The Meaning of John 5:15 Explained

John 5:15

KJV: The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.

YLT: The man went away, and told the Jews that it is Jesus who made him whole,

Darby: The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

ASV: The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The man  departed,  and  told  the Jews  that  it was  Jesus,  which  had made  him  whole. 

What does John 5:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The man did not seem to have wanted to glorify Jesus by telling the authorities about Him. He knew that they wanted to find Jesus because they considered Him a lawbreaker. Clearly the ungrateful man wanted to save his own skin by implicating Jesus. He did not appreciate Jesus" warning ( John 5:14). It is possible that the man was simply stupid. However the evidence seems to point more convincingly to a hard heart rather than to a hard head.
"The lame man is an example of someone who responded inappropriately to Jesus" signs. ... Thus he "represents those whom even the signs cannot lead to authentic faith."" [1]

Context Summary

John 5:10-18 - Sabbath Work That Pleases The Father
In the foregoing incident our Lord not only healed the sufferer after thirty-eight years of deferred hope, but did so on the Sabbath, and bade him carry his bed home. This clashed with Pharisaic prescriptions; but the man was of course right to infer that He who would work so great a miracle was greater than either the Pharisee or mere ritual. The religious leaders of that time, like those of all time, could not tolerate the setting up of an authority superior to their own, by one who was outside their ranks; and they accused Jesus of Sabbath-breaking. His judges, however, were little prepared for His line of defense, which revealed the depths of our Lord's inner consciousness. First, He spoke of God as His own Father, making Himself God's equal. See Philippians 2:6. Second, He said that God was working through His life and had energized Him to perform that miracle of healing. It was not His own deed but the Father's in Him and through Him. If, then, they condemned it, they were in direct collision with the Infinite One, from whom the Sabbath law had originally come. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 5

1  Jesus on the Sabbath day cures him who was diseased thirty-eight years
10  The Jews therefore object, and persecute him for it
17  He answers for himself, and reproves them, showing by the testimony of his Father,
31  of John,
36  of his works,
39  and of the Scriptures, who he is

Greek Commentary for John 5:15

Went away and told [απηλτεν και ειπεν]
Both aorist active indicatives. Instead of giving heed to the warning of Jesus about his own sins he went off and told the Jews that now he knew who the man was who had commanded him to take up his bed on the Sabbath Day, to clear himself with the ecclesiastics and escape a possible stoning. That it was Jesus Present indicative preserved in indirect discourse. The man was either ungrateful and willfully betrayed Jesus or he was incompetent and did not know that he was bringing trouble on his benefactor. In either case one has small respect for him. [source]
Told [ἀνήγγειλεν]
See on John 4:25. The best texts, however, read εἶπεν , said. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 5:15

Luke 19:40 If these shall hold their peace [εαν ουτοι σιωπησουσιν]
A condition of the first class, determined as fulfilled. The use of εαν — ean rather than ει — ei cuts no figure in the case (See note on Acts 8:31; note on 1 Thessalonians 3:8; and the note on 1 John 5:15). The kind of condition is determined by the mode which is here indicative. The future tense by its very nature does approximate the aorist subjunctive, but after all it is the indicative. [source]
John 14:23 Abode [μονὴν]
See on John 14:2. Compare 1 John 2:24; 1 John 5:15. [source]
John 8:25 Who art thou? [Συ τις ει]
Proleptic use of συ — su before τις — tis “Thou, who art thou?” Cf. John 1:19. He had virtually claimed to be the Messiah and on a par with God as in John 5:15. They wish to pin him down and to charge him with blasphemy. Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning A difficult sentence. It is not clear whether it is an affirmation or a question. The Latin and Syriac versions treat it as affirmative. Westcott and Hort follow Meyer and take it as interrogative. The Greek fathers take it as an exclamation. It seems clear that the adverbial accusative την αρχην — tēn archēn cannot mean “from the beginning” like απ αρχης — ap' archēs (John 15:27) or εχ αρχης — ex archēs (John 16:4). The lxx has την αρχην — tēn archēn for “at the beginning” or “at the first” (Gen 43:20). There are examples in Greek, chiefly negative, where την αρχην — tēn archēn means “at all,” “essentially,” “primarily.” Vincent and Bernard so take it here, “Primarily what I am telling you.” Jesus avoids the term Messiah with its political connotations. He stands by his high claims already made. [source]
Romans 1:8 Is proclaimed [καταγγέλλεται]
The different compounds of the simple verb ἀγγέλλω toannounce, are interesting. The simple verb occurs only at John 20:18. Ἁναγγέλλειν is to report with the additional idea of bringing tidings up to or back to the person receiving them. So John 5:15. The impotent man brought back information to the Jews. Compare Mark 5:14. So Christ will send the Comforter, and He will bring back to the disciples tidings of things to come. John 16:13-15. See Acts 14:27; 2 Corinthians 7:7; 1 Peter 1:12. Ἁπαγγέλλειν is to announce with a reference to the source from ( ἀπό ) which the message comes So Matthew 2:8; Acts 12:14. Compare Luke 7:22; Luke 8:34, Acts 5:22. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Καταγγέλλειν is to proclaim with authority, as commissioned to spread the tidings throughout, down among those that hear them, with the included idea of celebrating or commending. So here. Compare Acts 16:21; Acts 17:3. Thus in ἀναγγέλλειν therecipient of the news is contemplated; in ἀπαγγέλλειν thesource; in καταγγέλλειν the relation of the bearer and hearer of the message. The first is found mostly in John, Mark, and Acts; the second in the Synoptists and Acts; the third only. in the Acts and Paul. [source]

Romans 1:8 Through [δια]
As the mediator or medium of thanksgiving as in Romans 7:25. For (περι — peri). Concerning, about. That Or because. Either declarative or causal οτι — hoti makes sense here. Your faith (η πιστις υμων — hē pistis humōn). “Your Christianity” (Sanday and Headlam). Is proclaimed Present passive indicative of καταγγελλω — kataggellō to announce See also αναγγελλω — anaggellō to bring back news (John 5:15), απαγγελλω — apaggellō to announce from one as the source (Matthew 2:8), προκαταγγελλω — prokataggellō to announce far and wide beforehand (Acts 3:18). Throughout all the world (εν ολωι τωι κοσμωι — en holōi tōi kosmōi). Natural hyperbole as in Colossians 1:6; Acts 17:6. But widely known because the church was in the central city of the empire. [source]
Romans 1:8 That [οτι]
Or because. Either declarative or causal οτι — hoti makes sense here. Your faith (η πιστις υμων — hē pistis humōn). “Your Christianity” (Sanday and Headlam). Is proclaimed Present passive indicative of καταγγελλω — kataggellō to announce See also αναγγελλω — anaggellō to bring back news (John 5:15), απαγγελλω — apaggellō to announce from one as the source (Matthew 2:8), προκαταγγελλω — prokataggellō to announce far and wide beforehand (Acts 3:18). Throughout all the world (εν ολωι τωι κοσμωι — en holōi tōi kosmōi). Natural hyperbole as in Colossians 1:6; Acts 17:6. But widely known because the church was in the central city of the empire. [source]
Romans 1:8 Is proclaimed [καταγγελλεται]
Present passive indicative of καταγγελλω — kataggellō to announce See also αναγγελλω — anaggellō to bring back news (John 5:15), απαγγελλω — apaggellō to announce from one as the source (Matthew 2:8), προκαταγγελλω — prokataggellō to announce far and wide beforehand (Acts 3:18). Throughout all the world (εν ολωι τωι κοσμωι — en holōi tōi kosmōi). Natural hyperbole as in Colossians 1:6; Acts 17:6. But widely known because the church was in the central city of the empire. [source]
1 John 3:5 Ye know []
John's characteristic appeal to Christian knowledge. Compare 1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:21; 1 John 4:2, 1 John 4:14, 1 John 4:16; 1 John 5:15, 1 John 5:18; 3 John 1:12. [source]
1 John 5:18 We know [οιδαμεν]
As in 1 John 3:2, 1 John 3:14; 1 John 5:15, 1 John 5:19, 1 John 5:20. He has “ye know” in 1 John 2:20; 1 John 3:5, 1 John 3:15. [source]

What do the individual words in John 5:15 mean?

Went away the man and told the Jews that Jesus it is the [One] having made him well
ἀπῆλθεν ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ποιήσας αὐτὸν ὑγιῆ

ἀπῆλθεν  Went  away 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.
ἄνθρωπος  man 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἄνθρωπος  
Sense: a human being, whether male or female.
ἀνήγγειλεν  told 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀναγγέλλω  
Sense: to announce, make known.
Ἰουδαίοις  Jews 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: Ἰουδαῖος  
Sense: Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
ἐστιν  it  is 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
  the  [One] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ποιήσας  having  made 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
ὑγιῆ  well 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ὑγιής  
Sense: sound.