5Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' [14:6] Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [14:7] If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.' [14:8] Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.' [14:9] Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, Show us the Father? [14:10] Do you not trust that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The declarations that I speak to you I do not speak from myself; the Father who abides in me does his works. [14:11] Trust me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else trust because of the works themselves. [14:12] Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever trusts in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these he will do, because I am going to the Father. [14:13] And whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14:14] If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.'
JHN 14:5-14
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
In the world it was spoken into
In the first-century Mediterranean world, the concepts of 'way,' 'truth,' and 'life' carried deep cultural and philosophical resonance. For Jewish listeners, 'the way' evoked the Torah’s path of righteousness and the communal identity of groups like the Essenes, who called themselves 'the Way.' For Greco-Roman audiences, 'truth' was not merely factual accuracy but a philosophical ideal of ultimate reality, as pursued by Stoics and Platonists. 'Life' in this context transcended mere existence; it signified flourishing, vitality, and eternal well-being, a concept familiar in both Jewish eschatology and Hellenistic thought. Jesus’ declaration that He is 'the way, the truth, and the life' would have been heard as a claim to embody the ultimate path to God, the fullest reality, and the source of true vitality. This assertion challenged both Jewish expectations of a Messiah and Greco-Roman philosophical ideals, positioning Jesus as the singular mediator between humanity and the divine.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
JHN 14:5
- KJV
- Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
- BSB
- “Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?”
- Koinōnos
- Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?
JHN 14:6
- KJV
- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
- BSB
- Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
JHN 14:7
- KJV
- If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
- BSB
- If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
- Koinōnos
- If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.
JHN 14:8
- KJV
- Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
- BSB
- Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
- Koinōnos
- Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.
JHN 14:9
- KJV
- Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
- BSB
- Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, Show us the Father?
JHN 14:10
- KJV
- Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
- BSB
- 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 dwelling in Me, performing His works.
- Koinōnos
- Do you not trust that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The declarations that I speak to you I do not speak from myself; the Father who abides in me does his works.
JHN 14:11
- KJV
- Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
- BSB
- Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves.
- Koinōnos
- Trust me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else trust because of the works themselves.
JHN 14:12
- KJV
- Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
- BSB
- Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
- Koinōnos
- Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever trusts in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.
JHN 14:13
- KJV
- And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- BSB
- And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- Koinōnos
- And whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
JHN 14:14
- KJV
- If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
- BSB
- If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it.
- Koinōnos
- If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.1.2
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.1.2
“The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees”
Cited to ground: For Jewish listeners, 'the way' evoked the Torah’s path of righteousness and the communal identity of groups like the Essenes, who called themselves 'the Way.'
Translator's notes
JHN 14:6
- way:The word translated 'way' here refers to a physical road or path, but also metaphorically to a course of conduct or a manner of living.
- truth:The term used here for 'truth' implies not just factual correctness, but also reality, sincerity, and authenticity, often contrasted with falsehood or mere appearance.
- life.:The word translated 'life' refers to existence itself, vitality, and the principle of life, rather than just a period of time or a lifestyle.
JHN 14:10
- declarations:The word translated 'declarations' refers to spoken words or sayings, often with the implication of a divine utterance or a significant statement.