John 14:24
in John 14Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that loveth me not keepeth not my words: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.
KJV
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
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This verse in John 14
Commentary
19 notes on this verseHe that loveth me not, etc. - Hence we learn that the man who is not obedient to the testimonies of Christ does not love him; and the Spirit of this truth has said, He who loves not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed, 1Co 16:22.
This site's exposition
Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?
on John 14:22-24
This Judas is the other disciple of that name, and he expects Messiah revealed to the whole nation. The answer moves the revealing indoors: the Father and the Son make Their home with anyone who keeps His word. Home here is mone, the word behind rooms in verse 2.
This site's exposition
Whoever does not love Me does
Verse 24 states verse 23 from the other side and so answers the question of Judas. The world receives no revealing, for it neither loves Him nor keeps His words. To refuse His word is to refuse the Father.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
But when He added, "And the saying which ye have heard is not mine, but the Father's who sent me," let us not be filled with wonder or fear: He is not inferior to the Father, and yet He is not, save of the Father: He is not unequal in Himself, but He is not of Himself. For it was no false word He uttered when He said, "He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings." He called them, you see, His own sayings; does He, then, contradict Himself when He said again, "And the saying which ye have heard is not mine"? And, perhaps, it was on account of some intended distinction that, when He said His own, He used "sayings" in the plural; but when He said that "the saying," that is, the Word, was not His own, but the Father's, He wished it to be understood of Himself. For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. For as the Word, He is certainly not His own, but the Father's: just as He is not His own image, but the Father's; and is not Himself His own Son, but the Father's. Rightly, therefore, does He attribute whatever He does, as equal, to the Author of all, of whom He has this very prerogative, that He is in all respects His equal.
(Tract. lxxvi. 5) And perhaps there is a distinction at bottom, since He speaks of His sayings, when they are His own, in the plural number; as when He says, He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My sayings: when they are not His own, but the Father's, in the singular, i. e. as the Word, which is Himself. For He is not His own Word, but the Father's, as He is not His own image, but the Father's, or His own Son, but the Father's.
Nevertheless, I have heard of some who have passed in among you, holding the wicked doctrine of the strange and evil spirit; to whom ye did not allow entrance to sow their tares, but stopped your ears that ye might not receive that error which was proclaimed by them, as being persuaded that that spirit which deceives the people does not speak the things of Christ, but his own, for he is a lying spirit. But the Holy Spirit does not speak His own things, but those of Christ, and that not from himself, but from the Lord; even as the Lord also announced to us the things that He received from the Father. For, says He, "the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's, who sent Me."
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John, Book 10 · Written before 444.
proposed
And the word which ye hear is not Mine but the Father's Who sent Me. He once more deals with a difficult subject which required of Him accurate explanation, and again brings forward illustrations by which they might have their understanding better fitted to fully comprehend the depth of the mystery. And He confirms the minds of His hearers in order that they might not be allured by the ignorant prejudices of the Jews, and in their desire to bring their own ideas into conformity with the Jewish do despite unto the holy teaching of the Gospel. What I wish to say is this in plain words: For the law having a shadow and an impressed type until a time of reformation, according to the saying of Paul, hath been our tutor to bring us unto Christ, and provided, as it were, a preliminary training for virtue according to godliness. If any one then were to call the Mosaic dispensation preparatory to true worship in Spirit, he would not miss the mark. For, for this reason, the Law brought nothing to perfection; but our Lord Jesus Christ showed us no longer the shadows of things, but the reality itself openly, no longer sketching the outline of virtue in types and figures, as Moses did, but setting it up naked in the public sight, accomplishing the perfect man in righteousness. The instruction of the words of Christ was then a shifting and moulding of the types into truth. And since, as the truth was already shining forth, it was superfluous for the shadow any longer to prevail, Christ ordained that those who came to Him by faith should no longer frame their conduct by the types of the Law. This was very grievous to the Jews, for they thought that Christ came to destroy the old Law, although they heard Him saying openly, I come not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil. For I say unto you, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the Law till all things be accomplished. […]
(Hom. lxxv. 1, 2) It follows, And the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me; i. e. He that heareth not My words, inasmuch as he loveth not Me, so loveth he not My Father. This He says to show that He spoke nothing which was not the Father's, nothing beside what seemed good to the Father.
11 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers2 voices
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John, Book 10 · Written before 444.
proposed
He that loveth Me not keepeth not My words. When He has premised and rightly defined who those that love Him are, and of what blessings they will partake, He at once proceeds to treat of others who have not yet chosen to love Him. "For they will not keep My words," He says; for this is the meaning of the saying, "he will not keep My word," spoken as if of and concerning one man, even though it has a broad and generic signification. And this that He says has a very apt connection with what precedes.
He made known to them many things concerning the oneness of his own divinity with that of the Father. He made clear that there was no separation between them so that even the words he spoke to them were not his, he declared, but the …
The Medieval Church5 voices
For whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And whoever does not love the Son does not love the Father either. For the word belongs to both the Son and the Father. Therefore, whoever does not keep the words of the Son, …
He who does not love me does not keep my words: and therefore such a one does not merit to see me. Such is the world and the worldly: below in chapter 15: "If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you"; …
(Hom. xxx.) In proportion as a man's love rests upon lower things, in that proportion is he removed from heavenly love: He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My sayings. To the love then of our Maker, let the tongue, mind, life bear witness.
Hence it is still added: "He who does not love me does not keep my words." Return therefore inwardly to yourselves, dearly beloved brothers; examine whether you truly love God; yet let no one believe himself, whatever his mind has answered him without the testimony of works. Concerning love of the Creator, let tongue, mind, and life be examined. The love of God is never idle. For it works great things, if it exists; but if it refuses to work, it is not love. "And the word which you have heard is not mine, but the Father's who sent me." You know, dearly beloved brothers, that He who speaks, the only-begotten Son, is the Word of the Father, and therefore the word which the Son speaks is not the Son's but the Father's, because the Son Himself is the Word of the Father.
Now he gives the reason why he will not manifest himself to the world: this reason is the lack of those things on account of which he says that he will manifest himself. For when the cause is absent, the effect is absent. Now the …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
ALL through this thrice-blessed chapter, man cuts a very sorry figure. Whoever it is that speaks, whether it is Philip, or Judas, or Thomas, each one displays his own ignorance, either by asking an unwise question or by making a mistaken request. Yet, Brothers and Sisters, these Apostolic men were, by no means, inferior persons, but so superior that we sink into insignificance in comparison with them!
ALL through this thrice-blessed chapter, man cuts a very sorry figure. Whoever it is that speaks, whether it is Philip, or Judas, or Thomas, each one displays his own ignorance, either by asking an unwise question or by making a mistaken request. Yet, Brothers and Sisters, these Apostolic men were, by no means, inferior persons, but so superior that we sink into insignificance in comparison with them! Jesus made them heralds of His Gospel, master-builders of His Church and, if they displayed such ignorance, even when the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, had personally spoken to them, we must not wonder that we are apt to blunder. Neither should we despair if we find ourselves dull and slow. If those fathers of the Church so greatly needed to be taught of the Holy Spirit, how much more do we? If they could receive nothing except by the Spirit of God, how can we hope to be wise apart from His instructions? Our position should be sitting with Mary at the Master's feet, varied with bowing into the dust before the Lord under a humble sense of our folly. The chapter before us is well watered with streams of comfort, but I confess it is always a valley of humiliation to me, as I see what poor creatures even the chief of saints are when left to themselves. But, at the same time, how wonderfully, throughout this passage, do we see the loving kindness of our God in condescending to the weaknesses of His people.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The word which ye hear is not mine - See the notes at Joh 5:19; Joh 7:16.
The words behind it
22 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὁ | ho | The [one] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἀγαπῶν | agapon | loving | G25 → | 143 times |
| με | me | Me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| λόγους | logous | words | G3056 → | 329 times |
| μου | mou | of Mine | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| τηρεῖ· | terei | does keep; | G5083 → | 70 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| λόγος | logos | word | G3056 → | 329 times |
| ὃν | hon | that | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ἀκούετε | akouete | you hear | G191 → | 425 times |
| οὐκ | ouk | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| ἔστιν | estin | it is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ἐμὸς | emos | Mine | G1473 → | 839 times |
| ἀλλὰ | alla | but | G235 → | 635 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the [One who] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πέμψαντός | pempsantos | having sent | G3992 → | 79 times |
| με | me | Me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| πατρός.¶ | patros | [the] Father. | G3962 → | 410 times |
ὁThe [one]
hoG3588 →19766 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἀγαπῶνloving
agaponG25 →143 times
μεMe
meG3165 →1936 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
λόγουςwords
logousG3056 →329 times
μουof Mine
mouG3165 →1936 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
τηρεῖ·does keep;
tereiG5083 →70 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
λόγοςword
logosG3056 →329 times
ὃνthat
honG3739 →1405 times
ἀκούετεyou hear
akoueteG191 →425 times
οὐκnot
oukG3756 →1664 times
ἔστινit is
estinG1510 →2333 times
ἐμὸςMine
emosG1473 →839 times
ἀλλὰbut
allaG235 →635 times
τοῦof the [One who]
touG3588 →19766 times
πέμψαντόςhaving sent
pempsantosG3992 →79 times
μεMe
meG3165 →1936 times
πατρός.¶[the] Father.
patrosG3962 →410 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 8:42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.
it leads to
- John 14:10
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father…
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- John 12:49
I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 17:8
For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
- John 17:25
Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.
- John 15:23–24
Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.
- John 14:10
Through
John 5:19So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
it leads to
- John 8:28
So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 8:28
Through
John 3:34For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
it leads to
- Acts 10:38
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 10:38
Through
John 14:10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father…
it leads to
- John 5:19
So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
- John 5:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies31
- “Great Is Truth.” The Three Guardsmen
- Asking in His Name
- The Deity of Christ
- Enoch Walked With God
- The Words Emunah and Pistis
- The Fruit of the Spirit
Show the next 6 titles
- How Scripture Shapes Christian Ethics
- Jesus on Himself
- Jesus on Prayer
- Jesus on the Father
- Jesus on the Holy Spirit
- Theological Words
Show the next 6 titles
About John

This page draws on 17 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, John; Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on John 76; Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 14; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1842: “The Private Tutor” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 10; Gaudentius of Brescia, SERMON 14; Gregory the Dialogist, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 30; Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.
