John 6:30 kjv
They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
John 6:30 nkjv
Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?
John 6:30 niv
So they asked him, "What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
John 6:30 esv
So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
John 6:30 nlt
They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do?
John 6 30 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 16:4 | "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you..." | God provides manna in the wilderness. |
| Num 11:7-9 | "And the manna was as coriander seed... when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it." | Description of the manna God gave Israel. |
| Deut 8:3 | "He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna... that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only..." | Manna taught dependence on God's word, not just food. |
| Ps 78:19-20, 32 | "Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?... Behold, he smote the rock... Can he give bread also?" | Israel demanded food/signs, yet remained unbelieving. |
| Matt 12:38-39 | "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee... An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign..." | Jesus condemns those who constantly demand signs. |
| Matt 16:1, 4 | "The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting him, desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven... A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign..." | Religious leaders testing Jesus with demands for signs. |
| Mk 8:11-12 | "And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit..." | Pharisees pressuring Jesus for heavenly validation. |
| Lk 11:29 | "...This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet." | Jesus denies signs to an unfaithful generation. |
| Lk 12:54-56 | "...Ye can discern the face of the sky... How is it that ye do not discern this time?" | Discerning earthly signs but not spiritual ones. |
| John 2:18 | "Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?" | Earlier demand for a sign in the Temple. |
| John 4:48 | "Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." | Highlights conditional belief needing miracles. |
| John 5:36 | "...the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me." | Jesus' works already testify to His divine origin. |
| John 6:11-14 | "And Jesus took the loaves... distributed to the disciples... then when they were filled, he said... So when they had seen the miracle... they said, This is of a truth that prophet..." | The crowd just saw a great sign (feeding 5000). |
| John 6:26-27 | "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves..." | The crowd's motivation was physical sustenance. |
| John 6:31 | "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." | The crowd explicitly compares Jesus to Moses and manna. |
| John 7:31 | "And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?" | Some believed due to the magnitude of His works. |
| John 10:25, 38 | "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me... but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works..." | Jesus' works bear witness to Him, even if they don't believe His words. |
| John 11:47-48 | "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles." | Jewish leaders acknowledging many miracles, yet plot against Jesus. |
| John 20:29 | "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." | Emphasizes believing without requiring to see. |
| 1 Cor 1:22 | "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:" | Jewish inclination to seek outward signs. |
| Heb 3:7-11 | "Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness... your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years." | Refers to Israel's unbelief despite witnessing God's works. |
John 6 verses
John 6 30 Meaning
The crowd asks Jesus to perform a demonstrative sign or miracle, specifying "what work" He will do to convince them. They condition their belief upon seeing an overt display of power or provision from Him. This request immediately follows Jesus instructing them to believe in Him as the work of God.
John 6 30 Context
John chapter 6 begins with Jesus miraculously feeding over five thousand people with only five barley loaves and two small fish, followed by His walking on water. These powerful acts should have revealed His divine nature and authority. The next day, the crowd seeks Jesus again, having crossed the Sea of Galilee. Jesus confronts them, stating they are seeking Him not because they understood the significance of the signs, but because they had their fill of bread (John 6:26). He then directs them to seek not perishable food, but food that endures to eternal life (John 6:27). The crowd then asks, "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28), showing a legalistic, performance-oriented mindset. Jesus responds that the single "work of God" is to "believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:29). It is immediately after this declaration about believing that the crowd issues the demand of John 6:30. They ignore Jesus' emphasis on faith and instead revert to demanding another tangible, impressive miracle, specifically equating it with Moses' provision of manna from heaven, setting the stage for Jesus' discourse on Himself as the true Bread of Life.
John 6 30 Word analysis
- "They said therefore": This phrase connects the crowd's response directly to Jesus' profound statement in the preceding verse (John 6:29) that the "work of God" is to believe in Him. "Therefore" (οὖν, oun) shows their immediate counter-question, not accepting His premise of simple belief.
- "unto him": The direct address signifies a challenge to Jesus' authority.
- "What sign": (τί σημεῖον, ti sēmeion) The Greek sēmeion (sign) refers to a distinguishing mark, a miracle, or a wonder intended to point to a deeper reality or confirm divine presence. The "what" (ti) indicates they are looking for a specific type or magnitude of sign, likely something that surpasses the recent feeding of the five thousand. This highlights their insatiable desire for spectacle over substance.
- "showest thou then": (δείκνυς οὖν, deiknys oun) The verb deiknys means "to show, display, exhibit." The "then" (οὖν, oun) again implies a conditional link: "If what you say about belief is true, then what compelling evidence will you provide?" It positions Jesus in a trial-like scenario where He must prove His worth.
- "that we may see, and believe thee?": (ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ πιστεύσωμέν σοι, hina idōmen kai pisteusōmen soi) This phrase reveals their pragmatic and sensory-driven approach to faith. They link belief directly to visual proof. True belief often goes beyond the visible (John 20:29; Heb 11:1). Their demand contrasts with the spiritual vision of those who recognize God's hand in His Son, and implies their prior "seeing" of the feeding miracle was insufficient for their "belief."
- "what dost thou work?": (τί ἐργάζῃ, ti ergazē) This echoes their earlier question in John 6:28 about "works." While Jesus spoke of "the work of God" as believing (singular), they demand to know "what work are you doing?" (singular but implying action), expecting a mighty deed that validates Him. It betrays a transactional view: what mighty deed will you do that we can witness and deem worthy of our belief? Their question implies they still believe they need to perform some work for God, and are asking what Jesus will do to enable or facilitate that.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?": This entire interrogative expresses a deep spiritual blindness and a failure to grasp the profound spiritual truth Jesus just presented (belief as the work of God). They shift the burden of proof to Jesus, demanding an external, visible act to satisfy their spiritual hunger, which they confuse with physical hunger. Their request is less about a genuine search for truth and more about controlling the interaction, setting conditions for their faith, and seeking personal gratification or signs conforming to their own preconceived Messianic notions. It exposes their reliance on earthly reasoning and a persistent desire to dictate terms to the divine, mirroring ancient Israel's constant demands on God.
John 6 30 Bonus section
- Ironic Demand: The deep irony of their question lies in the fact that they just experienced a massive sign (feeding of the 5,000) that authenticated Jesus. Their demand implies that they either didn't see it as sufficient, or failed to properly interpret its spiritual significance.
- Testing God: Their demand for a sign, even after witnessing numerous works, parallels the wilderness generation who tested God despite seeing His mighty acts, highlighting their lack of true faith (Ps 95:9, Heb 3:9).
- Messianic Expectation: Underlying their request was a common Jewish expectation that the Messiah would repeat or even outdo Moses' miraculous provision, especially the giving of manna. They wanted a political/physical liberator who would meet their material needs and prove His authority by outward signs.
- Shift from Hearing to Seeing: Jesus emphasizes belief based on hearing His word, but the crowd reverts to demanding belief based on seeing spectacular deeds. This tension between spiritual and sensory understanding is a key theme throughout John's Gospel.
John 6 30 Commentary
John 6:30 reveals the superficiality and spiritual limitations of the crowd following Jesus. Despite having just witnessed and benefited from the miraculous feeding of thousands, they remain entrenched in a physical, conditional understanding of faith. Their demand for "What sign showest thou?" indicates a profound spiritual blindness. They sought a new, greater, or different sign, often unconsciously looking for a repeat of the Mosaic miracle of manna, as implied by subsequent verses (John 6:31). Their "what dost thou work?" questions Jesus' authority and identity, framing it within a performance-based paradigm, seeking external validation that they could empirically measure, rather than simply accepting the Son sent by God. Their desire was not for genuine relationship or truth but for signs and wonders that conformed to their expectations or served their physical needs, failing to perceive the true significance of the Christ who stood before them. It is a prime example of hardened hearts that resist simple faith despite abundant evidence.