John 4:34

John 4:34 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
• New International Version (NIV)“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

Context of John 4:34

32But he said to them, ‘I have food that I can eat. But you do not know about it.’ 33So the disciples asked each other, ‘Could someone have brought food to him?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My Father has sent me. I must do the things he wants me to do. I must finish the work that he has given to me to do. That is my food. 35You often say, “It is still four more months until the plants in the farmers' fields will be ready for the harvest.” But I say that you should open your eyes. Look at the fields. The plants are ready for the harvest now. 36The workers are already bringing in the fruit and their master is paying them. As a result, people are receiving life for ever with God. So the person who plants the seeds will be very happy. And the person who brings in the fruit will also be very happy. Both of them will be happy together.

John 4:34 word by word

λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν ἵνα ποιήσω τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με καὶ τελειώσω αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Myἐμόςemos · mineG1699
• meatβρῶμαbrōma · foodG1033
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• the willθέλημαthelēma · will/desireG2307
• of him that sentπέμπωpempō · to sendG3992
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• to finishτελειόωteleioō · to perfectG5048
• workἔργονergon · workG2041

Cross-references for John 4:34

• John 4:32But he said to them, ‘I have food that I can eat. But you do not know about it.’
• John 6:33God's bread is the one who comes down from heaven. He is the one who gives life to people in the world.’
• Job 23:12I have been careful to obey his commands. His words are more important to me than my food.
• Psalms 40:8I want to do what pleases you. Your law is always in my thoughts.’
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is on me, because he has chosen me to serve him. He has sent me to tell good news to poor people. He has sent me to comfort people who are very upset. He has sent me to tell prisoners that they are now free. They can go out of their prisons!
• Luke 15:4‘Think about a man who has 100 sheep. He may lose one of them. What does he do then? He leaves all his other sheep in the fields. Then he goes. He looks for the sheep that he has lost. He looks until he finds it.
• Luke 19:10I, the Son of Man, came to look for people who are far away from God. They are in danger and I have come to save them.’
• Acts 20:35In this way I have shown you how you should live. You should work well so that you may help sick or weak people. You should remember what Jesus himself said: “It may make you happy when you receive things. But it makes you more happy when you give things to someone.” ’
• John 5:36But it is not only John who shows who I am. There are other things that show it more strongly. My Father has given work to me so that I could finish it. These are the things that I do, and they show who I am. They show clearly that the Father has sent me.
• John 17:4I have shown people here on the earth how great you are. In that way, I have finished the work that you gave to me to do.
• John 19:30Jesus drank the wine. Then he said, ‘Everything is finished.’ He bent his head down and he let his spirit go.
• Hebrews 12:2As we run, we must always look towards Jesus. He is the one who trusted God completely. Our faith starts with him, and he will help us to trust God all the way to the end. Jesus accepted punishment on the cross. He chose to receive much pain. He did not think about being ashamed to die like that. He knew that God had prepared something very good for him that would make him happy. Now he has sat down at the right side of God to rule with him in heaven.

Commentaries on John 4:34

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 34My meat is to do the will of him that sent me - In these words, our blessed Lord teaches a lesson of zeal and earnestness to his apostles, and to all their successors in the Christian ministry. Let the salvation of souls lie nearer your heart than life itself. Let eating and drinking, labor and rest, reading, thinking, study, prayer, and all things, be directed to the accomplishment of this great work. Ministers of Jesus! imitate your Lord! Souls are…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 34My meat … - Jesus here explains what he said in John 4:32. His great object - the great design of his life - was to do the will of God. He came to that place weary and thirsty, and at the usual time of meals, probably hungry; yet an opportunity of doing good presented itself, and he forgot his fatigue and hunger, and found comfort and joy in doing good - in seeking to save a soul. This one great object absorbed all his powers, and made him forget his…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-42Verses 27-42 The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, words, and actions, of all the children of men. And the power of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 32-34While Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, the disciples had gone to buy food (4:8). When they returned, they urged Jesus to eat. Jesus spoke with symbolic language, but they did not understand him (4:33). Later, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they understood what he meant (2:22). Jesus sustained himself spiritually by doing what his Father told him to do (see 5:30; 6:38; 7:18; 8:50; 9:4; 10:37–38; 12:49–50).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 31-3831-38. meantime--that is, while the woman was away. Master, eat--Fatigue and thirst we saw He felt; here is revealed another of our common infirmities to which the Lord was subject--hunger.Read the comment

Topics related to John 4:34

• Converts
• Duty
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Obedience
• Samaria
• Shechem
• Will
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Dealing
• Ere
• God
• Hear
• Live
• Meat
• Messiah
• Samaritans

Commentaries on John 4

• 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