John 1:38

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

36and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

John 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

• And JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• turnedστρέφωstrephō · to turnG4762
• and sawθεάομαιtheaomai · to look atG2300
• them followingἀκολουθέωakoloutheō · to followG190
• and saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• “Whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• do you seekζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
• Rabbiῥαββίrhabbi · RabbiG4461
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• translatedμεθερμηνεύωmethermēneuō · to meanG3177
• meansλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Teacherδιδάσκαλοςdidaskalos · teacherG1320
• whereποῦpou · where?G4226
• are You stayingμένωmenō · to stayG3306

Cross-references for John 1:38

• Luke 14:25Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,
• Luke 15:20So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
• Luke 19:5When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
• Luke 22:61The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
• John 18:4So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
• John 20:15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
• Luke 7:24When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
• Luke 18:40And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him,
• Acts 10:21Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?”
• John 1:49Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
• John 3:2this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
• John 6:25When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
• Matthew 23:7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.
• John 12:21these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
• Ruth 1:16But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
• 1 Kings 10:8How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear 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

• Jesus, the Christ
• John
• Rabbi

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Behold
• Believe
• Blood
• Dwell
• Flesh
• Guile
• Light
• Prefer

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