John 6:35 kjv
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 6:35 nkjv
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:35 niv
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35 esv
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35 nlt
Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6 35 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 16:35 | The people of Israel ate the manna forty years... | Manna as physical bread from heaven. |
| Deut 8:3 | Man does not live on bread alone but on every word... | Emphasis on spiritual sustenance over physical. |
| Neh 9:15 | You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger... | God's provision of manna for Israel. |
| Ps 42:1-2 | As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God... | Thirst for God's presence. |
| Ps 63:1 | O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you... | Deep spiritual longing for God. |
| Ps 78:24-25 | He rained down manna for them to eat and gave them grain of heaven... | Manna as "food of angels." |
| Isa 55:1-2 | Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters... | Invitation to find spiritual satisfaction. |
| Amos 8:11 | Not a famine of bread...but of hearing the words of the LORD. | Spiritual hunger as a lack of God's word. |
| Matt 4:4 | Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. | Jesus quoting Deut 8:3, prioritizing spiritual. |
| Matt 5:6 | Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. | Beatitude on spiritual seeking. |
| John 4:13-14 | Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. | Jesus as the source of eternal spiritual drink. |
| John 5:40 | Yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life. | Importance of "coming to Jesus" for life. |
| John 6:27 | Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures... | Contrast between perishing and enduring food. |
| John 6:48 | I am the bread of life. | Repeated "I AM" claim of being life's bread. |
| John 6:51 | I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. | Jesus as living, eternal spiritual food. |
| John 7:37 | If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. | Invitation to those who thirst to come to Him. |
| John 8:12 | I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness... | Another "I AM" claim, related to spiritual truth. |
| John 10:7 | I am the door of the sheep. | Another "I AM" claim, for salvation. |
| John 10:11 | I am the good shepherd. | Another "I AM" claim, for guidance and care. |
| John 11:25 | I am the resurrection and the life. | Another "I AM" claim, power over death. |
| John 14:6 | I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. | Another "I AM" claim, exclusive path to God. |
| John 15:1 | I am the true vine. | Another "I AM" claim, source of spiritual fruit. |
| Rev 7:16 | They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore... | Future state of ultimate satisfaction in God's presence. |
| Rev 22:17 | The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come... | Final invitation to come for life and drink. |
John 6 verses
John 6 35 Meaning
John 6:35 proclaims Jesus as the source of eternal spiritual sustenance and satisfaction. He asserts His divine identity as the "bread of life," meaning He provides enduring spiritual nourishment necessary for true life, which contrasts with perishing physical food. By coming to Him and believing in Him, individuals find their deepest spiritual longings for meaning, truth, and peace completely satisfied, thus ending their spiritual hunger and thirst forever. This verse signifies the profound, exclusive, and lasting spiritual fulfillment found solely in Jesus Christ.
John 6 35 Context
John 6:35 is central to Jesus' "Bread of Life" discourse, delivered after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand. The multitude had followed Jesus, primarily seeking more physical food (John 6:26). Jesus then elevates the conversation from perishing physical bread to the "food that endures to eternal life" (John 6:27). The crowd initially requested a sign like manna, the bread from heaven that Moses' generation ate in the wilderness, as proof of His Messiahship (John 6:30-31). Jesus directly counters this by identifying Himself as the true "bread from heaven" whom the Father gives (John 6:32-33), surpassing the temporal manna. Verse 35 initiates a deeper explanation of how He is this bread, emphasizing coming and believing in Him as the means to partake in this spiritual nourishment. The discourse challenges their understanding of the Messiah and their preoccupation with temporal benefits over spiritual salvation.
John 6 35 Word analysis
- And Jesus said to them: Establishes Jesus as the speaker, addressing the Jewish crowd from the previous interaction regarding physical bread. It signifies a direct, authoritative declaration.
- "I am" (Greek: Egō Eimi - ἐγὼ εἰμί): This is one of the profound "I AM" statements of Jesus in John's Gospel. It echoes the divine name YHWH from Exo 3:14 ("I AM WHO I AM"), asserting Jesus' divinity, self-existence, and identification with God. It is a direct claim of His absolute being and authority.
- the bread of life (Greek: ho artos tēs zoēs - ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς): This signifies Jesus as the ultimate spiritual sustenance. "Bread" implies basic necessity for life, while "of life" means the source and giver of true, eternal life. He provides the nourishment for the soul, in contrast to the temporal manna in the wilderness.
- whoever comes to Me (Greek: pas ho erchomenos pros eme - πᾶς ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρός ἐμε): This emphasizes a personal, volitional action. "Comes" implies active seeking, approaching, and reliance. It is an invitation without exclusion based on background, only on response.
- shall not hunger (Greek: ou mē peinasē - οὐ μὴ πεινάσῃ): This is a strong double negative in Greek, signifying an emphatic and eternal assurance. It means "certainly will not" or "will never" hunger. It promises permanent and complete satisfaction of spiritual needs, cravings, and emptiness.
- and whoever believes in Me (Greek: kai ho pisteuōn eis eme - καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ): This phrase is parallel to "comes to Me," demonstrating that true coming involves believing. "Believes in" (pisteuōn eis) denotes a trust that extends beyond mere intellectual assent, involving full reliance and commitment to Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God.
- shall never thirst (Greek: ou mē dipsēsē - οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ): Again, a strong double negative, paralleling "shall not hunger." It promises an equally complete and lasting satisfaction of spiritual longing, desire, and yearning for fulfillment.
- "I am the bread of life": This central metaphor directly contrasts Jesus with physical sustenance. It speaks to humanity's deepest need—not for food, but for God, for purpose, and for eternal meaning, all found in Him. It’s a claim to be the divine provision for all spiritual needs.
- "whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst": These parallel phrases link two crucial responses (coming and believing) to two promised outcomes (no hunger, no thirst). This indicates that saving faith in Christ results in the permanent fulfillment of the soul, removing all spiritual deficiencies and unsatisfied longings. It emphasizes that this provision is for anyone who genuinely approaches Him in faith.
John 6 35 Bonus section
This verse carries significant polemical weight, challenging contemporary Jewish understanding. Many in the crowd expected the Messiah to bring an era of renewed physical prosperity, perhaps even a miraculous return of manna. Jesus' declaration steers them away from carnal expectations towards spiritual reality. He claims a divine attribute, for only God can satisfy the deepest yearnings of the human heart, and only God provides true life. His use of "I AM" implicitly draws a contrast with Moses, presenting Himself as superior to the Lawgiver and the true giver of "bread from heaven." This teaching profoundly redefines spiritual provision and Messianic identity, asserting Jesus' essential role as the sustainer of spiritual life for all who turn to Him in faith.
John 6 35 Commentary
John 6:35 is a profound declaration by Jesus, positioning Himself as the unique and sole answer to humanity's deepest spiritual needs. The "bread of life" imagery draws upon the wilderness experience of manna, but elevates it dramatically: unlike the manna which only sustained physical life and ultimately did not prevent death, Jesus offers Himself as the spiritual sustenance that grants eternal life and truly satisfies the soul's hunger and thirst. This is not merely an offer of temporal comfort but a promise of complete and unending spiritual fulfillment, resolving the fundamental human yearning for meaning, righteousness, and a relationship with God. Coming to Him signifies an active response of faith and reliance, recognizing Him as the ultimate source of spiritual vitality. Those who engage in this saving belief receive a permanent remedy for their spiritual emptiness, highlighting the exclusivity and sufficiency of Christ for eternal well-being.