John 6 32

John 6:32 kjv

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:32 nkjv

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:32 niv

Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:32 esv

Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:32 nlt

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven.

John 6 verses

John 6 32 Meaning

In John 6:32, Jesus directly confronts the crowd's flawed understanding of their history and divine provision. He clarifies that the manna, the "bread from heaven" during the wilderness wandering, was not given by Moses but was a direct provision from God the Father. Crucially, He then states that His Father is currently providing them with the "true bread from heaven," implicitly identifying Himself as this ultimate, life-sustaining bread. This verse shifts the crowd's focus from physical sustenance and human intermediaries to the Father's continuous divine giving and the superior, spiritual reality found in Jesus.

John 6 32 Context

John chapter 6 follows Jesus' miraculous feeding of over five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:1-15). This spectacular sign led the crowd to seek Him out, not necessarily for His teaching, but for more physical bread. When they found Him in Capernaum, they asked for another sign, recalling the manna given during Moses' time as a precedent for miraculous divine provision (John 6:30-31). They believed Moses provided the manna, a point Jesus directly corrects in verse 32. This verse marks the beginning of Jesus' "Bread of Life" discourse, where He systematically redefines true sustenance from a temporal, physical provision to a spiritual, eternal one, challenging the crowd's earthly focus and their misunderstanding of God's ultimate plan of salvation through Him. The historical/cultural context involves the Jewish people's longing for a messianic figure who would replicate past miracles, especially one related to manna, signifying an ideal age or even a new Exodus.

John 6 32 Word analysis

• Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν (Amēn Amēn): "Truly, truly," or "Verily, verily."
  • This unique Johannine double affirmative emphasizes the profound significance and truthfulness of Jesus' subsequent statement.
  • It signals a solemn declaration from Jesus, demanding attentive listening.
  • It underscores Jesus' divine authority and His claim to absolute truth.
• οὐ (ou): "not"
  • A strong negative particle, explicitly negating the crowd's assumption.
  • It sets up a direct contrast to clarify a misunderstanding.
• Μωϋσῆς (Mōysēs): "Moses"
  • Refers to the great lawgiver and deliverer of Israel.
  • The crowd mistakenly attributed the gift of manna directly to him, reflecting a common veneration of Moses that sometimes overlooked God's ultimate sovereignty.
  • Jesus challenges this attribution to correct their historical and theological perspective.
• δέδωκεν (dedōken): "gave" (perfect tense of didōmi)
  • Perfect tense, indicating an action completed in the past with ongoing results or relevance to the present situation.
  • "It was not Moses who has given or is the giver of that bread from heaven."
• ὑμῖν (hymin): "you" (dative plural)
  • Refers to the Jewish crowd, representatives of Israel who benefited from the manna.
• τὸν ἄρτον (ton arton): "the bread"
  • Refers to the manna. The definite article points to the specific bread they were discussing.
• ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (ek tou ouranou): "from heaven"
  • Signifies divine origin, not necessarily a physical heaven, but as coming from God's realm.
  • Manna was not a product of earthly means but sent by God.
  • Jesus uses this phrase to elevate the concept to His own heavenly origin and divine source.
• ἀλλά (alla): "but"
  • Introduces a strong contrast, shifting the focus to the true agent.
• ὁ Πατήρ μου (ho Patēr mou): "My Father"
  • Jesus asserts God's direct paternity to Himself.
  • This is a foundational claim for Jesus' identity and mission throughout John's Gospel.
  • It points to God as the ultimate, direct provider of all good gifts.
• δίδωσιν (didōsin): "gives" (present tense of didōmi)
  • Present tense, indicating a continuous and ongoing action.
  • In contrast to Moses' past action concerning the manna, the Father is continually giving the true bread.
  • This signifies a current and continuous divine provision of life.
• τὸν ἀληθινὸν (ton alēthinon): "the true"
  • (alēthinos means genuine, real, authentic, ultimate).
  • It contrasts with aléthēs (true in fact). Here, it implies not that the manna was false, but that it was a type or shadow pointing to a greater reality.
  • Jesus is not just a bread from heaven, but the true, ultimate, and essential bread from heaven. He is the genuine article, the fulfillment of the manna's prophetic significance.
  • It sets Jesus apart as the spiritual reality foreshadowed by the physical provision.

John 6 32 Bonus section

The phrase "bread from heaven" was laden with expectation for the Jewish people, stemming from their wilderness experience. They longed for a new Moses who would repeat such signs, expecting another physical miracle. Jesus, however, pivots their understanding, indicating that while God did provide in the past, He now offers a provision that is qualitatively superior – the "true bread" – that meets an even deeper spiritual hunger. The shift from Moses as the perceived giver to the Father as the true Giver also elevates the entire discourse from human agency to divine initiative. It implies that true divine provision is always rooted in the Father's love and will. This passage highlights the tension in John's Gospel between immediate physical needs and ultimate spiritual realities, and Jesus' consistent aim to redirect attention from superficial understanding to deeper truth.

John 6 32 Commentary

Jesus here masterfully corrects a historical misconception and simultaneously introduces a profound theological truth. The crowd credited Moses with the manna, failing to see God as the true Giver. Jesus debunks this by clarifying God's sole agency in providing the manna, subtly implying Moses' secondary role. This sets the stage for the pivotal claim that follows: not only did the Father give the manna, but He is now giving the "true bread from heaven," which is Jesus Himself. The manna was a physical sustenance that sustained life temporarily; it pointed beyond itself. The "true bread," Jesus, offers eternal life and satisfies spiritually. This verse thus initiates a fundamental reorientation from temporal, physical, and historical forms of provision to the eternal, spiritual, and ultimate provision found in God through Christ. It teaches that God is the source of all blessings, both material and spiritual, but especially the ultimate blessing of salvation.Example: The temporary filling of an empty stomach by food compared to the lasting spiritual satisfaction found in Christ's word and presence.