John 6 51

John 6:51 kjv

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:51 nkjv

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

John 6:51 niv

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

John 6:51 esv

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

John 6:51 nlt

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh."

John 6 verses

John 6 51 Meaning

John 6:51 declares Jesus as the divine and vital source of eternal life for all humanity. He presents Himself as the "living bread" sent from heaven, contrasting with the temporary manna given in the wilderness. The verse culminates in the profound statement that this life-giving bread is His own flesh, indicating His impending sacrificial death as the means for the world to receive everlasting life through faith and spiritual assimilation of His redemptive work.

John 6 51 Context

John chapter 6 begins with the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, establishing Jesus as a provider akin to Moses. This event leads to the crowd seeking Jesus for more physical bread, but He redirects their focus to spiritual nourishment. The "Bread of Life" discourse follows, wherein Jesus progressively reveals His identity and purpose as the true sustenance from God. The Jewish listeners repeatedly misinterpret Jesus, expecting a literal, earthly, Manna-like provider or even debating His human origins. John 6:51 builds upon Jesus's previous "I AM the Bread of Life" declarations (vv. 35, 48), culminating in the explicit and shocking statement about giving His flesh. This statement is delivered within the Capernaum synagogue, causing further confusion and division among the hearers who struggled with its spiritual, yet bodily, implications. The historical context includes the Jewish expectation of a prophet like Moses, who would again provide manna, making Jesus's claims both intriguing and deeply offensive when they veered into His unique divinity and sacrifice.

John 6 51 Word analysis

• I am (Greek: Egō eimi - Ἐγώ εἰμι): This phrase echoes the divine self-declaration of God to Moses in Ex 3:14 ("I AM WHO I AM"). In John, Jesus uses Egō eimi seven times as absolute divine claims (e.g., "I am the bread of life," "I am the light of the world"), asserting His pre-existence, deity, and unique identity with God the Father.
• the living bread (Greek: ho artos ho zōn - ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν): "Living" (zōn) signifies inherent vitality, an active, dynamic, life-giving quality. This contrasts sharply with the manna, which, though from heaven, was physical and temporary, allowing people to die (Jn 6:49). Jesus offers not mere sustenance but spiritual, eternal life.
• that came down from heaven (Greek: ho ek tou ouranou katabas - ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς): This emphasizes Jesus's divine origin and pre-existence, His heavenly identity. He is not of earthly origin, underscoring His unique authority and ability to grant eternal life, a gift not attainable from human or earthly sources.
• If anyone eats (Greek: ean tis phagy - ἐάν τις φάγῃ): "Eats" here is metaphorical, not literal consumption of flesh in a physical sense. It implies believing, receiving, trusting, assimilating, and drawing life from Jesus. It requires active faith and a spiritual appropriation of His person and work. The subjunctive mood ("if he eats") implies a condition – this life is granted to those who fulfill this spiritual act.
• of this bread (Greek: ek toutou tou artou - ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου): Referring back to Himself as the "living bread." The act of eating involves receiving Christ as the very essence of spiritual sustenance.
• he will live forever (Greek: zēsei eis ton aiōna - ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα): "Live" (zēsei) indicates continued, enduring existence. "Forever" (eis ton aiōna) points to eternity, emphasizing spiritual, unending life beyond physical death. This is the promised result of spiritual feeding upon Christ.
• And the bread that I will give (Greek: kai ho artos... hon egō dōsō - καὶ ὁ ἄρτος... ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω): This anticipates a future act of giving, pointing directly to His ultimate sacrifice on the cross. It foreshadows His voluntary offering of Himself.
• for the life of the world is my flesh (Greek: hyper tēs tou kosmou zōēs estin mou hē sarx - ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς ἐστιν μου ἡ σάρξ):
  • for the life of the world (hyper tēs tou kosmou zōēs): The purpose of His giving is to bring "life" (zōē) to the entire "world" (kosmos), indicating the universal scope of His salvific work.
  • is my flesh (estin mou hē sarx): "Flesh" (sarx) signifies His full humanity, the tangible reality of His incarnate body. This is the crucial identification: the spiritual "living bread" is realized through His physical body given as a sacrifice. It connects His identity as the Bread of Life with His impending death on the cross, the ultimate act of self-giving. This prefigures the Lord's Supper and underscores that His humanity, offered up in sacrifice, is the means by which eternal life is secured.

John 6 51 Bonus section

The shock and confusion among Jesus's listeners regarding "eating His flesh" (John 6:52-53) highlights the profound distinction between literal and spiritual understanding. While some later traditions would develop the Lord's Supper into varying degrees of real presence, Jesus's emphasis throughout the discourse, particularly in verse 63 ("It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life"), clarifies that the essence of "eating" is a spiritual, faith-driven reception of His message and His person. The phrase also serves as a strong polemic against the Jewish preoccupation with earthly food and rituals that could not truly confer eternal life; Jesus offers a radical, personal, and transformative reality. His descent from heaven, specifically emphasized, reinforces that this unique life is from God alone, not achievable through human effort or conventional religious practices.

John 6 51 Commentary

John 6:51 marks a critical intensification in Jesus's Bread of Life discourse. Moving beyond the general assertion of being "the bread," He specifies that this life-giving sustenance is His flesh. This declaration, made before His crucifixion, implicitly foretells His sacrificial death as the necessary act to grant eternal life. "Eating" His flesh is not cannibalistic, but a profound spiritual metaphor for accepting Him entirely – believing in His redemptive work, assimilating His truth, and embracing His atoning sacrifice. It means making His life and death foundational to one's own existence. This spiritual nourishment empowers believers to "live forever" not just quantitatively but qualitatively, entering into unending fellowship with God. This verse links Christ's identity, His mission, and the method of salvation through His unique, incarnate self-offering for the life of the entire world. It foreshadows the New Covenant established in His blood, commemorated in the breaking of bread and drinking of wine.