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35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”[a] 37 The two disciples[b] heard what he said and followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.[c] 40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”[d] (which is translated Anointed).(A) 42 Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John;[e] you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).(B)

43 The next day he[f] decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”(C) 46 But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite.[g] There is no duplicity in him.” 48 [h](D)Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God;[i] you are the King of Israel.”(E) 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?[j] You will see greater things than this.” 51 And he said to him, “Amen, amen,[k] I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 1:36 John the Baptist’s testimony makes his disciples’ following of Jesus plausible.
  2. 1:37 The two disciples: Andrew (Jn 1:40) and, traditionally, John, son of Zebedee (see note on Jn 13:23).
  3. 1:39 Four in the afternoon: literally, the tenth hour, from sunrise, in the Roman calculation of time. Some suggest that the next day, beginning at sunset, was the sabbath; they would have stayed with Jesus to avoid travel on it.
  4. 1:41 Messiah: the Hebrew word māšîaḥ, “anointed one” (see note on Lk 2:11), appears in Greek as the transliterated messias only here and in Jn 4:25. Elsewhere the Greek translation christos is used.
  5. 1:42 Simon, the son of John: in Mt 16:17, Simon is called Bariōna, “son of Jonah,” a different tradition for the name of Simon’s father. Cephas: in Aramaic = the Rock; cf. Mt 16:18. Neither the Greek equivalent Petros nor, with one isolated exception, Cephas is attested as a personal name before Christian times.
  6. 1:43 He: grammatically, could be Peter, but logically is probably Jesus.
  7. 1:47 A true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him: Jacob was the first to bear the name “Israel” (Gn 32:29), but Jacob was a man of duplicity (Gn 27:35–36).
  8. 1:48 Under the fig tree: a symbol of messianic peace (cf. Mi 4:4; Zec 3:10).
  9. 1:49 Son of God: this title is used in the Old Testament, among other ways, as a title of adoption for the Davidic king (2 Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7; 89:27), and thus here, with King of Israel, in a messianic sense. For the evangelist, Son of God also points to Jesus’ divinity (cf. Jn 20:28).
  10. 1:50 Possibly a statement: “You [singular] believe because I saw you under the fig tree.”
  11. 1:51 The double “Amen” is characteristic of John. You is plural in Greek. The allusion is to Jacob’s ladder (Gn 28:12).

The First Disciples of Jesus

35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed[a]). 42 He brought Simon[b] to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter[c]).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you,[d] you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:41 Or Christ
  2. John 1:42 Gk him
  3. John 1:42 From the word for rock in Aramaic (kepha) and Greek (petra), respectively
  4. John 1:51 Both instances of the Greek word for you in this verse are plural

The First Disciples of Jesus

35 The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36 when he saw Jesus walking by. “There is the Lamb of God!” he said.

37 The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. 38 Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, “What are you looking for?”

They answered, “Where do you live, Rabbi?” (This word means “Teacher.”)

39 “Come and see,” he answered. (It was then about four o'clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.

40 One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 At once he found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” (This word means “Christ.”) 42 Then he took Simon to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (This is the same as Peter and means “a rock.”)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come with me!” (44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

46 “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” answered Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!”

48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 “Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” 51 (A)And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”

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Jesus’ Public Ministry; First Converts

35 Again (A)the next day John was standing [a]with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, (B)the Lamb of God!” 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, “What are you seeking?” They said to Him, “(C)Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day; it was about the [b]tenth hour. 40 (D)One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first *found his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the (E)Messiah” (which translated means [c]Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of [d](F)John; you shall be called (G)Cephas” (which is translated [e](H)Peter).

43 (I)The next day He [f]decided to go to (J)Galilee, and He *found (K)Philip. And Jesus *said to him, (L)Follow Me.” 44 Now (M)Philip was from (N)Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 (O)Philip *found (P)Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom (Q)Moses wrote in the Law, and (R)the prophets also wrote: Jesus (S)the son of Joseph, from (T)Nazareth!” 46 Nathanael said to him, “(U)Can anything good be from Nazareth?” (V)Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Here is truly an (W)Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before (X)Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “(Y)Rabbi, You are (Z)the Son of God; You are the (AA)King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see (AB)heaven opened and (AC)the angels of God ascending and descending on (AD)the Son of Man.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:35 Lit and
  2. John 1:39 I.e., about 4 p.m.
  3. John 1:41 Gr Anointed One
  4. John 1:42 Gr Joannes
  5. John 1:42 I.e., Rock or Stone in Gr
  6. John 1:43 Or resolved

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus(A)

35 The next day John(B) was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”(C)

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi”(D) (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).(E) 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called(F) Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[a]).(G)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,(H) he said to him, “Follow me.”(I)

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.(J) 45 Philip found Nathanael(K) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,(L) and about whom the prophets also wrote(M)—Jesus of Nazareth,(N) the son of Joseph.”(O)

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”(P) Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite(Q) in whom there is no deceit.”(R)

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi,(S) you are the Son of God;(T) you are the king of Israel.”(U)

50 Jesus said, “You believe[b] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[c] you[d] will see ‘heaven open,(V) and the angels of God ascending and descending(W) on’[e] the Son of Man.”(X)

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:42 Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both mean rock.
  2. John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?
  3. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  4. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  5. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12