John 6:1
Greek Textus Receptus
Μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς Γαλιλαίας, τῆς Τιβεριάδος.
Free Grace Translation
After these things Jesus departed to the other side of the sea of Galilee, [which is the sea] of Tiberias.
John 6:2
Greek Textus Receptus
καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολύς, ὅτι ἑώρων αὐτοῦ τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐποίει ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσθενούντων.
Free Grace Translation
And many people were following Him, because they were seeing the miracles that He was performing on those who were sick.
John 6:3
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀνῆλθε δὲ εἰς τὸ ὄρος ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐκάθητο μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation
But Jesus went up on a mountainside, and was sitting there with His disciples.
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. τὸ ὄρος. Literally, the mountain.
John 6:4
Greek Textus Receptus
ἦν δὲ ἐγγὺς τὸ πάσχα, ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων.
Free Grace Translation
And the Passover was near, the feast of the Jews.
John 6:5
Greek Textus Receptus
ἐπάρας οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, καὶ θεασάμενος ὅτι πολὺς ὄχλος ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτόν, λέγει πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον, Πόθεν ἀγοράσομεν ἄρτους, ἵνα φάγωσιν οὗτοι;
Free Grace Translation
Then Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming towards Him, said to Philip, “Where should we buy bread, in order that these may eat?”
John 6:6
Greek Textus Receptus
τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε πειράζων αὐτόν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλε ποιεῖν.
Free Grace Translation
But He was saying this to test him, because He Himself knew what He was about to do.
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ἔμελλε, “He was about to.” See: Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, and Other Early Christian Literature, 1st Edition (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1957), p. 502, s.v. μέλλω.
John 6:7
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Φίλιππος, Διακοσίων δηναρίων ἄρτοι οὐκ ἀρκοῦσιν αὐτοῖς, ἵνα ἕκαστος αὐτῶν βραχύ τι λάβῃ.
Free Grace Translation
Philip answered Him, "Two-hundred denarii of bread are not enough to [feed] them, that each of them may receive [even] a little."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. βραχύ τι λάβῃ, "may receive a little something."
John 6:8
Greek Textus Receptus
λέγει αὐτῷ εἷς ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου,
Free Grace Translation
One of His disciples, Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, said to Him,
John 6:9
Greek Textus Receptus
Ἔστι παιδάριον ἓν ὧδε, ὃ ἔχει πέντε ἄρτους κριθίνους καὶ δύο ὀψάρια· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τί ἐστιν εἰς τοσούτους;
Free Grace Translation
"There is one boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are these among so many?"
John 6:10
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπε δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ποιήσατε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀναπεσεῖν. ἦν δὲ χόρτος πολὺς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ. ἀνέπεσον οὖν οἱ ἄνδρες τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὡσεὶ πεντακισχίλιοι.
Free Grace Translation
But Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." (Now there was an abundance of grass in that place.) So the men sat down; the number [of them] was about 5,000.
Bible Translation Notes
John uses two different Greek words for men: τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, and οἱ ἄνδρες, which is the more specific Greek word signifying men, i.e. males. "There are two words in Greek which mean 'man,' anēr, which refers to a male individual of the human race, and anthrōpos, which is the racial, generic term, and which has the general idea of 'mankind.'" (Kenneth Wuest, Great Truths to Live By, p. 46.)
Grk. ἀνθρώπους. This word refers to people in general, i.e. mankind (not exclusively men, but women and children included), although, as Plummer notes, "Among those going up to the Passover there would not be many women or children." (Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John, p. 140.)
Grk. ἄνδρες. Commenting on John 6:10b, A. T. Robertson notes: "The men (hoi andres). Word for men as distinct from women, expressly stated in Matt. 14:21." (Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol. V, p. 99.) Dean Alford's commentary on John 6:10b adds more detail. He writes: "οἱ ἄνδρες. This is a particular touch of accuracy in the account of an eye-witness which has not I think been noticed. Why in the other accounts should mention be made only of the men in numbering them? Matt. has, it is true, χωρὶς γυν. κ. παιδ. [apart from women and children], leaving it to be inferred that there was some means of distinguishing; — the others merely give ὡσεὶ ἄνδρες πεντακισχ. [about 5,000 men] without any explanation. But here we see how it came to be so — the men alone were arranged in companies, or alone arranged so that any account was taken of them: the women and children being served promiscuously [i.e. indiscriminately, or without numbering them]; who indeed, if the multitude were a paschal caravan [i.e. a caravan going up to the Passover], or parts of many such, would not be likely to be very numerous; — and here again we have a point of minute truthfulness brought out." (Alford, The Greek Testament, Volume I, p. 542, brackets added.) The Expositor’s Greek Testament commentary on this text is helpful when it further explains that "the men reclined, not counting women and children (χωρὶς γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων, Matthew 14:21), in number about five thousand; the women, though not specified, would take their places with the men. Some of the children might steal up to Jesus to receive from His own hand."
The commentary on this verse by Milligan is very good in summary; he writes: "Ver. 10. Jesus said, Make the people sit down. 'The people,' a general word, including both men and women, is used here. They are directed to sit down, partly for the sake of order and ease in the distribution of the food, but also because the Lord is preparing to set a feast before them, and they sit down with Him as His guests. Now there was much grass in the place. So Mark speaks of the 'green grass,' — a minute but interesting coincidence [Mk. 6:39; cf. Psa. 23:2]. The circumstance is one that an eye-witness would naturally note, especially after relating the direction given that the multitude should sit down. John alone has given the season of the year (ver. 4); on this day of early spring the grass would be flourishing and abundant. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. The 'men' are now singled out for special mention, probably because they, according to the custom of the East, sat down first. We may also suppose that the number of women and children would not be very large." (William Milligan, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, p. 72.)
John 6:11
Greek Textus Receptus
ἔλαβε δὲ τοὺς ἄρτους ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ εὐχαριστήσας διέδωκε τοῖς μαθηταῖς, οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ τοῖς ἀνακειμένοις· ὁμοίως καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀψαρίων ὅσον ἤθελον.
Free Grace Translation
Then Jesus took the bread, and after giving thanks, He distributed [it] to the disciples, and the disciples to those [who were] seated; likewise also from the fish, as much as they wanted.
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. τοὺς ἄρτους. Literally, the breads, or in other words, the loaves of bread. The Tyndale Bible (1526), the Matthew's Bible (1537), the Great Bible (1539), the Bishop's Bible (1568), and the Geneva Bible (1587) all translate as "the bread".
Free Grace Study Notes
"They all received ὅσον ἤθελον [as much as they wanted], not the βραχύ τι ['little something'] of Philip; and even this did not exhaust the supply...(John 6:12)". (W. R. Nicoll, Editor, The Expositor's Greek Testament, comment on John 6:11.)
John 6:12
Greek Textus Receptus
ὡς δὲ ἐνεπλήσθησαν, λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, Συναγάγετε τὰ περισσεύσαντα κλάσματα, ἵνα μή τι ἀπόληται.
Free Grace Translation
But when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover pieces, that nothing should be lost."
Bible Translation Notes
On the phrase, "But when they were filled" (John 6:12a), cf. William Kelly's translation (An Exposition of the Gospel of John, p. 127).
On the whole, see A. T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament, & Marvin Vincent's Word Studies. Cf. Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (3rd Edition), p. 116, s.v. ἀπόλλυμι (3.b); p. 323, s.v. ἐμπίπλημι (2); p. 546, s.v. κλάσμα (1); p. 805, s.v. περισσεύω (1.a.).
Free Grace Study Notes
"Gather up the fragments] S. John alone tells of this command, though the others tell us that the fragments were gathered up. It has been noticed as a strong mark of truth, most unlikely to have been invented by the writer of a fiction. We do not find the owner of Fortunatus' purse careful against extravagance. How improbable, from a human point of view, that one who could multiply food at will should give directions about saving fragments!" (Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John, p. 141.)
Jesus desired "that nothing should be lost" (Jn. 6:12b, cf. Jn. 6:39; 1 Tim. 2:3-4). Compare this with 2 Peter 3:9 when it says that God is "not wishing that any should perish" (2 Pet. 3:9b, ESV).
John 6:13
Greek Textus Receptus
συνήγαγον οὖν καὶ ἐγέμισαν δώδεκα κοφίνους κλασμάτων ἐκ τῶν πέντε ἄρτων τῶν κριθίνων ἃ ἐπερίσσευσε τοῖς βεβρωκόσιν.
Free Grace Translation
So they gathered [them] up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, [pieces] that were left over by those who had eaten.
Bible Translation Notes
Cf. Tyndale's translation of John 6:13, where he repeated the phrase "broken meat" in the final clause for the sake of clarity. The neuter plural relative pronoun ἃ (ha, meaning "that" or "which") agrees in gender and number with the neuter plural antecedent κλασμάτων (klasmatōn, meaning "fragments" or "broken pieces"). Following the precedent of Tyndale, I have repeated the word "[pieces]" to clarify that the fragments, rather than the original barley loaves, were what remained.
Free Grace Study Notes
"They collected the fragments for their own use, each in his κόφινος [basket], the ordinary furniture of the travelling Jew ('quorum cophinus fœnumque supellex,' Juv. Sat. iii. 14), to carry his food, lest he should be polluted by that of the people through whose territory he passed: see note on Matthew 15:32. Observe, that here the 12 baskets are filled with the fragments of the bread alone: but in Mark, with those of the fishes also. [See Mk. 6:43.]" (Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, Vol. 1, p. 757. See Alford's note on John 6:12, where he also comments on Jn. 6:13.)
John 6:14
Greek Textus Receptus
οἱ οὖν ἄνθρωποι ἰδόντες ὃ ἐποίησε σημεῖον ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἔλεγον ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης ὁ ἐρχόμενος εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
Free Grace Translation
Then the people, having seen what sign Jesus did, were saying, "This is truly the prophet [who is] coming into the world."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης ὁ ἐρχόμενος εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Literally, that this is truly the prophet, the [one who is] coming into the world.
Note that ὅτι (hoti) can serve as quotation marks, as it does here. See my article "Getting the Gospel Right, Pt. 1" (FGFS, October 31, 2009). Reference the section "The Content of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15".
Free Grace Study Notes
See Deuteronomy 18:15 in regards to "the prophet who is coming into the world." A. T. Robertson notes: "There was a popular expectation about the prophet of Deut. 18:15 as being the Messiah (John 1:21; 11:27). The phrase is peculiar to John, but the idea is in Acts (3:22; 7:37). The people are on the tiptoe of expectation and believe that Jesus is the political Messiah of Pharisaic hope." (Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol. V, p. 100, comment on John 6:14.)
John 6:15
Greek Textus Receptus
Ἰησοῦς οὖν γνοὺς ὅτι μέλλουσιν ἔρχεσθαι καὶ ἁρπάζειν αὐτόν, ἵνα ποιήσωσιν αὐτὸν βασιλέα, ἀνεχώρησε πάλιν εἰς τὸ ὄρος αὐτὸς μόνος.
Free Grace Translation
Jesus therefore, knowing that they intended to come and take Him by force in order to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself, alone.
Bible Translation Notes
See Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (3rd edition) on the phrase: "ἁρπάζειν αὐτόν ἵνα ποιήσωσιν βασιλέα take him by force, in order to make (him) king J[ohn] 6:15." (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., p. 840, s.v. ποιέω.) Cf. John Bowes' New Testament According to the Purest Greek, p. 153. See Bowes' translation of John 6:15, which is excellent.
Free Grace Study Notes
"For Jesus perceived that they were on the point of coming and carrying Him off to make Him king. ἁρπάζειν, to snatch suddenly and forcibly (derived from the swoop of the falcon, the ἅρπη; hence, the Harpies). This scene throws light on the use of ἁρπάζουσιν in Matt. 11:12. Their purpose was to make Him king. Their own numbers and their knowledge of the general discontent would encourage them. But Jesus ἀνεχώρησε πάλιν εἰς τὸ ὄρος αὐτὸς μόνος, 'withdrew again (cf. ver. 3) to the mountain,' from which He may have come down some distance to meet the crowd. Now He detached Himself even from His disciples. [μὴ παρέχων μηδὲ τούτοις ἀφορμὴν, Origen.] The Synoptic account is supplementary. The disciples remained behind with fragments of the crowd, but, when it became late, they went down to the sea, and having got on board a (not 'the') boat, they were coming across to Capernaum [Mark says Jesus told them to go to Bethsaida, but that is quite consistent, as they may have meant to land at the one place and walk to the other] on the other side, and it had already become dark, and Jesus had not, or 'not yet,' come to them, and the sea was rising owing to a strong wind blowing." (W. R. Nicoll, Editor, The Expositor's Greek Testament, Vol. II, pp. 749-750, brackets his. Commentary on John chapter 6, verse 15. Note: The Roman numerals in the original have been updated to the current format.)
John 6:16
Greek Textus Receptus
Ὡς δὲ ὀψία ἐγένετο, κατέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν,
Free Grace Translation
But when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
John 6:17
Greek Textus Receptus
καὶ ἐμβάντες εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, ἤρχοντο πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης εἰς Καπερναούμ. καὶ σκοτία ἤδη ἐγεγόνει, καὶ οὐκ ἐληλύθει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς
Free Grace Translation
and after getting into a boat, they were going across the lake toward Capernaum. And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not come to them.
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. καὶ ἐμβάντες εἰς τὸ πλοῖον. Literally, "And stepping into the boat." See Mounce's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (p. 282), when he writes: "ἐμβαίνω (embainō), GK 1832 (S 1684), 16x. embainō means 'to get into.' In the NT, it is used only of getting or stepping into a boat. Jesus and his disciples used boats for transportation (Mt. 8:23; 9:1; 14:22; 15:39; Mk. 5:18; 6:45; 8:10, 13; Lk. 8:22; 8:37; Jn. 6:17)". Cf. Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (3rd edition), p. 321, "ἐμβαίνω … gener. 'to step into an area'; in our lit. mostly of boarding water transport embark … εἰς (τό) πλοῖον … Mt 8:23; 9:1; 13:2; 14:22; 15:39; Mk 4:1; 5:18; 6:45; 8:10 … Lk 8:22 …, 37; cp. 5:3; J 6:17; 21:3; Ac 21:6" (ellipsis added).
Grk. ἤρχοντο πέραν, "they were going across." Cf. The Revised Version (1881), which translates it: "they . . . were going over" (see Jn. 6:17, RV, ellipsis added). Vincent likewise affirms concerning the verb ἤρχοντο: "The imperfect, were going. So Rev." (See Vincent's Word Studies, comment on John 6:17.)
John 6:18
Greek Textus Receptus
ἥ τε θάλασσα ἀνέμου μεγάλου πνέοντος διηγείρετο.
Free Grace Translation
And the sea was being stirred up because a strong wind [was] blowing.
Bible Translation Notes
Commenting on the wording of John 6:18 in the Authorized Version, Marvin R. Vincent writes:
"Arose (διηγείρετο). It is lamentable how the A.V. [the KJV] misses the graphic force of these imperfects. Rev. [The Revised Version], rightly, was rising. Literally, was being awakened. The imperfects convey the sense of gathering danger, and throw into stronger relief the fact of Jesus' appearance. They were going; the darkness had already fallen, the sea was rising, and Jesus had not yet come."
"That blew (πνέοντος). Literally, blowing. That was blowing would be better. John's narrative at this point is more detailed and graphic than the others." (Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol. II, pp. 146-147, comment on John 6:18.)
John 6:19
Greek Textus Receptus
ἐληλακότες οὖν ὡς σταδίους εἰκοσιπέντε ἢ τριάκοντα, θεωροῦσι τὸν Ἰησοῦν περιπατοῦντα ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ πλοίου γινόμενον· καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν.
Free Grace Translation
Then having rowed about 25 or 30 stadia, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and approaching near the boat, and they were terrified!
Bible Translation Notes
The Greek phrase θεωροῦσι τὸν Ἰησοῦν περιπατοῦντα ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, meaning "they behold Jesus walking on the sea," echoes the description of God in Job 9:8 from the Septuagint, which says He "walks on the sea as on firm ground." (Brenton's Septuagint Translation.)
Grk. καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν. The meaning in English is: "and they were terrified as if they had a phobia." The Greek word (from φοβέω) is the verb form of the English word "phobia". (In English there is no verb form of the noun "phobia," but the closest approximation might be to say that the disciples became phobic, or in a more informal description: "they were freaking out!" In other words, "they were scared out of their minds!") Most English translations under translate here by merely saying, "and they were afraid." (Yawn.) Such a translation hardly does justice to the scene, which is that the disciples thought they were seeing a ghost walking towards them on the water! (Compare the parallel Gospel accounts: Matt. 14:26-27; Mk. 6:49-50.) The disciples' fear is extreme, yet most English translations merely say, "and they were afraid." Such a translation hardly conveys the disciples' terror and dread! V. E. Vine in his excellent Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words affirms: "PHOBOS (φόβος) first had the meaning of flight, that which is caused by being scared; then, that which may cause flight, (a) fear, dread, terror, always with this significance in the four Gospels" (p. 414, s.v. "FEAR"). Following is a sampling of English translations of the New Testament that best convey the sense of the Greek in John 6:19b:
- "and they dreaded." (Jn. 6:19b, Wycliffe Bible)
- "They were terrified," (Jn. 6:19b, Moffatt, The New Testament: A New Translation)
- "and they were terrified." (Jn. 6:19b, J. B. Phillips)
- "and so they were terror-stricken." (Jn. 6:19b, Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People)
- "and they were terrified." (Jn. 6:19b, William F. Beck, The New Testament in the Language of Today)
- "and they were terrified." (Jn. 6:19b, Good News Translation)
- "And they were afraid (terrified)." (Jn. 6:19b, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)
- "They were terrified," (Jn. 6:19b, The Living Bible)
- "and they were terrified." (Jn. 6:19b, NIV 1984)
- "and they were terrified" (Jn. 6:19b, Mounce Reverse Interlinear)
- "and they became terrified." (Jn. 6:19b, GOD'S WORD Translation)
- "They were scared senseless," (Jn. 6:19b, The Message)
John 6:20
Greek Textus Receptus
ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἐγώ εἰμι, μὴ φοβεῖσθε.
Free Grace Translation
But He said to them, "It is I; be not afraid."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. Ἐγώ εἰμι. Literally, "I am" (cf. Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).
Grk. μὴ φοβεῖσθε. I chose to translate it as "be not afraid" because more than simply a prohibition, Jesus' words are also a summons to courage; a command toward peace, not just away from panic. (Cf. John 6:20b in the Revised Version, which I found translates it the same.)
John 6:21
Greek Textus Receptus
ἤθελον οὖν λαβεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον· καὶ εὐθέως τὸ πλοῖον ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς ἣν ὑπῆγον.
Free Grace Translation
Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was on the shore to which they were going.
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ἤθελον οὖν. Literally, They were willing therefore. Commenting on this phrase in the Greek, A. T. Robertson affirms: "They were willing therefore (ηθελον ουν). Inchoative imperfect, 'they began to be willing.'" Right, but the Greek word oun ("then"/"therefore") already indicates that the disciples started to be willing, so it is redundant and therefore unnecessary to say "began to be". That is already obvious from the context and from the word oun. Wallace takes it a step further by translating it, "Then the disciples wanted to take Him". That is true, but the Greek has a slightly different nuance, which is better conveyed into English by saying "Then the disciples were willing to take Him" (6:21a). So while Robertson at least kept the -ing ending on "willing" ("began to be willing"), Wallace has turned the verb into a simple past tense ("they wanted"), more like an aorist. Mounce translates it, "Then they were glad to take Him" — which (in distinction to Wallace) at least somewhat keeps the idea of the Greek imperfect tense by saying "they were glad" (emphasis on "were"). So Mounce's translation is sort of midway between Robertson's translation and Wallace's in terms of how it translates the verb ἤθελον, "they were willing" (6:21a). The New American Standard Bible accurately retains the past continuous sense of the Greek imperfect tense by translating ἤθελον as "they were willing" (Jn. 6:21, NASB). Unfortunately some of the other widely used English Bible translations do not, such as the revered King James Version. Commenting on the wording of John 6:21a in the Authorized Version (the KJV), the New Testament scholar Marvin R. Vincent is bold enough to correct it! He writes: "They willingly received (ηθελον λαβειν). Wrong. Rev. [i.e. The Revised Version], correctly, they were willing to receive; after being reassured by His voice. The imperfect denotes a continuous state of feeling, not a mere impulsive and temporary wish." (Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol. II, p. 147.)
Grk. ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Literally, on the land.
Free Grace Study Notes
Compare the parallel accounts of the incident in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52. Jesus initially intended to pass by the boat (Mk. 6:48), but the disciples, and Peter in particular, called out to Him. Do we call out to Jesus in our hour of need?
John 6:22
Greek Textus Receptus
Τῇ ἐπαύριον ὁ ὄχλος ὁ ἑστηκὼς πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης, ἰδὼν ὅτι πλοιάριον ἄλλο οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖ εἰ μὴ ἕν ἐκεῖνο εἰς ὃ ἐνέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι οὐ συνεισῆλθε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ πλοιάριον, ἀλλὰ μόνοι οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον,
Free Grace Translation
On the following day the multitude which stood on the other side of the lake, having seen that no other small boat was there except that one in which His disciples embarked, and that Jesus did not go with His disciples into the boat, but only His disciples departed [in it],
John 6:23
Greek Textus Receptus
ἄλλα δὲ ἦλθε πλοιάρια ἐκ Τιβεριάδος ἐγγὺς τοῦ τόπου ὅπου ἔφαγον τὸν ἄρτον, εὐχαριστήσαντος τοῦ Κυρίου·
Free Grace Translation
but other small boats came from Tiberias near the place where they ate the bread, after the Lord gave thanks,
John 6:24
Greek Textus Receptus
ὅτε οὖν εἶδεν ὁ ὄχλος ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ οὐδὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐνέβησαν αὐτοὶ εἰς τὰ πλοιάρια καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ ζητοῦντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν.
Free Grace Translation
when therefore the multitude saw that Jesus was not there nor His disciples, they got into the small boats and went unto Capernaum seeking Jesus.
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ οὐδὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ. Literally, that Jesus is not there nor His disciples.
John 6:25
Greek Textus Receptus
καὶ εὑρόντες αὐτὸν πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης, εἶπον αὐτῷ, Ῥαββί, πότε ὧδε γέγονας;
Free Grace Translation
And [after] finding Him on the other side of the lake, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. καὶ εὑρόντες αὐτὸν. Literally, And finding Him. But since εὑρόντες is an aorist participle, it is valid to translate it as "after" + aorist participle (see Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek, 4th Edition, p. 323). James Moffatt translates it, "And after finding him" (Moffatt, The Historical New Testament, p. 509).
John 6:26
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτέ με, οὐχ ὅτι εἴδετε σημεῖα, ἀλλ’ ὅτι ἐφάγετε ἐκ τῶν ἄρτων καὶ ἐχορτάσθητε.
Free Grace Translation
Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate from the loaves and were filled."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ζητεῖτέ με ("you seek Me"). The verb ζητεῖτέ is second person plural, i.e. "you (plural) seek Me".
Grk. οὐχ ὅτι εἴδετε σημεῖα. Literally, not because you saw signs. Cf. John 6:2, 14.
John 6:27
Greek Textus Receptus
ἐργάζεσθε μὴ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην, ἀλλὰ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἣν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑμῖν δώσει· τοῦτον γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐσφράγισεν, ὁ Θεός.
Free Grace Translation
"Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains unto eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you; for on him God the Father put His seal."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ἐργάζεσθε . . . τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Literally, "work for . . . the food that remains unto eternal life". The 1st edition of Walter Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (BAG) has this insightful comment on ἐργάζομαι, as it is used in John 6:27 (s.v. ἐργάζομαι, definition 2.e.): "ἐ. τὴν βρῶσιν ['work for the food'] J 6:27 can, when it is alone, mean work for, earn the food (Hes., Op. βίον ἐ.; Hdt. 1, 24 χρήματα; cf. Pla., Laches 183A; X., Mem. 2, 8, 2; Theod. Pr 21:6. Also βρῶμα: Palaeph. p. 28, 10). However, in this context βρῶσις ['food'] seems to be not so much a thing to be earned, as a free gift of the Son of Man. As in the similar case of the Samaritan woman (cf. J 6:35 w. 4:14) the hearer is simply prepared for the statement that he is to accept what is freely given. But ἐργάζεσθαι ['to work for'] can also mean, when used w. food, prepare for use, digest, assimilate sc. τὴν τροφήν (Aristot., De Vita et Morte 4; more often ἐργασία τ. τροφῆς)." (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Translated and adapted by William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957], 1st English Edition, p. 307, brackets added.)
The 3rd edition of Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (BDAG) similarly states (s.v. ἐργάζομαι, definition 2.e.): "work for/earn food (Hes., Op. 43 βίον ἐ.; Hdt. 1, 24 χρήματα; cp. Pla., Hipp. Mai. 282d, Laches 183a; X., Mem. 2, 8, 2; Theod. Pr 21: 6. Also βρώμα: Palaeph. p. 28, 10) ἐ. τὴν βρώσιν ['work for the food'] J 6:27: in this context βρῶσις ['food'] appears to be the free gift of the Human One (Son of Man). As in the similar case of the Samaritan woman (cp. J 6:35 w. 4:14) hearers are simply prepared for the statement that they are to accept what is freely given. But ἐργάζεσθαι ['to work for'] can also mean, when used w. food, prepare for use, digest, assimilate sc. τὴν τροφήν (Aristot., De Vita et Morte 4; Maximus Tyr. 15, 5a [ἐργ. τὴν τροφήν of the activity of the jaws]; more often ἐργασία τ. τροφῆς)." (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd Edition. Revised and edited by Frederick W. Danker [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000], p. 389, last brackets his.)
Grk. τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Literally, "the food remaining unto eternal life". The Authorized Version reads: "that meat which endureth unto everlasting life" (Jn. 6:27, KJV). But the word "endureth" (or "endures") is not the best translation of μένουσαν (a participle meaning "remaining"), from μένω (ménō), which more accurately means "to remain," "to stay," or "to abide". While menō is occasionally rendered as "endure" in the A.V. (Jn. 6:27; 1 Pet. 1:25), probably a more accurate English translation is "abideth" (as in the Revised Version). The Greek word for "endure" is not so much menō but hupomenō, meaning "to remain under". As one New Testament scholar has noted, quoting the wording of John 6:27 in the Authorized Version: "endureth unto everlasting life] Better, abideth unto eternal life: see on [John] 1:33 and 3:16." (Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John, The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges [Cambridge: The University Press, 1891], p. 147, bold and italics his. Note: The Roman numerals in the original ["i. 33 and iii. 16"] have been updated to the current format.)
Grk. τοῦτον γὰρ, etc. Literally, for (on) this (one) God the Father put His seal. Or, for (on) this (man) God the Father put His seal. I.e. for God the Father put His seal on this Man.
Free Grace Study Notes
"The Son would give this food and eternal life, but the people had a responsibility to 'work' (i.e., believe the gospel, v. 29) for it too." (Thomas L. Constable, Notes on John, comment on John 6:27.)
John 6:28
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν, Τί ποιῶμεν, ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ;
Free Grace Translation
Therefore they said to Him, "What should we do, so that we may work the works of God?"
Bible Translation Notes
Gk. ποιῶμεν. The verb is in the subjunctive mood: a "deliberative subjunctive" (Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament). "The subjunctive of deliberation suggests doubt on the whole subject or expresses a wish to do something." (Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research, 4th Edition, pp. 923-924.) The listeners are deliberating about what to do. In Acts 16:30 the question was "What must I do…?" But in John 6:28 the question is in the subjunctive mood: "What should we do….?" Some of the Bible translations that bring this out well are the following:
- Young's Literal Bible: "They said therefore unto him, 'What may we do that we may work the works of God?'" (John 6:28, YLT)
- Darby Bible Translation: "They said therefore to him, 'What should we do that we may work the works of God?'" (John 6:28, Darby)
- William Kelly's Translation: "They said therefore to him, What should we do that we may work the works of God?" (Kelly, An Exposition of the Gospel of John, p. 133.)
- Wilbur N. Pickering's Translation: "So they said to Him, 'What should we do so that we may work the works of God?'" (Pickering, The Sovereign Creator Has Spoken, 3rd Edition, p. 209.)
- New Living Translation: "They replied, 'We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?'" (John 6:28, NLT)
John 6:29
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα πιστεύσητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος.
Free Grace Translation
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you should believe in Him whom He sent."
Bible Translation Notes
Gk. ἵνα. Depending on the context, but specifically here in John 6:29, it's acceptable to translate ἵνα as "that" rather than "in order that". See Alfred Marshall, New Testament Greek Primer (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, 1962), pp. 124-125.
Gk. πιστεύσητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος. Literally, you should believe in whom that (one) sent. In other words. believe in whom God sent. Specifically, believe in Jesus! In Greek the relative pronoun ὃν ("whom") is masculine, so that's why I translated it as "Him whom" (Jn. 6:29b).
Free Grace Study Notes
Commenting on John 6:29, the New Testament Greek scholar Henry Alford notes: "29.] The meaning is not, that faith is wrought in us by God, is the work of God; but that the truest way of working the work of God is to believe on Him whom He hath sent." (Alford, The Greek Testament [London: 1849], 2 Vols. Vol. 1, p. 545, italics his.)
John 6:30
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ, Τί οὖν ποιεῖς σὺ σημεῖον, ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ πιστεύσωμέν σοι; τί ἐργάζῃ;
Free Grace Translation
Therefore they said to Him, "Then what miraculous sign do you perform, so that we may see [it] and believe in you? What [miracle] do you work?"
Free Grace Study Notes
The Jews' demand for a sign from Jesus (Jn. 6:30) is illustrative of Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For the Jews require a sign" (1 Cor. 1:22, KJV; cf. Isa. 45:9; Matt. 12:38, 16:1).
John 6:31
Greek Textus Receptus
οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν τὸ μάννα ἔφαγον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καθώς ἐστι γεγραμμένον, Ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς φαγεῖν.
Free Grace Translation
"Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
John 6:32
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, Οὐ Μωσῆς δέδωκεν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ἀλλ’ ὁ πατήρ μου δίδωσιν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀληθινόν.
Free Grace Translation
Therefore Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses has not given you the bread from heaven; but rather My Father gives you the true bread from heaven."
John 6:33
Greek Textus Receptus
ὁ γὰρ ἄρτος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ.
Free Grace Translation
"For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
John 6:34
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν, Κύριε, πάντοτε δὸς ἡμῖν τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον.
Free Grace Translation
Therefore they said to Him, "Sir, always give us this bread!"
John 6:35
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς· ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρός με, οὐ μὴ πεινάσῃ· καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ πώποτε.
Free Grace Translation
But Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; the [one] [who] comes to Me will never hunger, and the [one] [who] believes in Me will never thirst again."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ. This verb (διψήσῃ) is in the active voice, which is why I have translated it as "will never thirst" instead of "will never be thirsty" (Mounce), which is more passive. It should also be noted in regards to διψήσῃ that in John 6:35 it is used as a durative future with οὐ μὴ. (Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 4th ed., p. 889.)
Grk. πώποτε (pōpote). Literally, "at all" or "ever yet, ever, at any time." For the translation "at all," cf. Moulton and Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, s.v. πώποτε. For the translation of πώποτε as "again," see William D. Mounce's Reverse Interlinear on John 6:35b, which he translates as "will never be thirsty again."
John 6:36
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀλλ’ εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι καὶ ἑωράκατέ με, καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε.
Free Grace Translation
"But I said to you that even though you have seen Me, you still do not believe."
John 6:37
Greek Textus Receptus
πᾶν ὃ δίδωσί μοι ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἥξει· καὶ τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρός με οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω.
Free Grace Translation
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out."
John 6:38
Greek Textus Receptus
ὅτι καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με.
Free Grace Translation
"For I have come down from heaven, not that I might do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
John 6:39
Greek Textus Receptus
τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με πατρός, ἵνα πᾶν ὃ δέδωκέ μοι, μὴ ἀπολέσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸ ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
Free Grace Translation
"And this is the will of the Father who sent Me: that everything which He has given to Me, I should lose none of it, but should raise it up on the last day."
John 6:40
Greek Textus Receptus
τοῦτο δὲ ἐστι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτόν, ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐγὼ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
Free Grace Translation
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. θέλημα = wish, will, desire. Cf. 1 Tim. 2:4, NKJV.
Grk. τοῦ πέμψαντός με. Literally, of the (one) sending me. Technically πέμψαντός is a participle, so the phrase τοῦ πέμψαντός με could literally be translated "of the One sending Me" (i.e. the Father). But since τοῦ is masculine singular, and πέμψαντός is an aorist participle, it's also valid to translate τοῦ πέμψαντός με as "Him who sent Me".
Grk. ἵνα . . . ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Also note the hina (ἵνα) clause and that ἔχῃ is in the subjunctive mood, thus I have translated it: "should have eternal life".
Free Grace Study Notes
God chooses to save those who choose to believe. This is the biblical balance between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
John 6:41
Greek Textus Receptus
Ἐγόγγυζον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι εἶπεν, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ καταβὰς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.
Free Grace Translation
Therefore the Jews were murmuring about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
John 6:42
Greek Textus Receptus
καὶ ἔλεγον, Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωσήφ, οὗ ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα; πῶς οὖν λέγει οὖτος ὅτι Ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκα;
Free Grace Translation
And they were saying, "Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does He say that I have come down from heaven?"
John 6:43
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀπεκρίθη οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Μὴ γογγύζετε μετ’ ἀλλήλων.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur with one another."
John 6:44
Greek Textus Receptus
οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ πέμψας με ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν, καὶ ἐγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
Free Grace Translation
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Free Grace Study Notes
Compare John 12:32. Jesus will draw all people to Himself when He is lifted up on the cross (cf. Jn. 3:14-17). Thus, anyone can come to Christ by faith.
John 6:45
Greek Textus Receptus
ἔστι γεγραμμένον ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, Καὶ ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. πᾶς οὖν ὁ ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μαθών, ἔρχεται πρός με.
Free Grace Translation
"It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to Me."
Free Grace Study Notes
Jesus is quoting Isaiah 54:13, which says: "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."
Commenting on John 6:45, Albert Barnes writes: "In the prophets. Isaiah 54:13. A similar sentiment is found in Micah 4:1-4, and Jeremiah 31:34; but by the prophets, here, is meant the book of the prophets, and it is probable that Jesus had reference only to the place in Isaiah, as this was the usual way of quoting the prophets. Shall be all taught of God. This explains the preceding verse. It is by the teaching of his word and Spirit that men are drawn to God. This shows that it is not compulsory, and that there is no obstacle in the way, but a strong voluntary ignorance and unwillingness." (Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on The Gospels [New York: 1840], 2 Vols., Vol. 2, pp. 257-258. Note: The Roman numerals in the original have been updated to the current format.)
John 6:46
Greek Textus Receptus
οὐχ ὅτι τὸν πατέρα τις ἑώρακέν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὗτος ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα.
Free Grace Translation
"Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the [one] who is from God, this [one] has seen the Father."
John 6:47
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
Free Grace Translation
"Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes in Me has eternal life."
Bible Translation Notes
The oldest Greek manuscripts of this text do not contain the words εἰς ἐμὲ, "in Me".
Free Grace Study Notes
The oldest Greek manuscripts of this text (e.g. Papyrus 66, Papyrus 75, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, etc.) do not contain the words "in Me". In these Greek texts, John 6:47 reads as follows: "Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life." So the question is: "believes" what? Related to Free Grace Theology, a distinct interpretation of John 6:47 has been prominently advocated by Zane Hodges and Bob Wilkin of the Grace Evangelical Society. This verse, particularly in its longer textual form, serves as their favorite proof-text and the central tenet around which their ministry is built. But herein lies the problem: Hodges and Wilkin have constructed their entire ministry and theology of salvation not only on one proof-text, but more specifically on a variant reading of that proof-text! Thus their hermeneutic (their method of Bible interpretation) is doubly flawed, and is therefore rightly rejected. For a fuller discussion see Fred Lybrand's article "GES Gospel: Lybrand Open Letter," particularly page 21.
John 6:48
Greek Textus Receptus
ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς.
Free Grace Translation
"I am the bread of life."
John 6:49
Greek Textus Receptus
οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἔφαγον τὸ μάννα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἀπέθανον.
Free Grace Translation
"Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died."
John 6:50
Greek Textus Receptus
οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνων, ἵνα τις ἐξ αὐτοῦ φάγῃ καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ.
Free Grace Translation
"This is the bread [that] comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die."
John 6:51
Greek Textus Receptus
ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν, ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω, ἡ σάρξ μου ἐστίν, ἣν ἐγὼ δώσω ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς.
Free Grace Translation
"I am the living bread [that] came down from heaven; if anyone should eat of this bread, he will live forever. And moreover, the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
John 6:52
Greek Textus Receptus
Ἐμάχοντο οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες, Πῶς δύναται οὗτος ἡμῖν δοῦναι τὴν σάρκα φαγεῖν;
Free Grace Translation
Therefore the Jews were arguing with one another saying, "How is this [man] able to give us [His] flesh to eat?"
John 6:53
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.
Free Grace Translation
Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves."
John 6:54
Greek Textus Receptus
ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἐγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
Free Grace Translation
"The [one] who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ὁ τρώγων. Literally, The (one) eating. I chose to translate it as "The [one] who eats" to maintain English readability while preserving the definite article (ὁ). Not "Whoever" (as in the NKJV, ESV, NIV). The indefinite "Whoever" in John 6:54 is an interpretive paraphrase, not a translation. A correct translation is either "He that eateth" (RV 1885), "He who eats" (NASB 1977, 1995), "The one who eats" (NASB 2020), "The one who feeds on" (Mounce Reverse Interlinear), "The one eating" (Berean Literal Bible), or the like.
John 6:55
Greek Textus Receptus
ἡ γὰρ σάρξ μου ἀληθῶς ἐστι βρῶσις, καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἀληθῶς ἐστι πόσις.
Free Grace Translation
"For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink."
John 6:56
Greek Textus Receptus
ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα, ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει, κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ.
Free Grace Translation
"The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him."
John 6:57
Greek Textus Receptus
καθὼς ἀπέστειλέ με ὁ ζῶν πατήρ, κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα· καὶ ὁ τρώγων με, κἀκεῖνος ζήσεται δι’ ἐμέ.
Free Grace Translation
"Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father; [so] also the [one] [who] feeds on Me, that [one] will live because of Me."
John 6:58
Greek Textus Receptus
οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν τὸ μάννα, καὶ ἀπέθανον· ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
Free Grace Translation
"This is the bread that came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; the [one] [who] feeds on this bread, he will live forever."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον. Lit. the (one) feeding on this bread.
John 6:59
Greek Textus Receptus
ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καπερναούμ.
Free Grace Translation
He said these things in [the] synagogue, teaching in Capernaum.
John 6:60
Greek Textus Receptus
Πολλοὶ οὖν ἀκούσαντες ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶπον, Σκληρός ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ λόγος· τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν;
Free Grace Translation
Then many of his disciples, [after] hearing [these things], said, "This is a hard message; who is able to accept it?"
Bible Translation Notes
Marcus Dods writes: "Σκληρός is rather 'hard to receive' than 'hard to understand'." (W. R. Nicoll, Editor, The Expositor's Greek Testament, Vol. I, p. 759, commentary on Jn. 6:60. See also: A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures, Vol. V, p. 113; Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, Vol. I, p. 763; Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to St John, p. 47.)
John 6:61
Greek Textus Receptus
εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὅτι γογγύζουσι περὶ τούτου οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει;
Free Grace Translation
But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were murmuring about this, said to them, "Does this offend you?"
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. Τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει. Or, "Does this shock you?" (See Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, s.v. σκανδαλίζω.)
John 6:62
Greek Textus Receptus
ἐὰν οὖν θεωρῆτε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον
Free Grace Translation
"Then what if you should behold the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?"
John 6:63
Greek Textus Receptus
τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστι τὸ ζωοποιοῦν, ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν· τὰ ῥήματα ἃ ἐγὼ λαλῶ ὑμῖν, πνεῦμά ἐστι καὶ ζωή ἐστιν.
Free Grace Translation
"The Spirit is life-giving, the flesh profits nothing at all; the words that I speak to you, are Spirit and are life."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστι τὸ ζωοποιοῦν. Cf. Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, s.v. ζωοποιοέω. Bauer comments: "The Spirit is called life-giving J 6:63". (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition, p. 432.)
John 6:64
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀλλ’ εἰσὶν ἐξ ὑμῶν τινες οἳ οὐ πιστεύουσιν. ᾔδει γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ μὴ πιστεύοντες, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδώσων αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation
"But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
John 6:65
Greek Textus Receptus
καὶ ἔλεγε, Διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα ὑμῖν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ πατρός μου.
Free Grace Translation
And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one is able to come to Me, unless it has been granted to him from My Father."
Free Grace Study Notes
What is the will of the Father in this context? See John 6:40.
John 6:66
Greek Textus Receptus
Ἐκ τούτου πολλοὶ ἀπῆλθον τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ οὐκέτι μετ’ αὐτοῦ περιεπάτουν.
Free Grace Translation
Because of this, many of His disciples went back to their homes and no longer walked with Him.
Bible Translation Notes
Gk. τούτου. A near demonstrative, this. Some translations read "that". But that is a far demonstrative and a different Greek word (ekeinos). Cf. Lange's Commentary: "Ver. 66. Upon this many of his disciples.—Ἐκ τούτου. (1) From this moment (Lücke, De Wette). (2) Meyer, more correctly, according to c. 19:12: On account of this discourse, 'which disappointed their carnal messianic hopes.' And in addition had become the strongest positive offence." (John Peter Lange, Philip Schaff, Editor, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures [New York: 1884], 25 Vols., NT Vol. III, p. 234, underlining added.)
Gk. εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. See Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, s.v. ὀπίσω. Thayer lists John 6:66 under meaning 1, "to return home, of those who grow recreant [cowardly, disloyal, or unfaithful] to Christ's teaching and cease to follow Him, Jn. vi. 66". Cf. John 6:66 in The Berkeley Version: "From then on many of His disciples returned home and no longer walked with Him."
Gk. οὐκέτι, no longer. A fun mnemonic to remember the meaning of οὐκέτι: "I will no longer clean up the (p)uke from your (spagh)etti."
Free Grace Study Notes
If these disciples are unsaved it is because they never believed (Jn. 6:64), not because they ceased to follow Christ. Other passages indicate that believers can cease to follow Christ, i.e. stop being a follower/disciple (see Matt. 26:31, 26:56; Mk. 15:50-52; Lk. 14:26-27, 14:33, 22:54-62; Jn. 2:23-25, 8:30-31, 12:42-43, 15:8, 18:25-27; cf. "The Parable of the Soils" in Luke 8:4-15 and parallel passages. For more information, see my article: "Charles Ryrie on Repentance and Faith, Pt. 3".)
John 6:67
Greek Textus Receptus
εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς δώδεκα, Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε ὑπάγειν;
Free Grace Translation
Then Jesus said to the twelve, "You don't want to leave too, do you?"
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. Μὴ. Since μὴ expects a negative answer, the words "do you?" have been added at the end of the sentence to make it more clear that a negative answer is expected.
John 6:68
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀπεκρίθη οὖν αὐτῷ Σίμων Πέτρος, Κύριε, πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις
Free Grace Translation
Then Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom will we go? You have [the] words of eternal life."
Bible Translation Notes
Grk. ἀπελευσόμεθα. Literally, we will go. Since Peter is asking a question, the way to phrase it is: "will we go?"
John 6:69
Greek Textus Receptus
καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος.
Free Grace Translation
"And we have believed and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Bible Translation Notes
The oldest Greek manuscripts of this text read, "And we have believed and know that you are the holy one of God."
John 6:70
Greek Textus Receptus
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Οὐκ ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς τοὺς δώδεκα ἐξελεξάμην, καὶ ἐξ ὑμῶν εἷς διάβολός ἐστιν;
Free Grace Translation
Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"
John 6:71
Greek Textus Receptus
ἔλεγε δὲ τὸν Ἰούδαν Σίμωνος Ἰσκαριώτην· οὗτος γὰρ ἤμελλεν αὐτὸν παραδιδόναι, εἷς ὢν ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα.
Free Grace Translation
But He was speaking of Judas, [the son] of Simon Iscariot; for he was about to betray Him, being one of the twelve.
