John 4:32 BSB — MannaFest

John 4:32

But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not.

KJV

But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

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Commentary

2 voices

Cyril of Alexandria

Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 2 (444)

Skilfully does the Saviour fashion His answer from what was before Him. He all but says darkly, that if they knew that the conversion of the Samaritans was at the doors, they would have persuaded Him rather to cling to that as a delicacy than to nourish the flesh. From this again we may learn how great love for man the Divine Nature hath: for It considereth the return of the lost unto salvation as both meat and treat.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

But he said unto them,.... That is, "Jesus", as the Persic, or the Lord Jesus, as the Ethiopic versions express it: I have meat to eat that ye know not of: meaning the conversion of the Samaritan woman, and of other Samaritans, who were flocking in great numbers to him, which he knew, though his disciples did not; and the harvest of souls he had a prospect of, see Joh 4:35, was as meat unto him, delightful and refreshing; and his mind and thoughts were so taken up with these things, that he had no inclination to any corporeal food.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

I have meat to eat that ye know not of - Our blessed Lord seizes every opportunity to raise the minds of his apostles to heavenly things, through the medium of earthly matters. Nor does he force these things into such service. Properly understood, earthly substances are the types, representatives, and shadows of heavenly things.

J.C. Ryle

1816–1900

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)

We have, for one thing, in these verses, an instructive pattern of zeal for the good of others. We read, that our Lord Jesus Christ declares, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work." To do good was not merely duty and pleasure to Him. He counted it as His food and drink. Job, one of the holiest Old Testament saints, could say, that he esteemed God's word "more than his necessary food." (Job 23:12.) The Great Head of the New Testament Church went even further.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

12 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ὁ	ho	<the>	G3588 →
δὲ	de	But	G1161 →
εἶπεν	eipen	He said	G2036 →
αὐτοῖς·	autois	to them;	G846 →
ἐγὼ	egō	I myself	G1473 →
βρῶσιν	brōsin	food	G1035 →
ἔχω	echō	have	G2192 →
φαγεῖν	phagein	to eat	G5315 →
ἣν	hēn	that	G3739 →
ὑμεῖς	humeis	you yourselves	G4771 →
οὐκ	ouk	not	G3756 →
οἴδατε.	oidate	know.

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
Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
leads to
- Job 23:12
  I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.
  Reached by 3 independent paths from here.
- Revelation 10:9–10
  And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.” “Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as…
- Ezekiel 3:1–3
  “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
- Psalms 19:10
  They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Psalms 119:101–103
  I have kept my feet from every evil path, that I may keep Your word.
Through
John 4:34
Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
leads to
- John 6:38
  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
- John 5:30
  I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Through
Job 23:12
I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.
leads to
- Jeremiah 15:16
  Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

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About John

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria — Gustave Doré (engraving), public domain

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Continue: John 4 →

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