John 6 25

John 6:25 kjv

And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

John 6:25 nkjv

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"

John 6:25 niv

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

John 6:25 esv

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

John 6:25 nlt

They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

John 6 verses

John 6 25 Meaning

This verse describes the moment the large crowd, who had previously witnessed Jesus' miraculous feeding of the five thousand, successfully located Him in Capernaum after crossing the Sea of Galilee. Their question, "Rabbi, when did You get here?", reveals their surprise and confusion regarding His sudden presence on the opposite shore, as they had seen Him depart in a different manner, or believed He had not taken a boat. Their immediate focus is on the logistics of His travel rather than the deeper significance of His actions or identity.

John 6 25 Context

John chapter 6 unfolds following Jesus' two great miracles near the Sea of Galilee: the feeding of the five thousand (Jn 6:1-15) and His walking on water (Jn 6:16-21). After feeding the multitude, Jesus had to withdraw because the crowd intended to take Him by force and make Him king. Later that evening, the disciples embarked on a boat to cross the sea, and Jesus joined them miraculously by walking on the water. John 6:25 marks the point where the same crowd, now having crossed the sea themselves by various means, re-engages with Jesus, oblivious or perhaps incredulous as to how He arrived at Capernaum ahead of them. This immediate bewilderment over His physical transit serves as a dramatic setup for Jesus' ensuing discourse on Himself as the "Bread of Life," challenging their superficial understanding and materialistic motivations.

John 6 25 Word analysis

• When they found Him (εὗρον αὐτόν - heurion auton):

  • εὗρον (heurion): Aorist active indicative of heurisko, meaning "to find, discover, acquire." Implies an active search and successful discovery after a period of looking. This indicates their persistence and desire to re-engage with Jesus.
  • Significance: The crowd put in physical effort to find Jesus. This eagerness, however, is immediately juxtaposed by Jesus' response (Jn 6:26), revealing their carnal motives were paramount.

• on the other side of the sea (πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης - peran tēs thalassēs):

  • πέραν (peran): Adverb/preposition meaning "beyond, over, on the other side." Refers to the area around Capernaum on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, in contrast to the eastern shore where the feeding miracle occurred.
  • τῆς θαλάσσης (tēs thalassēs): Genitive of thalassa, "sea," specifically the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake of Gennesaret or Sea of Tiberias).
  • Significance: Geographically, it underscores the distance the crowd traversed, emphasizing their persistent pursuit. The contrast with how Jesus himself traversed the sea (by walking on water) highlights their limited understanding of His power.

• they said to Him (εἶπον αὐτῷ - eipon autō):

  • εἶπον (eipon): Aorist active indicative of legō, "to say, speak, tell."
  • Significance: Marks the initiation of dialogue, setting the stage for Jesus' subsequent teaching.

• 'Rabbi,' (ῥαββί - rhabbi):

  • ῥαββί (rhabbi): Transliteration of Aramaic for "my great one," an honorific title for a teacher or master.
  • Significance: This respectful address acknowledges Jesus' recognized authority as a religious teacher. However, it indicates their perception is primarily of an earthly, learned man, rather than one of divine nature or origin, foreshadowing their difficulty in accepting His claim to be the Bread of Life from heaven.

• 'when did You get here?' (πότε ὧδε γέγονας; - pote hōde gegonas):

  • πότε (pote): Interrogative adverb meaning "when?" In this context, it seeks the time and, by implication, the means of His arrival.
  • ὧδε (hōde): Adverb meaning "here," indicating this specific location (Capernaum).
  • γέγονας (gegonas): Perfect active indicative of ginomai, "to come into being, happen, become." The perfect tense emphasizes a completed action with continuing results—"When did you come here and are now present?"
  • Significance: This question is crucial. It does not ask "Who are you?" or "What does this miracle mean?" or "Where does this bread come from?". Instead, it is a practical, physical question about how Jesus travelled, reflecting their carnal perspective and focus on the external, miraculous means rather than the divine agent or spiritual truth. It expresses their amazement at His speed and ability to bypass their own slow journey by boat.

• Word-group analysis:

  • "When they found Him on the other side of the sea": This phrase details the crowd's diligence and physical effort. They actively pursued Jesus, demonstrating a tangible commitment. However, this commitment will soon be revealed as superficial, rooted in seeking temporal benefits rather than eternal truth.
  • "Rabbi, when did You get here?": This combines an address of respect ("Rabbi") with a question demonstrating profound bewilderment and limited spiritual insight. Their query, focused on the timing and means of His arrival, rather than His power or purpose, sets the stage for Jesus to expose their materialistic motivations and redirect their understanding towards spiritual realities. It signifies their failure to grasp the implication of Him being in a different location than where they last left Him.

John 6 25 Bonus section

The scene highlights a recurring theme in the Gospels: the human tendency to focus on the spectacular aspects of Jesus' miracles—the how and when—rather than the who and why. The crowd's question inadvertently demonstrates their limited comprehension of divine omnipotence; they seek to understand supernatural events through a natural lens. This moment is a pedagogical opportunity for Jesus, where He must re-educate those drawn to Him about the true nature of God's provision. It also serves as an example of Jesus' deep knowledge of human hearts, as He immediately recognizes their underlying motives even from such a seemingly innocent question. This exchange contrasts the 'eagerness to follow' with the 'wrong reasons for following', a crucial distinction for discipleship.

John 6 25 Commentary

John 6:25 is a seemingly simple exchange that, in its brevity, provides profound insight into the spiritual state of the crowd following Jesus. Having been miraculously fed and having observed His extraordinary abilities (or at least inferred them given His sudden reappearance), their primary concern remains earthly logistics ("when did you get here?") rather than the spiritual significance of His power or identity. Their respectful address, "Rabbi," places Jesus within their familiar framework of a revered teacher, yet it falls short of recognizing Him as the Son of God with divine attributes like effortless traversal of time and space. This verse acts as a vital transition from the miracle narratives to the Bread of Life discourse, as Jesus immediately confronts their motives, demonstrating that despite witnessing the miraculous, they are still tethered to their physical desires for sustenance and earthly comfort, failing to seek the giver over the gift. The question betrays a curiosity about a past physical event, entirely missing the imminent spiritual truth Jesus is about to reveal.