John 6:60

John 6:60 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
• New International Version (NIV)On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

Context of John 6:60

58This is the Bread which came down out of heaven. It is not like [the manna that] our fathers ate and they [eventually] died; the one who eats this Bread [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] will live forever.” 59He said these things in a synagogue while He was teaching in Capernaum. When many of His disciples heard this, they said, “This is a difficult and harsh and offensive statement. Who can [be expected to] listen to it?” 61But Jesus, aware that His disciples were complaining about it, asked them, “Does this cause you to stumble and take offense? 62What then [will you think] if you see the Son of Man ascending to [the realm] where He was before?

John 6:60 word by word

πολλοὶ οὖν ἀκούσαντες ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶπαν· σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος· τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν;¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Manyπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• disciplesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• disciplesμαθητήςmathētēs · discipleG3101
• when they had heardἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• anλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• hardσκληρόςsklēros · hardG4642
• whoτίςtis · which?G5101
• canδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410

Cross-references for John 6:60

• John 6:66As a result of this many of His disciples abandoned Him, and no longer walked with Him.
• John 8:31So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word [continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples.
• John 6:41Now the Jews murmured and found fault with Him because He said, “I am the Bread that came down out of heaven.”
• John 8:43Why do you misunderstand what I am saying? It is because [your spiritual ears are deaf and] you are unable to hear [the truth of] My word.
• Matthew 11:6And blessed [joyful, favored by God] is he who does not take offense at Me [accepting Me as the Messiah and trusting confidently in My message of salvation].”
• Hebrews 5:11Concerning this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull and sluggish in [your spiritual] hearing and disinclined to listen.
• 2 Peter 3:16speaking about these things as he does in all of his letters. In which there are some things that are difficult to understand, which the untaught and unstable [who have fallen into error] twist and misinterpret, just as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Commentaries on John 6:60

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 60Many therefore of his disciples - So it appears that he had many more than the twelve, who constantly accompanied him. This is a hard saying; who can hear it? - Who can digest such doctrine as this? It is intolerable: it is impracticable. There is a similar saving in Euripides, to the of the evangelist. , ', ; Tell me whether thou wouldst that I should speak unto thee, a Soft Lie, or the Harsh Truth? The wicked word of a lying world is in general better…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 60Many of his disciples - The word “disciple” means “learner.” It was applied to the followers of Christ because they were taught by him. It does not imply, of necessity, that those to whom it was given were real Christians, but simply that they were under his teaching, and were professed learners in his school. See Matthew 17:16; Mark 2:18; John 9:28; Matthew 10:24. It is doubtless used in this sense here. It is, however, often applied to those who are…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 60-65Verses 60-65 The human nature of Christ had not before been in heaven, but being God and man, that wondrous Person was truly said to have come down from heaven. The Messiah's kingdom was not of this world; and they were to understand by faith, what he had said of a spiritual living upon him, and his fulness. As without the soul of man the flesh is of no value, so without the quickening Spirit of God all forms of religion are dead and worthless. He who…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 60-61What Jesus said was shocking and offensive (6:53–58; see Genesis 9:4–5). It was hard for his disciples and the crowd to understand. Should they take him literally? How could they eat his flesh? Jesus answers in John 6:63.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 60-6560-65. Many ... of his disciples--His pretty constant followers, though an outer circle of them. hard saying--not merely harsh, but insufferable, as the word often means in the Old Testament. who can hear--submit to listen to it.Read the comment

Topics related to John 6:60

• Blindness
• Flesh
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Unbelief

In the dictionaries

• Accursed
• Capernaum
• Meat
• Murmur
• Andrew
• Christ, Offices of
• Hard Sayings; Hard Sentences
• Hard; Hardiness; Harddiness; Hardly
• Jesus Christ
• Johannine Theology

Commentaries on John 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings