God’s Word Translation
John 6:60
60When many of Jesus’ disciples heard him, they said, “What he says is hard to accept. Who wants to listen to him anymore?”
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 that came from heaven. It is not like the bread your ancestors ate. They eventually died. Those who eat this bread will live forever.” 59Jesus said this while he was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum. When many of Jesus’ disciples heard him, they said, “What he says is hard to accept. Who wants to listen to him anymore?” 61Jesus was aware that his disciples were criticizing his message. So Jesus asked them, “Did what I say make you lose faith? 62What if you see the Son of Man go where he was before?
Read all of John 6John 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 6:66Jesus’ speech made many of his disciples go back to the lives they had led before they followed Jesus.
- John 8:31So Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you live by what I say, you are truly my disciples.
- John 6:41The Jews began to criticize Jesus for saying, “I am the bread that came from heaven.”
- John 8:43Why don’t you understand the language I use? Is it because you can’t understand the words I use?
- Matthew 11:6Whoever doesn’t lose his faith in me is indeed blessed.”
- Hebrews 5:11We have a lot to explain about this. But since you have become too lazy to pay attention, explaining it to you is hard.
- 2 Peter 3:16He talks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Ignorant people and people who aren’t sure of what they believe distort what Paul says in his letters the same way they distort the rest of the Scriptures. These people will be destroyed.
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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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