command (Gen. 1:3). “All the more joyous emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all the happy hours of domestic intercourse were habitually…
Instability · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
John · Mission of — Mission of
Lamps · Described as: Shining — Described as: Shining
Light · FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLI — FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLI
Minister, Christian · .LIGHTS — .LIGHTS

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

John 5:35

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 5:31–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 5:35

Adam Clarke on John 5:35

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John 5:35

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 5:31–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 5:35

Adam Clarke on John 5:35

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on John 5:35

John Calvin on John 5:33-36

Tyndale Open Study Notes on John 5:33-35