God’s Word Translation
John 1:38
38Jesus turned around and saw them following him. He asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “teacher”), “where are you staying?”
John 1:38 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
- New International Version (NIV)Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
Context of John 1:38
36John saw Jesus walk by. John said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God.” 37When the two disciples heard John say this, they followed Jesus. Jesus turned around and saw them following him. He asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39Jesus told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went to see where he was staying and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about ten o’clock in the morning. 40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two disciples who heard John and followed Jesus.
Read all of John 1John 1:38 word by word
Στραφεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ θεασάμενος αὐτοὺς ἀκολουθοῦντας λέγει αὐτοῖς· τί ζητεῖτε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ῥαββί, ὃ λέγεται μεθερμηνευόμενον διδάσκαλε, ποῦ μένεις;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thenδέde · thenG1161
- Jesusὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- turnedστρέφωstrephō · to turnG4762
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- sawθεάομαιtheaomai · to look atG2300
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- followingἀκολουθέωakoloutheō · to followG190
- saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Whatτίςtis · which?G5101
- seek yeζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
- They saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Rabbiῥαββίrhabbi · RabbiG4461
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- being interpretedἑρμηνεύωhermēneuō · to interpretG2059
- Masterδιδάσκαλοςdidaskalos · teacherG1320
- whereποῦpou · where?G4226
- dwellest thouμένωmenō · to stayG3306
Cross-references for John 1:38
- Luke 14:25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned to them and said,
- Luke 15:20“So he went at once to his father. While he was still at a distance, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son, put his arms around him, and kissed him.
- Luke 19:5When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down! I must stay at your house today.”
- Luke 22:61Then the Lord turned and looked directly at Peter. Peter remembered what the Lord had said: “Before a rooster crows today, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”
- John 18:4Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him. So he went to meet them and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
- John 20:15Jesus asked her, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Mary thought it was the gardener speaking to her. So she said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I’ll remove him.”
- Luke 7:24When John’s messengers had left, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John. “What did you go into the desert to see? Tall grass swaying in the wind?
- Luke 18:40Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him,
- Acts 10:21So Peter went to the men. He said, “I’m the man you’re looking for. Why are you here?”
- John 1:49Nathanael said to Jesus, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”
- John 3:2He came to Jesus one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.”
- John 6:25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
- Matthew 23:7They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them Rabbi.
- John 12:21They went to Philip (who was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and told him, “Sir, we would like to meet Jesus.”
- Ruth 1:16But Ruth answered, “Don’t force me to leave you. Don’t make me turn back from following you. Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
- 1 Kings 10:8How blessed your men must be! How blessed these servants of yours must be because they are always stationed in front of you, listening to your wisdom!
Commentaries on John 1:38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38What seek ye? - These disciples might have felt some embarrassment in addressing our blessed Lord, after hearing the character which the Baptist gave of him; to remove or prevent this, he graciously accosts them, and gives them an opportunity of explaining themselves to him. Such questions, we may conceive, the blessed Jesus still puts to those who in simplicity of heart desire an acquaintance with him. A question of this nature we may profitably ask…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38What seek ye? - This was not asked to obtain “information.” Compare John 1:48. It was not a harsh reproof, forbidding them to follow him. Compare Matthew 11:28-30. It was a kind inquiry respecting their desires; an invitation to lay open their minds, to state their wishes, and to express all their feelings respecting the Messiah and their own salvation. We may learn: 1.That Jesus regards the first inclinations of the soul to follow him. He “turned” toward…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 37-42Verses 37-42 The strongest and most prevailing argument with an awakened soul to follow Christ, is, that it is he only who takes away sin. Whatever communion there is between our souls and Christ, it is he who begins the discourse. He asked, What seek ye? The question Jesus put to them, we should all put to ourselves when we begin to follow Him, What do we design and desire? In following Christ, do we seek the favour of God and eternal life? He invites…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 35-51This section introduces the model for discipleship in John’s Gospel. Disciples wanted to come and see Jesus, and when they met him, they stayed with him (1:39).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 37-5138. What seek ye--gentle, winning question, remarkable as the Redeemer's first public utterance. (See on Mt 12:18-20.) where dwellest thou--that is, "That is a question we cannot answer in a moment; but had we Thy company for a calm hour in private, gladly should we open our burden."Read the comment
Topics related to John 1:38
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 1
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries