John 12:38 kjv
That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
John 12:38 nkjv
that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"
John 12:38 niv
This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
John 12:38 esv
so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
John 12:38 nlt
This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: "LORD, who has believed our message?
To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?"
John 12 38 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 12:37 | "But even though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him," | John 12:37 (Immediate context) |
| Isaiah 53:1 | "Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" | Isaiah 53:1 (Direct prophetic fulfillment) |
| John 3:14 | "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up," | John 3:14 (Jesus connects himself to Old Testament prophecy) |
| Isaiah 42:4 | "He will not be disheartened or discouraged till he has established justice in the earth;" | Isaiah 42:4 (Prophecy of Messiah's patient work) |
| Romans 10:16 | "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?'" | Romans 10:16 (Paul's application of the prophecy) |
| Acts 28:25 | "And when they did not agree among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying by Isaiah the prophet to your fathers" | Acts 28:25 (Paul quoting Isaiah to rejecters) |
| Mark 6:52 | "for they had not considered the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." | Mark 6:52 (Jesus notes disciples' hardness of heart) |
| John 1:10 | "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him." | John 1:10 (Jesus' rejection by creation) |
| John 5:37 | "And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form." | John 5:37 (Father's witness also disbelieved) |
| John 7:30 | "So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come." | John 7:30 (Israel's attempt to arrest Jesus) |
| 1 Corinthians 1:18 | "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." | 1 Cor 1:18 (The scandal of the cross) |
| Galatians 3:1 | "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was clearly shown as crucified." | Gal 3:1 (Warning against rejecting the cross) |
| Hebrews 3:10 | "Thus, 'They are always straying in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.'" | Heb 3:10 (Quoting Psalm 95 on disobedience) |
| Psalm 95:8-10 | "Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness," | Ps 95:8-10 (Warning against hardened hearts) |
| Jeremiah 17:9 | "The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" | Jer 17:9 (The deceitfulness of the human heart) |
| Acts 4:4 | "But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand." | Acts 4:4 (Contrast: some believed) |
| John 1:11 | "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." | John 1:11 (His rejection by his own) |
| John 8:30 | "As he was saying these things, many believed in him." | John 8:30 (Some believed in Jesus) |
| Isaiah 6:9-10 | "And he said, 'Go, and tell this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.”'" | Isa 6:9-10 (Prophecy of spiritual blindness) |
| Deuteronomy 18:18 | "I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brothers, like you, and I will put my words into his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him." | Deut 18:18 (Prophecy of the coming Prophet like Moses) |
| Matthew 13:14 | "In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: '“You will be ever seeing, but never perceiving; you will be ever hearing, but never understanding." | Matt 13:14 (Matthew also applies Isaiah's prophecy) |
John 12 verses
John 12 38 Meaning
This verse explains the fulfillment of prophecy regarding the Messiah's rejection. Isaiah predicted that the report of God's arm (referring to God's saving power revealed in the Messiah) would not be believed by the Israelites. This lack of faith was widespread among the people, despite the clear evidence of Jesus' works.
John 12 38 Context
Jesus had just performed several significant miracles and taught profound truths, yet the spiritual leadership and a large segment of the populace remained in disbelief. This disbelief was not due to a lack of evidence, but a hardening of their hearts and a resistance to God's truth as revealed in Jesus. This verse serves to explain why so many rejected Jesus, linking it directly to a foretold prophecy by Isaiah. It highlights a recurring theme in John's Gospel: Jesus is the promised Messiah, yet he is rejected by his own people. This rejection sets the stage for the unfolding of God's plan through his crucifixion and resurrection.
John 12 38 Word Analysis
- καὶ (kai): "And." A conjunction connecting this verse to the preceding narrative and prophecy.
- εἶπεν (eipen): "He said." A common verb for speaking, used here by John to introduce Jesus' commentary.
- Ἠσαΐας (Ēsaïas): "Isaiah." Refers to the Old Testament prophet whose words are being cited.
- ὅτι (hoti): "That." Introduces the direct quote from Isaiah.
- Κύριε (Kyrie): "Lord." Here, it is used by Isaiah in his prophetic cry, addressing God.
- τίς (tis): "Who." A question word, emphasizing the difficulty of believing.
- ἐπίστευσεν (episteusen): "Believed." The verb indicating faith or acceptance of truth.
- τῇ ἀκοῇ (tē akoē): "Our report" or "what has been heard by us." Refers to the message or testimony concerning God's work.
- τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ (tē hēmeterạ): "Our." Possessive pronoun referring to Isaiah and the prophets or the message bearers.
- καὶ (kai): "And." Connecting the first part of the prophecy to the second.
- τῷ βραχίονι (tō brachioni): "The arm." Symbolically represents God's power, strength, and saving action.
- τοῦ Κυρίου (tou Kyriou): "Of the Lord." Denotes the power belonging to God.
- τίνι (tini): "To whom." Another question word, parallel to the first.
- ἀπεκαλύφθη (apekalyphthe): "Has been revealed" or "made known." Indicates the uncovering or manifestation of something hidden.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Who has believed our report?" (Τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ): This rhetorical question from Isaiah 53:1 underscores the scarcity of belief concerning God's message as conveyed through His servants. John applies it to Jesus' ministry, lamenting the widespread disbelief.
- "And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" (καὶ τίνι ὁ βραχίων τοῦ Κυρίου ἀπεκαλύφθη): This second question emphasizes that God's power, specifically demonstrated through the Messiah, remained unseen and unrecognized by many. The "arm of the Lord" is a clear reference to divine power and intervention, specifically manifested in Jesus' miracles and teachings.
John 12 38 Bonus Section
This specific citation from Isaiah 53 is crucial because Isaiah 53 is a central suffering servant prophecy. John's use of it here powerfully connects Jesus to the suffering servant predicted to bear the iniquities of many, yet be despised and rejected by them. The very prophecy that foretold the Messiah’s redemptive suffering also foretold his rejection by his own people, a paradox understood only through the lens of faith and God’s divine plan. This rejection highlights the discerning nature of Jesus' ministry – it separated those with receptive hearts from those with hardened ones.
John 12 38 Commentary
The verse directly quotes Isaiah 53:1, highlighting a consistent theme throughout the Old and New Testaments: the struggle for people to truly believe and comprehend God's saving work when it doesn't align with their expectations. Despite Jesus' numerous miracles and authoritative teaching, the masses, and especially the religious leaders, rejected him. This rejection wasn't a failure of Jesus' power but a manifestation of human spiritual blindness and hardened hearts, prophesied centuries earlier. The "arm of the Lord" represents God's direct, powerful intervention and salvation, which in this context is Jesus himself. The disbelief in the report of God's saving arm points to a failure to recognize Jesus as the promised deliverer. It emphasizes that true belief requires more than seeing; it demands a divinely-opened heart to perceive spiritual truth.