John 6:42 kjv
And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
John 6:42 nkjv
And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
John 6:42 niv
They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
John 6:42 esv
They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
John 6:42 nlt
They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
John 6 42 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 7:41 | "Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?" | Fulfills question about origin |
| John 1:46 | "And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see." | Similar doubt about Nazareth |
| Isaiah 53:2 | "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." | Prophecy of humble origin |
| Psalm 22:6 | "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people." | Messianic suffering and rejection |
| Matthew 13:55 | "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" | Exact same question and context |
| Mark 6:3 | "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him." | Parallel account confirming familiarity |
| Luke 4:22 | "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" | Witnesses amazed, yet doubted origin |
| Hebrews 4:15 | "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." | Jesus' humanity and temptation |
| 1 Corinthians 1:23 | "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness;" | Offense of the cross and origin |
| Deuteronomy 18:15 | "The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren,, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;" | Expectation of a prophet from Israel |
| Genesis 3:15 | "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." | Protoevangelium, promise of Redeemer |
| Micah 5:2 | "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose coming forth have been from of old from everlasting." | Prophecy of Bethlehem as origin |
| John 7:27 | "Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is." | Jewish expectation of hidden origin |
| 1 John 5:20 | "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." | True knowledge of Christ's identity |
| Philippians 2:6-7 | "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" | Humility and incarnation |
| Romans 9:5 | "Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." | Christ's humanity and divine nature |
| Ephesians 3:15 | "Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named," | Christ's connection to all families |
| John 6:38 | "For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." | Christ's heavenly origin |
| John 1:14 | "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." | Incarnation of the divine Word |
| 1 Timothy 3:16 | "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." | Mystery of the God-man |
John 6 verses
John 6 42 Meaning
The people present with Jesus in Nazareth questioned His identity, stating they knew Him as the son of Mary, the carpenter's son. They found it unfathomable that Jesus could be from Nazareth given His current pronouncements and miraculous deeds. Their familiarity with His earthly origins hindered their spiritual acceptance of His divine claims and authority.
John 6 42 Context
This verse occurs in Jesus' discourse in the synagogue at Nazareth. He had just read from Isaiah 61, identifying Himself as the fulfillment of that prophecy. The people who knew Him intimately reacted with disbelief and offense due to His humble origins and familiar upbringing. They could not reconcile the Messiah with the son of a local carpenter, a man they had known from childhood. This demonstrates the challenge Jesus faced in being accepted by those who were closest to Him, highlighting a common theme of prophets being rejected in their hometowns.
John 6 42 Word Analysis
- And (Καὶ - kai): A conjunction, used to connect clauses and ideas. Here, it connects their question to their knowledge.
- they (αὐτοὶ - autoi): Emphasizes "they themselves," referring to the listeners.
- said (ἔλεγον - elegon): Imperfect tense, indicating a continuous or repeated statement of disbelief and questioning.
- Is (Οὐχ - ouch): A strong negation, "Is it not...?"
- not (οὗτος - houtos): "This one." Refers to Jesus.
- this (Ἰωσὴφ - Ioseph): Joseph. Refers to Jesus as Joseph's son.
- Joseph's (viὸς - hyios): Son. Indicates direct lineage or recognized parentage.
- son? (εἰδὲ οὐκ οὗτος ὁ τεχνίτης, ὁ υἱὸς Μαρίας, ἀδελφὸς δὲ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Ἰούδα καὶ Σίμωνος;) - This is part of a longer quoted section by some manuscripts, reflecting their intimate knowledge of Jesus' earthly family.
- word-group analysis: The phrase "Is not this Joseph's son?" encapsulates the core of their disbelief. It's not a theological challenge about God's power, but a societal and familial objection based on His known human origin. They relied on carnal knowledge, not spiritual discernment.
John 6 42 Bonus Section
The objection from Jesus' hometown is a pattern seen in Scripture. Prophets, and indeed Jesus Himself, were often received with skepticism or outright rejection by those who knew them best. This familiar context paradoxically prevented them from seeing the divine in their midst. This episode illustrates the "stumbling block" of Christ's humanity for those expecting a solely glorious, untainted Messiah, contrasting with prophecies foretelling His suffering and humble origins. It speaks to a need for spiritual eyes to see beyond earthly appearances.
John 6 42 Commentary
The rejection Jesus experienced in Nazareth underscores a perennial human struggle: accepting the extraordinary within the ordinary. People often have preconceived notions of where God's power should originate, and when it appears in humble or familiar circumstances, they dismiss it. This verse highlights that our perceived understanding of someone's background can become a barrier to recognizing God's present work through them. Their offense stemmed from their inability to separate the divine mission of Christ from the earthly familiarity of Jesus of Nazareth.