JHN 6:22-58

Jesus the Bread of Life

22The next day, the crowd that had stood on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had gone away alone. [6:23] But other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. [6:24] So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. [6:25] And finding him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" [6:26] Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you: you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate from the loaves and were filled. [6:27] Work not for the food that is utterly perishing, but for the food that remains into eternal life — which the Son of Man will give you, for God the Father has set his seal on him." [6:28] They said therefore to him, "What shall we do so that we may work the works of God?" [6:29] Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent." [6:30] They said therefore to him, "What sign then do you do, that we may see and believe you? What do you work? [6:31] Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" [6:32] Jesus therefore said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. [6:33] For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." [6:34] They said therefore to him, "Lord, always give us this bread." [6:35] Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will absolutely not hunger, and the one who believes in me will absolutely never thirst. [6:36] But I said to you that you have also seen me, and yet do not believe. [6:37] Everything the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will absolutely not cast out. [6:38] For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. [6:39] And this is the will of the one who sent me: that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. [6:40] For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who is beholding the Son with understanding and engagement and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." [6:41] The Jews therefore began grumbling about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." [6:42] And they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" [6:43] Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. [6:44] No one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him with compelling force — and I will raise him up on the last day. [6:45] It is written in the Prophets: 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard from the Father and learned comes to me. [6:46] Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the one who is from God — this one has seen the Father. [6:47] Amen, amen, I say to you: the one who believes has eternal life. [6:48] I am the bread of life. [6:49] Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. [6:50] This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. [6:51] I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live into the age. And the bread I will give is my flesh — for the life of the world." [6:52] The Jews therefore were contending with one another, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" [6:53] Jesus therefore said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. [6:54] The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. [6:55] For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. [6:56] The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. [6:57] Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who eats me — that one will live because of me. [6:58] This is the bread that came down from heaven — not as the fathers ate and died. The one who eats this bread will live into the age."

In the world it was spoken into

In 1st-century Galilee, bread was a fundamental symbol of sustenance and survival, deeply tied to Jewish identity and divine provision. The crowd, having witnessed Jesus’ miraculous feeding, likely interpreted his actions through the lens of Exodus 16, where manna symbolized God’s care for Israel. Their pursuit of Jesus across the sea reflects a common expectation of a messianic provider who would address material needs, particularly under Roman occupation. When Jesus shifts the discourse to himself as the 'bread of life,' he challenges their assumptions by redefining sustenance in terms of eternal life rather than physical provision. The term '' (perishing) would resonate with Jewish eschatological concerns about the fate of the soul, while '' (draw) evokes divine initiative, a concept familiar from Jewish texts like Jeremiah 31:3. The crowd’s confusion reflects the tension between Jesus’ spiritual claims and their messianic expectations rooted in material liberation.

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How other translations render this

JHN 6:22

KJV: The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
BSB: The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with His disciples, but they had gone away alone.
Koinōnos: The next day, the crowd that had stood on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had gone away alone.

JHN 6:23

KJV: (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
BSB: However, some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
Koinōnos: But other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

JHN 6:24

KJV: When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
BSB: So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him.
Koinōnos: So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

JHN 6:25

KJV: And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
BSB: When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
Koinōnos: And finding him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?

JHN 6:26

KJV: Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
BSB: Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
Koinōnos: Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you: you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate from the loaves and were filled.

JHN 6:27

KJV: Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
BSB: Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
Koinōnos: Work not for the food that is utterly perishing, but for the food that remains into eternal life — which the Son of Man will give you, for God the Father has set his seal on him.

JHN 6:28

KJV: Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
BSB: Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”
Koinōnos: They said therefore to him, "What shall we do so that we may work the works of God?

JHN 6:29

KJV: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
BSB: Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
Koinōnos: Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.

JHN 6:30

KJV: They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
BSB: So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do?
Koinōnos: They said therefore to him, "What sign then do you do, that we may see and believe you? What do you work?

JHN 6:31

KJV: Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
BSB: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Koinōnos: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'

JHN 6:32

KJV: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
BSB: Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
Koinōnos: Jesus therefore said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

JHN 6:33

KJV: For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
BSB: For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Koinōnos: For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

JHN 6:34

KJV: Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
BSB: “Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”
Koinōnos: They said therefore to him, "Lord, always give us this bread.

JHN 6:35

KJV: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
BSB: Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.
Koinōnos: Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will absolutely not hunger, and the one who believes in me will absolutely never thirst.

JHN 6:36

KJV: But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
BSB: But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe.
Koinōnos: But I said to you that you have also seen me, and yet do not believe.

JHN 6:37

KJV: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
BSB: Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.
Koinōnos: Everything the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will absolutely not cast out.

JHN 6:38

KJV: For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
BSB: For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
Koinōnos: For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.

JHN 6:39

KJV: And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
BSB: And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.
Koinōnos: And this is the will of the one who sent me: that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

JHN 6:40

KJV: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
BSB: For it is My Fatherʼs will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Koinōnos: For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who is beholding the Son with understanding and engagement and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

JHN 6:41

KJV: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
BSB: At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
Koinōnos: The Jews therefore began grumbling about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven.

JHN 6:42

KJV: And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
BSB: They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”
Koinōnos: And they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?

JHN 6:43

KJV: Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
BSB: “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied.
Koinōnos: Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.

JHN 6:44

KJV: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
BSB: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Koinōnos: No one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him with compelling force — and I will raise him up on the last day.

JHN 6:45

KJV: It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
BSB: It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—
Koinōnos: It is written in the Prophets: 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard from the Father and learned comes to me.

JHN 6:46

KJV: Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
BSB: not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.
Koinōnos: Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the one who is from God — this one has seen the Father.

JHN 6:47

KJV: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
BSB: Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.
Koinōnos: Amen, amen, I say to you: the one who believes has eternal life.

JHN 6:48

KJV: I am that bread of life.
BSB: I am the bread of life.
Koinōnos: I am the bread of life.

JHN 6:49

KJV: Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
BSB: Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.
Koinōnos: Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

JHN 6:50

KJV: This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
BSB: This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.
Koinōnos: This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

JHN 6:51

KJV: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
BSB: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”
Koinōnos: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live into the age. And the bread I will give is my flesh — for the life of the world.

JHN 6:52

KJV: The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
BSB: At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
Koinōnos: The Jews therefore were contending with one another, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

JHN 6:53

KJV: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
BSB: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you.
Koinōnos: Jesus therefore said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves.

JHN 6:54

KJV: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
BSB: Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Koinōnos: The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

JHN 6:55

KJV: For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
BSB: For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.
Koinōnos: For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

JHN 6:56

KJV: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
BSB: Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him.
Koinōnos: The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

JHN 6:57

KJV: As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
BSB: Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
Koinōnos: Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who eats me — that one will live because of me.

JHN 6:58

KJV: This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
BSB: This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”
Koinōnos: This is the bread that came down from heaven — not as the fathers ate and died. The one who eats this bread will live into the age.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

JHN 6:27

is perishing:The word translated 'is perishing' implies utter destruction or ruin, not merely a temporary loss or decay. It speaks of something being completely undone or brought to an end.

JHN 6:35

certainly:The word translated 'certainly' here is a strong negative particle, emphasizing that something absolutely will not happen. It conveys a definitive and emphatic denial.

JHN 6:40

is beholding:The word translated 'is beholding' suggests a sustained, attentive, and often contemplative gaze, implying more than just a casual glance. It speaks of observing with understanding and engagement.

JHN 6:44

shall draw:The word translated 'shall draw' implies a powerful, compelling force, often against resistance. It suggests being pulled or dragged, rather than a gentle leading or attracting.