John 6 41

John 6:41 kjv

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

John 6:41 nkjv

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."

John 6:41 niv

At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

John 6:41 esv

So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

John 6:41 nlt

Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

John 6 verses

John 6 41 Meaning

John 6:41 states that "The Jews then murmured about Him, because He said, 'I am the bread that came down out of heaven.'" This verse marks the immediate hostile reaction of the Jewish audience to Jesus' profound claim about His divine origin and nature as the spiritual sustainer of life. Their discontent stemmed from their inability to reconcile His humble earthly origins with His exalted identity as the Bread from Heaven, a clear echo of the manna given by God in the wilderness.

John 6 41 Context

John chapter 6 begins with Jesus miraculously feeding over five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish. This astounding physical provision leads the crowd to seek Him, primarily motivated by the desire for more food, hoping for a continuing miraculous supply. Jesus then shifts the discourse from physical bread to spiritual sustenance, instructing them not to labor for perishable food but for the food that endures to eternal life. In the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus engages in the "Bread of Life" discourse, directly declaring Himself to be the true bread that comes down from heaven, a greater provision than the manna given by Moses. John 6:41 is a pivotal point within this extended dialogue, immediately following Jesus' claims of being the bread of life and the Father's will for eternal life through Him. The Jewish audience's murmuring marks their escalating disbelief and objection to Jesus' bold claims of heavenly origin and identity, setting the stage for the more direct confrontation in the subsequent verses (Jn 6:42).

John 6 41 Word analysis

• The Jews (οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, hoi Ioudaioi): In John's Gospel, this term often refers not to all ethnic Jews but specifically to the religious leaders or those segments of the populace who oppose Jesus and reject His claims. They represent the established religious order and their rigid understanding of God's ways, leading them into conflict with Jesus' new revelation.
• then murmured (ἐγόγγυζον, egóggyson): The imperfect tense indicates a continuous or repeated action. This word evokes the persistent complaints and grumbling of the Israelites against God and Moses in the wilderness, particularly concerning manna and water (Exod 15:24; 16:2; Num 14:2). It signifies spiritual dissatisfaction, disbelief, and a rejection of divine authority, echoing ancient rebellions.
• about Him (περὶ αὐτοῦ, peri autou): Jesus Himself is the specific object of their discontent and internal questioning. Their murmuring is directed against His person and what He is asserting.
• because (ὅτι, hoti): Introduces the reason for their murmuring. It is a direct cause-and-effect relationship, highlighting that Jesus' very words provoked their indignation.
• He said (εἶπεν, eípen): A simple statement indicating a direct quote or report of Jesus' previous declaration. It emphasizes that their reaction is to Jesus' specific words.
• 'I am (Ἐγώ εἰμι, Egó eimi): This is a significant "I AM" statement by Jesus, pointing to His divine nature and oneness with the Father. It is an echo of God's self-revelation to Moses ("I AM WHO I AM," Exod 3:14) and implies eternal pre-existence and authority.
• the bread (ὁ ἄρτος, ho artos): Referring back to the manna in the wilderness and the previous physical feeding miracle, Jesus claims to be the true, ultimate, and life-sustaining spiritual nourishment. This implies His essential role in humanity's spiritual survival.
• that came down (ὁ καταβὰς, ho katabas): The perfect participle signifies a completed action with continuing results, emphasizing Jesus' active, definitive descent from a heavenly realm. It implies His divine origin, pre-existence, and His purposeful advent into the human sphere.
• out of heaven' (ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ek tou ouranou): Explicitly states the divine and supernatural source of Jesus. This directly counters their understanding of His perceived earthly origins, revealing a conflict between their natural understanding and the spiritual truth of His identity.

• The Jews... murmured: This phrase signals the underlying animosity and spiritual resistance of this particular group. Their murmuring is not an open, direct confrontation yet, but a private, simmering discontent, typical of rejection rooted in unbelief and lack of spiritual insight.
• because He said, 'I am the bread... from heaven': This grouping reveals the precise reason for their agitation. Jesus' claim to heavenly origin challenges their traditional views and His perceived status as merely a carpenter's son from Nazareth. His 'I AM' claim points to His divinity, which was offensive to them.

John 6 41 Bonus section

The concept of "murmuring" (Greek: gongyzō) carries a weighty historical context from the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), where it frequently describes Israel's rebellion and lack of faith against God's providence, often resulting in divine judgment. By using this term, John's Gospel implicitly likens the Jewish rejection of Jesus to the ancient Israelites' rejection of Moses and God's provision. This implies a repeated pattern of spiritual shortsightedness and unbelief when faced with God's direct self-revelation. The inability of "the Jews" to perceive beyond Jesus' human family (Jn 6:42) shows a profound spiritual deafness, preventing them from understanding the true identity and divine mission of the Christ.

John 6 41 Commentary

John 6:41 vividly captures the moment of escalating tension between Jesus and the unbelieving segment of the Jewish populace, characterized in John's Gospel as "the Jews." Their "murmuring" echoes the repeated grumbling of ancient Israel in the wilderness, signifying a deeply entrenched spiritual dissatisfaction and rebellion against divine revelation. They perceived Jesus' statement—"I am the bread that came down out of heaven"—as scandalous, an intolerable claim of divinity from someone they believed to be merely an ordinary man from Nazareth, the son of Joseph (Jn 6:42).

This verse highlights a fundamental clash between physical, earthly understanding and spiritual, heavenly truth. The crowd was seeking a new Moses who would provide physical bread, while Jesus offered Himself as the true, spiritual bread for eternal life. Their offense stemmed from His profound declaration of pre-existence and divine origin ("came down out of heaven"), a claim of a heavenly, spiritual existence prior to His physical birth. They struggled to reconcile His human appearance with such an astounding heavenly identity. The irony lies in their literal interpretation, as they were the spiritual descendants of those who received the miraculous Manna yet failed to grasp the deeper, spiritual meaning of God's ultimate provision now before them in Jesus. This murmuring reveals spiritual blindness and sets the stage for further hardened disbelief and departure later in the chapter.