God’s Word Translation
John 15:1
1⌞Then Jesus said,⌟ “I am the true vine, and my Father takes care of the vineyard.
John 15:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
- New International Version (NIV)“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Context of John 15:1
⌞Then Jesus said,⌟ “I am the true vine, and my Father takes care of the vineyard. 2He removes every one of my branches that doesn’t produce fruit. He also prunes every branch that does produce fruit to make it produce more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of what I have told you.
Read all of John 15John 15:1 word by word
Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή, καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for John 15:1
- John 1:9The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world.
- John 6:32Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
- 1 John 2:8On the other hand, I’m writing to give you a new commandment. It’s a truth that exists in Christ and in you: The darkness is fading, and the true light is already shining.
- Genesis 49:10A scepter will never depart from Judah nor a ruler’s staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes and the people obey him.
- Psalms 80:8You brought a vine from Egypt. You forced out the nations and planted it.
- Isaiah 4:2When that day comes, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and wonderful. The fruit of the land will be the pride and joy of Israel’s survivors.
- Isaiah 5:1Let me sing a lovesong to my beloved about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
- Jeremiah 2:21I planted you like a choice grapevine from the very best seed. Now you have turned against me and have become a wild vine.
- Jeremiah 12:10Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard. They’ve trampled my property. They’ve turned my pleasant property into a wasteland.
- Ezekiel 15:2“Son of man, what good is the wood from a vine? Is it better than the wood from a tree in the forest?
- Hosea 10:1The people of Israel are like vines that used to produce fruit. The more fruit they produced, the more altars they built. The more their land produced, the more stone markers they set up ⌞to honor other gods⌟.
- Zechariah 3:8“Listen, Chief Priest Joshua and your friends sitting with you. These men are a sign of things to come: I’m going to bring my servant, the Branch.
- Matthew 21:33“Listen to another illustration. A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.
- Luke 13:6Then Jesus used this illustration: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on the tree but didn’t find any.
- Isaiah 27:2On that day sing about a delightful vineyard.
- Isaiah 60:21Then all your people will be righteous, and they will possess the land permanently. They will be the seedling I have planted, the honored work of my hands.
Commentaries on John 15:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I am the true vine - Perhaps the vines which they met with, on their road from Bethany to Gethsemane, might have given rise to this discourse. Some of the disciples were probably making remarks on the different kinds of them, and our Lord took the opportunity of improving the conversation, according to his usual manner, to the instruction of their souls. He might here term himself the true vine, or vine of the right sort, in opposition to the wild and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1I am the true vine - Some have supposed that this discourse was delivered in the room where the Lord‘s Supper was instituted, and that, as they had made use of wine, Jesus took occasion from that to say that he was the true vine, and to intimate that his blood was the real wine that was to give strength to the soul. Others have supposed that it was delivered in the temple, the entrance to which was adorned with a golden vine (Josephus), and that Jesus…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Christ the true Vine. (1-8) His love to his disciples. (9-17) foretold. (18-25) The Comforter promised. (26-27) Verses 1-8 Jesus Christ is the Vine, the true Vine. The union of the human and Divine natures, and the fulness of the Spirit that is in him, resemble the root of the vine made fruitful by the moisture from a rich soil. Believers are branches of this Vine. The root is unseen, and our life is hid with Christ; the root bears the tree, diffuses sap…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1I am: See study note on 6:35. The vine and the vineyard have traditionally represented God’s people. He "plants and tends" them in Israel (Psalm 80:8–18; Isaiah 5:1–7; Jeremiah 2:21; 12:10–11; Ezekiel 15:1–5; Hosea 10:1–2). When Jesus used this image, he made an important change. He declared that he is the true vine and that a relationship with God requires attachment to him.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-271-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.). I am the true vine--of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow. my Father is the husbandman--the great Proprietor of the vineyard, the Lord of the spiritual kingdom. (It is surely unnecessary to point out the claim to supreme divinity…Read the comment
Topics related to John 15:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 15
- 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