John 12:20

John 12:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
• New International Version (NIV)Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.

Context of John 12:20

18That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!” Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22Philip relayed this appeal to Andrew, and both of them went and told Jesus.

John 12:20 word by word

Ἦσαν δὲ Ἕλληνές τινες ἐκ τῶν ἀναβαινόντων ἵνα προσκυνήσωσιν ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ.Read the interlinear

• Nowδέde · thenG1161
• there wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• someτιςtis · oneG5100
• GreeksἝλλην=ἝλληνHellēn · Greek, GentileG1672
• amongἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• those whoὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• went upἀναβαίνωanabainō · to ascendG305
• toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• worshipπροσκυνέωproskuneō · to worshipG4352
• atἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• feastἑορτήheortē · festivalG1859

Cross-references for John 12:20

• John 7:35At this, the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him? Will He go where the Jews are dispersed among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
• Mark 7:26Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
• Acts 14:1At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
• Acts 16:1Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father.
• Acts 17:4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.
• Acts 20:21testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Acts 21:28crying out, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and against our law and against this place. Furthermore, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”
• Romans 1:16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
• Romans 10:12For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,
• Galatians 2:3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
• Galatians 3:28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
• Colossians 3:11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
• 1 Kings 8:41And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name—
• Isaiah 11:10On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
• Isaiah 60:2For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.
• Isaiah 66:19I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.

Commentaries on John 12:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Certain Greeks - There are three opinions concerning these: That they were proselytes of the gate or covenant, who came up to worship the true God at this feast. That they were real Jews, who lived in Grecian provinces, and spoke the Greek language. 3. That they were mere Gentiles, who never knew the true God: and hearing of the fame of the temple, or the miracles of our Lord, came to offer sacrifices to Jehovah, and to worship him according to the manner…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Certain Greeks - In the original, “some Hellenists” - -the name commonly given to the Greeks. The same name was commonly used by the Jews to denote all the pagan nations, because most of those whom they knew spoke the Greek language, John 7:34; Romans 1:16; Romans 2:9-10; Romans 3:9. “Jews and Greeks.” The Syriac translates this place, “Some of the Gentiles.” There are three opinions in regard to these persons: 1.that they were Jews who spoke the Greek…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-26Verses 20-26 In attendance upon holy ordinances, particularly the gospel passover, the great desire of our souls should be to see Jesus; to see him as ours, to keep up communion with him, and derive grace from him. The calling of the Gentiles magnified the Redeemer. A corn of wheat yields no increase unless it is cast into the ground. Thus Christ might have possessed his heavenly glory alone, without becoming man. Or, after he had taken man's nature, he…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20Among those people attracted to Jesus were some Greeks who believed in Israel's God. They had come to the Passover feast to worship (12:19). The mission of Jesus was not only for Israel but for the entire world (10:16; 11:52). After the resurrection of Jesus, the church's mission was to go beyond Judea to Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-3620-22. Greeks--Not Grecian Jews, but Greek proselytes to the Jewish faith, who were wont to attend the annual festivals, particularly this primary one, the Passover. The same came therefore to Philip ... of Bethsaida--possibly as being from the same quarter. saying, Sir, we would see Jesus--certainly in a far better sense than Zaccheus (Lu 19:3). Perhaps He was then in that part of the temple court to which Gentile proselytes had no access. "These men…Read the comment

Topics related to John 12:20

• Andrew
• Curiosity
• Desire
• Feasts
• Greece
• Jerusalem
• Jesus Continued
• Philip

In the dictionaries

• Chief
• Consult
• Costly
• Prince
• Andrew
• Grecians; Greeks
• Jesus Christ
• John, Gospel of
• King, Christ As
• Luke, the Evangelist

Commentaries on John 12

• 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