John 6:50
in John 6This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
KJV
This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
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This verse in John 6
Commentary
15 notes on this verseWe are able to receive the Lord Himself, who gave His flesh for us, as He Himself says: "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert, and they died: but this is the bread which comes down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not die" (John 6:48-50).
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
"This is the bread which cometh down from heaven." Manna signified this bread; God's altar signified this bread. Those were sacraments. In the signs they were diverse; in the thing which was signified they were alike. Hear the apostle: "For I would not that ye should be ignorant, brethren," saith he, "that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat." Of course, the same spiritual meat; for corporally it was another: since they ate manna, we eat another thing; but the spiritual was the same as that which we eat. But "our" fathers, not the fathers of those Jews; those to whom we are like, not those to whom they were like. Moreover he adds: "And did all drink the same spiritual drink." They one kind of drink, we another, but only in the visible form, which, however, signified the same thing in its spiritual virtue. For how was it that they drank the "same drink"? "They drank," saith he "of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." Thence the bread, thence the drink. The rock was Christ in sign; the real Christ is in the Word and in flesh. And how did they drink? The rock was smitten twice with a rod; the double smiting signified the two wooden beams of the cross. "This, then, is the bread that cometh down from heaven, that if any man eat thereof, he shall not die." But this is what belongs to the virtue of the sacrament, not to the visible sacrament; he that eateth within, not without; who eateth in his heart, not who presses with his teeth.
(Tr. xxvi. s. 12) This was the bread the manna typified, this was the bread the altar typified. Both the one and the other were sacraments, differing in symbol, alike in the thing signified. Hear the Apostle, They did all eat the same spiritual meat. (1 Cor. 10)
A commentator
Ephrem the SyrianMEMRA FOR THE FIFTH DAY OF GREAT WEEK (HOLY THURSDAY), SERMON 4 · Written before 373.
proposed
There remained yet another act that would abolish that Passover and would become the Passover of the Gentiles, a source of life until the end. Our Lord Jesus took bread in his hands, plain bread at the beginning, and blessed it, made the sign of …
And observe how He distinguisheth between His bread and the manna, by causing them to hear the result of each kind of food. For to show that the manna afforded them no unusual advantage, He added, "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead." He then establisheth a thing most likely to persuade them, that they were deemed worthy of greater things than their fathers, (meaning those marvelous men who lived in the time of Moses,) and so, after saying that they were dead who ate the manna, He addeth, "He that eateth of this bread, shall live for ever." Nor hath He put "in the wilderness" without a cause, but to point out that the supply of manna was not extended to a long time, nor entered with them into the land of promise. But this "bread" was not of the same kind.
(Hom. xlvi. 2) The addition, In the wilderness, is not put in without meaning, but to remind them how short a time the manna lasted; only till the entrance into the land of promise. And because the bread which Christ gave seemed inferior to the manna, in that the latter had come down from heaven, while the former was of this world, He adds, This is the bread which cometh down from heaven.
9 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Hom. xlvi. 2) He then gives them a strong reason for believing that they were given for higher privileges than their fathers. Their fathers eat manna and were dead; whereas of this bread He says, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. The difference of the two is evident from the difference of their ends. By bread here is meant wholesome doctrine, and faith in Him, or His body: for these are the preservatives of the soul.
The Medieval Church4 voices
This bread, however, is not such, but abides forever, so that they, if they wish, will receive blessings far greater than their fathers. How is that which is granted by Christ not greater? For although everyone will taste death, yet he is alive by the …
"This is the bread descending from heaven," through the incarnation, "so that, if anyone shall eat of it," through faith and love: "he may not die," through transgression: because, as is said in Habakkuk two, "the just man lives by his faith." Just as faith …
Therefore I say, He that eateth this bread, dieth not: I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
Having presented the argument, he draws the conclusion: This is the bread that comes down from heaven. He says, This, the Gloss says, to indicate himself. But our Lord does not understand it this way as it would be superfluous, since he immediately adds, I …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
This is the bread which cometh down from heaven,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
Jesus replied, "Do not complain about me to one another. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God—he has seen the Father.) I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
Jesus replied, "Do not complain about me to one another. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God—he has seen the Father.) I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Truths of the weightiest importance follow each other in rapid succession in the chapter we are now reading. There are probably very few parts of the Bible which contain so many "deep things" as the Sixth Chapter of John. Of this the passage before as is a signal example. We learn, for one thing, from this passage, that Christ's lowly condition, when He was upon earth, is a stumbling-block to the natural man. We read that "the Jews murmured, because Jesus said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he says, I came down from heaven?" Had our Lord come as a conquering king, with wealth and honors to bestow on His followers, and mighty armies in His train, they would have been willing enough to receive Him. But a poor, and lowly, and suffering Messiah was an offence to them. Their pride refused to believe that such an one was sent from God. There is nothing that need surprise us in this. It is human nature showing itself in its true colors.
This is the bread, etc. - I am come for this very purpose, that men may believe in me, and have eternal life.
The words behind it
17 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οὗτός | houtos | This | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| ἐστιν | estin | is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄρτος | artos | bread | G740 → | 97 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐκ | ek | from | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανοῦ | ouranou | heaven | G3772 → | 272 times |
| καταβαίνων, | katabainon | coming down, | G2597 → | 81 times |
| ἵνα | ina | that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| τις | tis | anyone | G5100 → | 528 times |
| ἐξ | ex | of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | it | G846 → | 5565 times |
| φάγῃ | phage | may eat | G5315 → | 93 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἀποθάνῃ.¶ | apothane | may die. | G599 → | 110 times |
οὗτόςThis
houtosG3778 →1381 times
ἐστινis
estinG1510 →2333 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἄρτοςbread
artosG740 →97 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἐκfrom
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανοῦheaven
ouranouG3772 →272 times
καταβαίνων,coming down,
katabainonG2597 →81 times
ἵναthat
inaG2443 →668 times
τιςanyone
tisG5100 →528 times
ἐξof
exG1537 →911 times
αὐτοῦit
autouG846 →5565 times
φάγῃmay eat
phageG5315 →93 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἀποθάνῃ.¶may die.
apothaneG599 →110 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 8:51Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”
it leads to
- John 11:25–26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
- John 5:24
Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
- John 3:15–16
that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
- John 11:25–26
Through
Romans 8:10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
it leads to
- Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved…
- Ephesians 3:17
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,
- Galatians 2:20
Through
John 6:51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is…
it leads to
- John 3:13
No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 22:19
And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
- John 6:33
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
- John 3:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies28
On this verse
On this chapter
- Bread
- The Bronze Serpent
- Cut Off from Among His People
- Eternal Life
- Eternal Security, and the Five Warnings of Hebrews
- Feeding the Five Thousand, John 6:1-15
Show the next 6 titles
Show the next 6 titles
About John
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Alcuin of York, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Ambrose of Milan, On the Blessings of the Patriarchs 9.39; Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on John 26; Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 6; Ephrem the Syrian, MEMRA FOR THE FIFTH DAY OF GREAT WEEK (HOLY THURSDAY), SERMON 4; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of John 46; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.