John 12:20 BSB — MannaFest

John 12:20

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast:

KJV

And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

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Commentary

1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

Certain Greeks - There are three opinions concerning these: 1. That they were proselytes of the gate or covenant, who came up to worship the true God at this feast. 2. That they were real Jews, who lived in Grecian provinces, and spoke the Greek language. 3. That they were mere Gentiles, who never knew the true God: and hearing of the fame of the temple, or the miracles of our Lord, came to offer sacrifices to Jehovah, and to worship him according to the manner of the people of that land.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

Certain Greeks - A prelude of the Gentile Church. That these were circumcised does not appear. But they came up on purpose to worship the God of Israel.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The forbidding of the priests to accept of any oblation or sacrifice from a Gentile (which was done by Eleazar the son of Ananias, the high priest), Josephus says, was one of those things that brought the Romans upon them, War 2. Though these Greeks, if uncircumcised, were not admitted to eat the passover, yet they came to worship at the feast.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Greeks--Not Grecian Jews, but Greek proselytes to the Jewish faith, who were wont to attend the annual festivals, particularly this primary one, the Passover.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

12 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Ἦσαν	Ēsan	There were	G1510 →
δὲ	de	now	G1161 →
Ἕλληνές	Hellēnes	Greeks	G1672 →
τινες	tines	certain	G5100 →
ἐκ	ek	among	G1537 →
τῶν	tōn	those	G3588 →
ἀναβαινόντων	anabainontōn	coming up	G305 →
ἵνα	ina	that	G2443 →
προσκυνήσωσιν	proskunēsōsin	they may worship	G4352 →
ἐν	en	at	G1722 →
τῇ	tēa	the	G3588 →
ἑορτῇ.	he'ortēa	feast.	G1859 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Isaiah 11:10
On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
leads to
- Romans 15:9–12
  so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.”
- Luke 2:32
  a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”
- Isaiah 11:1
  Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Matthew 2:1–2
  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
- John 12:32
  And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”
Through
Acts 8:27
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to…
leads to
- Zephaniah 3:10
  From beyond the rivers of Cush My worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Psalms 68:31
  Envoys will arrive from Egypt; Cush will stretch out her hands to God.
Through
Acts 17:4
Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.
leads to
- Acts 17:12
  As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.

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About John

The Word Made Flesh — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

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Continue: John 12 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About John

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About John