John 5:45
What does John 5:45 mean?
A plain-English look at John 5:45 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 5:45 means
“Think not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, on whom ye have set your hope.” Jesus does not need to bring new charges; their own Scriptures, and especially Moses, already stand as witness against their unbelief. This is devastating, because they prided themselves on fidelity to Moses. By failing to believe the One Moses anticipated, they betray their professed hope. The verse flips the courtroom: the Judge stands before them, yet it is their revered lawgiver who levels the accusation. The point is not spite but truth—God’s revelation has always pointed to Christ, and refusal of Him is self-condemnation.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Think not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, on whom ye have set your hope.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Think not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, on whom ye have set your hope.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Put 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.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`Do not think that I will accuse you unto the Father; there is who is accusing you, Moses--in whom ye have hoped;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Think not that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you, Moses, in whom you trust.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Think not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is [one] who accuses you, Moses, on whom ye trust;
Context
After exposing their motive problems (verses 41–44), Jesus invokes Moses as the one who accuses them. This shift to Moses makes the case personal and inescapable for the Jewish leaders. Verse 46 will explain that Moses wrote of Jesus, so belief in Moses would lead to belief in Him. Verse 47 will close by questioning how they can believe Jesus’ words if they do not believe Moses’ writings. The flow ends with Scripture’s witness turned into a mirror, reflecting their unbelief back upon them. The entire chapter thus moves from a sign, through controversy, to a full legal and theological disclosure of who Jesus is.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Romans 7:9
And I was alive apart from the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died;
- 2 Corinthians 3:7
But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory was passing away:
- John 7:19
Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you doeth the law? Why seek ye to kill me?
- Matthew 19:7
They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?
- John 9:28
And they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are disciples of Moses.
- Romans 3:19
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God:
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