John 6 43

John 6:43 kjv

Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

John 6:43 nkjv

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.

John 6:43 niv

"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.

John 6:43 esv

Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.

John 6:43 nlt

But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said.

John 6 verses

John 6 43 Meaning

John 6:43 presents Jesus's direct rebuke to the grumbling discontent of the Jewish people. Having declared Himself as the "Bread of Life" who descended from heaven, He knew they were privately murmuring about His claims. In this verse, Jesus directly commands them to cease their complaining, implicitly revealing that their murmuring stems from a fundamental lack of faith and understanding of His divine origin and mission, and urging them to cease their rebellious complaints.

John 6 43 Context

John chapter 6 begins with Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand people, a sign that stirred the crowds but whose deeper spiritual meaning they largely missed. They sought Jesus primarily as a provider of physical bread and a potential earthly king. Jesus then delivers His profound "Bread of Life" discourse, challenging their carnal expectations and emphasizing the spiritual nature of the true bread—Himself—who came down from heaven to give life to the world.

The immediate preceding verses, John 6:41-42, explicitly describe the "Jews" (some from the crowd, perhaps leaders from the synagogue) "murmuring concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven." Their discontent stemmed from their inability to reconcile Jesus's heavenly claims with their knowledge of His apparent earthly parents ("Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?"). Their grumbling reveals a carnal mindset that struggles to comprehend spiritual truth. Jesus's command in John 6:43 is a direct response to this deep-seated disbelief, setting the stage for His subsequent explanation that coming to Him requires divine enablement.

John 6 43 Word analysis

• Jesus: Refers to the divine Son of God, the Messiah. His authority in confronting their disquiet demonstrates His inherent awareness of their internal disposition and His position to address it directly.

• therefore: Establishes a clear logical link. Jesus's command is a direct consequence of and response to the Jews' expressed murmuring described in the preceding verses.

• answered and said: Signifies Jesus's intentional and audible communication, revealing that He not only heard their grumbling but also chose to address it forthrightly. This isn't an accidental encounter but a deliberate confrontation.

• unto them: Specifically points to "the Jews" who were previously mentioned as grumbling (John 6:41). It highlights that Jesus is speaking to those actively engaged in questioning and dissenting.

• Murmur not: The core command. The Greek word is gongyzete (γογγύζετε), the plural imperative of gongyzō (γογγύζω). This term specifically denotes a private, low, disgruntled utterance or grumbling, often conveying displeasure or discontent, typically done in secret or among a small group. It strongly echoes the repetitive complaints and rebellious grumbling of the Israelites against God and Moses during their wilderness journey (e.g., Exod 16; Num 14, 16), painting their current actions as a pattern of spiritual rebellion against divine authority and provision.

• among yourselves: Greek: met' allēlōn (μετ' ἀλλήλων). This phrase clarifies that their murmuring was not an open challenge or a reasoned discussion, but a covert and internal circulation of dissatisfaction within their own group. This shared discontent fostered unbelief and resistance, hindering the possibility of receiving divine truth individually or collectively.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "answered and said unto them, Murmur not": This segment reveals Jesus's direct and authoritative confrontation of their internal, vocalized discontent. It signifies that He perceived their inner unbelief manifesting outwardly and actively intervened, forbidding a behavior steeped in rebellion against divine will, drawing a clear boundary between acceptance and rejection.
  • "Murmur not among yourselves": This command highlights the communal nature of their disbelief. It was not isolated individual questioning but a shared, festering disgruntlement circulating within their group. Jesus addresses this collective spread of unbelief, indicating that it was obstructing their collective capacity to receive the truth and come to Him.

John 6 43 Bonus section

• Jesus's response of "Murmur not" implies His perfect knowledge of their hidden thoughts and intentions, further reinforcing His divine omnipotence and discernment, even before their words become a clear protest.
• The wilderness imagery evoked by gongyzō extends beyond just a historical parallel. It presents murmuring as a spiritual condition of resisting divine truth and failing to trust God's provision and plan, leading to separation from Him.
• This command prepares the hearers for the crucial doctrine of divine drawing (John 6:44). Jesus immediately explains why they murmur and cannot believe: no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them. Thus, their inability to believe is shown not as mere stubbornness (though that is present) but as a lack of spiritual enablement from God.

John 6 43 Commentary

John 6:43 marks Jesus's authoritative interjection into the disgruntled discussions among the Jews concerning His identity as the "Bread which came down from heaven." This "murmuring" was not merely a physical complaint but a manifestation of profound spiritual disbelief and a lack of perception. Much like Israel's complaints in the wilderness reflected their hardened hearts against God's direct provision and leadership, this murmuring by the Jews signaled their spiritual inability to accept Jesus's heavenly origin and divine nature, primarily because their carnal understanding of Him ("Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?") limited their grasp of spiritual realities. By commanding them to "Murmur not," Jesus was directly addressing their unbelief, not just their audible grumbling. He implied that such a mindset prevents one from receiving God's truth, thus setting the stage for His further teaching in the subsequent verses on the absolute necessity of being drawn and taught by the Father to truly come to Him and believe. This moment serves as a pivotal point, underscoring that faith in Jesus is a matter of divine revelation rather than human reason or earthly lineage.