John 5:39

Bible in Basic English (1941)

You make search in the holy Writings, in the belief that through them you get eternal life; and it is those Writings which give witness about me.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς· ὅτι ὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν: καὶ ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ.

Transliteration

Ereunate the graphas; because you dokeite in them zōēn aiōnion echein: and those eisin the ones martyrousai peri emou.

Grammar Details

• *Ereunate*: present active indicative or imperative, 2nd plural of *ereunaō* - you search/search
• *graphas*: noun, accusative, feminine, plural - scriptures/writings
• *hymeis*: personal pronoun, nominative, 2nd plural - you
• *dokeite*: present active indicative, 2nd plural of *dokeō* - think/suppose
• *autais*: personal pronoun, dative, feminine, plural - them
• *zōēn*: noun, accusative, feminine, singular - life
• *aiōnion*: adjective, accusative, feminine, singular - eternal
• *echein*: present active infinitive of *echō* - to have
• *ekeinai*: demonstrative pronoun, nominative, feminine, plural - those
• *eisin*: present active indicative, 3rd plural of *eimi* - are
• *martyrousai*: present active participle, nominative, feminine, plural - bearing witness
• *peri*: preposition with genitive - concerning/about
• *emou*: personal pronoun, genitive, 1st singular - me

Word Meanings

• *Ereunate*: you search/search [imperative]/you are searching
• *graphas*: scriptures/writings
• *dokeite*: think/suppose/imagine
• *zōēn aiōnion*: eternal life/life everlasting
• *martyrousai*: bearing witness/testifying/giving evidence

Referenced Verses

• Luke 24:27 : 27 And he made clear to them all the things in the Writings, from Moses and from all the prophets, which had to do with himself.
• Isa 34:16 : 16 See what is recorded in the book of the Lord: all these will be there, not one without the other: the mouth of the Lord has given the order, and his spirit has made them come together.
• 2 Pet 1:19-21 : 19 And so the words of the prophets are made more certain; and it is well for you to give attention to them as to a light shining in a dark place, till the dawn comes and the morning star is seen in your hearts; 20 Being conscious in the first place that no man by himself may give a special sense to the words of the prophets. 21 For these words did not ever come through the impulse of men: but the prophets had them from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.
• 1 Pet 1:10-11 : 10 For the prophets who gave the news of the grace which would come to you, made search with all care for knowledge of this salvation; 11 Attempting to see what sort of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them was pointing to, when it gave witness to the pains which Christ would undergo and the glories which would come after them.
• Acts 26:22-23 : 22 And so, by God's help, I am here today, witnessing to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come about; 23 That the Christ would go through pain, and being the first to come back from the dead, would give light to the people and to the Gentiles.
• 2 Tim 3:14-17 : 14 But see that you keep to the teaching you have been given and the things of which you are certain, conscious of who has been your teacher; 15 And that from the time when you were a child, you have had knowledge of the holy Writings, which are able to make you wise to salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 Every holy Writing which comes from God is of profit for teaching, for training, for guiding, for education in righteousness: 17 So that the man of God may be complete, trained and made ready for every good work.
• Luke 24:44 : 44 And he said to them, These are the words which I said to you when I was still with you, how it was necessary for all the things which are in the writings of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms about me, to be put into effect.
• Prov 8:33-34 : 33 Take my teaching and be wise; do not let it go. 34 Happy is the man who gives ear to me, watching at my doors day by day, keeping his place by the pillars of my house.
• Acts 13:27 : 27 For the men of Jerusalem and their rulers, having no knowledge of him, or of the sayings of the prophets which come to their ears every Sabbath day, gave effect to them by judging him.
• Acts 17:11 : 11 Now these were more noble than the Jews of Thessalonica, for they gave serious attention to the word, searching in the holy Writings every day, to see if these things were so.
• Rom 1:2 : 2 Of which God had given word before by his prophets in the holy Writings,
• Rom 3:2 : 2 Much in every way: first of all because the words of God were given to them.
• Jer 8:9 : 9 The wise men are shamed, they are overcome with fear and taken: see, they have given up the word of the Lord; and what use is their wisdom to them?
• Ps 119:97-99 : 97 <MEM> O what love I have for your law! I give thought to it all the day. 98 Your teaching has made me wiser than my haters: for it is mine for ever. 99 I have more knowledge than all my teachers, because I give thought to your unchanging word.
• Deut 18:15 : 15 The Lord your God will give you a prophet from among your people, like me; you will give ear to him;
• Ps 16:11 : 11 You will make clear to me the way of life; where you are joy is complete; in your right hand there are pleasures for ever and ever.
• Acts 8:32-35 : 32 Now the place in the book where he was reading was this: He was taken, like a sheep, to be put to death; and as a lamb is quiet when its wool is being cut, so he made no sound: 33 Being of low degree, his cause was not given a hearing: who has knowledge of his family? for his life is cut off from the earth. 34 And the Ethiopian said to Philip, About whom are these words said by the prophet? about himself, or some other? 35 So Philip, starting from this writing, gave him the good news about Jesus.
• John 5:46 : 46 If you had belief in Moses you would have belief in me; for his writings are about me.
• Matt 22:29 : 29 But Jesus said to them in answer, You are in error, not having knowledge of the Writings, or of the power of God.
• Mark 12:10 : 10 Have you not seen this which is in the Writings: The stone which the builders put on one side, the same was made the chief stone of the building:
• John 1:45 : 45 Philip came across Nathanael and said to him, We have made a discovery! It is he of whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets were writing, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
• John 5:32 : 32 There is another who gives witness about me and I am certain that the witness he gives about me is true.
• John 5:36 : 36 But the witness which I have is greater than that of John: the work which the Father has given me to do, the very work which I am now doing, is a witness that the Father has sent me.
• John 7:52 : 52 This was their answer: And do you come from Galilee? Make search and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.
• Luke 16:29 : 29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them give ear to what they say.
• Luke 16:31 : 31 And he said to him, If they will not give attention to Moses and the prophets, they will not be moved even if someone comes back from the dead.
• Prov 6:23 : 23 For the rule is a light, and the teaching a shining light; and the guiding words of training are the way of life.
• Deut 32:47 : 47 And this is no small thing for you, but it is your life, and through this you may make your days long in the land which you are going over Jordan to take for your heritage.
• Josh 1:8 : 8 Let this book of the law be ever on your lips and in your thoughts day and night, so that you may keep with care everything in it; then a blessing will be on all your way, and you will do well.
• Deut 11:18-20 : 18 So keep these words deep in your heart and in your soul, and have them fixed on your hand for a sign and marked on your brow; 19 Teaching them to your children, and talking of them when you are at rest in your house or walking by the way, when you go to sleep and when you get up: 20 Writing them on the pillars of your houses and over the doors of your towns:
• Ps 36:9 : 9 For with you is the fountain of life: in your light we will see light.
• Ps 119:11 : 11 I have kept your sayings secretly in my heart, so that I might do no sin against you.
• Acts 26:27 : 27 King Agrippa, have you faith in the prophets? I am certain that you have.
• Rev 19:10 : 10 And I went on my face before his feet to give him worship. And he said to me, See you do it not: I am a brother-servant with you and with your brothers who keep the witness of Jesus: give worship to God: for the witness of Jesus is the spirit of the prophet's word.
• Rom 2:17-18 : 17 But as for you who have the name of Jew, and are resting on the law, and take pride in God, 18 And have knowledge of his desires, and are a judge of the things which are different, having the learning of the law,
• Col 3:16 : 16 Let the word of Christ be in you in all wealth of wisdom; teaching and helping one another with songs of praise and holy words, making melody to God with grace in your hearts.
• Heb 11:16 : 16 But now their desire is for a better country, that is to say, for one in heaven; and so it is no shame to God to be named their God; for he has made ready a town for them.
• Heb 11:35 : 35 Women had their dead given back to them living; others let themselves be cruelly attacked, having no desire to go free, so that they might have a better life to come;
• Ps 133:3 : 3 Like the dew of Hermon, which comes down on the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord gave orders for the blessing, even life for ever.
• Dan 12:2 : 2 And a number of those who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will come out of their sleep, some to eternal life and some to eternal shame.
• Matt 19:16-20 : 16 And one came to him and said, Master, what good thing have I to do, so that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said to him, Why are you questioning me about what is good? One there is who is good: but if you have a desire to go into life, keep the rules of the law. 18 He says to him, Which? And Jesus said, Do not put anyone to death, Do not be untrue in married life, Do not take what is not yours, Do not give false witness, 19 Give honour to your father and your mother: and, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself. 20 The young man says to him, All these things have I done: what more is there?
• Deut 17:18-19 : 18 And when he has taken his place on the seat of his kingdom, he is to make in a book a copy of this law, from that which the priests, the Levites, have in their care: 19 And it is to be with him for his reading all the days of his life, so that he may be trained in the fear of the Lord his God to keep and do all the words of this teaching and these laws:
• Deut 18:18 : 18 I will give them a prophet from among themselves, like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will say to them whatever I give him orders to say.
• Ps 1:2 : 2 But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and whose mind is on his law day and night.
• Ps 21:4 : 4 He made request to you for life, and you gave it to him, long life for ever and ever.
• Luke 10:25-29 : 25 And a certain teacher of the law got up and put him to the test, saying, Master, what have I to do so that I may have eternal life? 26 And he said to him, What does the law say, in your reading of it? 27 And he, answering, said, Have love for the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and for your neighbour as for yourself. 28 And he said, You have given the right answer: do this and you will have life. 29 But he, desiring to put himself in the right, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
• Isa 8:20 : 20 Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness. ... If they do not say such things. ... For him there is no dawn. ...