John 5:28
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus doesn't say "all the dead," but specifically "all who are in the graves," which broadens the scope beyond just those physically buried. It’s a profound image that includes everyone who has died, no matter how their bodies have disintegrated or scattered, affirming God’s comprehensive knowledge and power over all humanity.
Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath, sparking outrage from the Jewish leaders. He then declares His divine authority, equating His power with God's, and explains that He gives life to those who believe in Him. Now, He broadens this message to encompass the future, revealing that He will also raise all the dead from their graves for final judgment.
Jesus tells us not to marvel at his power to give spiritual life. Why? Because something even more astounding is coming: a resurrection involving everyone who has ever died.
In John 5:28, Jesus declares, "an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice." Notice the contrast with verse 25, where Jesus says "the hour... now is" concerning spiritual resurrection. Here, however, he emphasizes a future, literal event.
What is it about Jesus' voice that can pierce the silence of the grave and bring life? It's the same voice that separates the obedient from the disobedient.
Jesus' voice is not just a sound; it's the divine command that reverses death itself. In John 5:28, the resurrection happens because the dead "shall hear his voice."
Understand the original words
mnēmeion · Greek Noun
The place of burial; symbolically used in Scripture to represent the state of death or the grave from which the dead will be awakened.
This passage describes a future event where a trumpet call will signal the resurrection of the dead, directly paralleling the idea of Christ's voice calling people from their graves.
Daniel 7:13This Old Testament prophecy speaks of 'one like a son of man' coming with the clouds of heaven, a passage often interpreted as a Messianic prophecy of judgment and authority, which connects to Christ's role in raising the dead for judgment.
1 Thessalonians 4:16This verse describes the Lord descending from heaven with a call and the trumpet of God sounding, bringing believers out of their graves to meet him, mirroring the concept of hearing a voice to be raised.
Revelation 20:12This passage explicitly states that the dead, small and great, stand before God to be judged, with books opened and their deeds reviewed, reinforcing the future resurrection and judgment initiated by Christ's voice.
John 11:43Jesus' command to Lazarus, 'Lazarus, come forth!', demonstrates his authority over death, foreshadowing the greater resurrection of all the dead by his voice that he speaks of here.
barnesJohn 5:28: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,"
Marvel not - Do not wonder or be astonished at this. The hour is coming - The "time" is approaching or will be. All that are in the graves - All the dead, of every age and nation. They are described as "in the graves." Though many have turned to their native dust and perished from human view, yet God sees them, and can regather their remains and raise them up to life. The phras…
vincentJohn 5:28: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,"
The graves (τοῖς μνημείοις)Rev., better; tombs. Two words are used in the New Testament for the place of burial, τάφος, and μνημεῖον or μνῆμα. The former emphasizes the idea of burial (θάπτω, to bury); the latter of preserving the memory of the dead; from μιμνήσκω, to remind.
Jesus doesn't say "all the dead," but specifically "all who are in the graves," which broadens the scope beyond just those physically buried. It’s a profound image that includes everyone who has died, no matter how their bodies have disintegrated or scattered, affirming God’s comprehensive knowledge and power over all humanity.
Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath, sparking outrage from the Jewish leaders. He then declares His divine authority, equating His power with God's, and explains that He gives life to those who believe in Him. Now, He broadens this message to encompass the future, revealing that He will also raise all the dead from their graves for final judgment.
Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath, sparking outrage from the Jewish leaders. He then declares His divine authority, equating His power with God's, and explains that He gives life to those who believe in Him. Now, He broadens this message to encompass the future, revealing that He will also raise all the dead from their graves for final judgment.
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"Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice" — Jesus doesn't say "all the dead," but specifically "all who are in the graves," which broadens the scope beyond just those physically buried. It’s a profound image that includes everyone who has di…
