1
Μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς Γαλιλαίας τῆς Τιβεριάδος.
After these things Jesus went away across the sea of Galilee, that of Tiberias.
2
⸂ἠκολούθει δὲ⸃ αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολύς, ὅτι ⸀ἐθεώρουν τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐποίει ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσθενούντων.
And a large crowd was following him, because they were seeing the signs he was doing on those who were sick.
3
ἀνῆλθεν δὲ εἰς τὸ ⸀ὄρος Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐκάθητο μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ.
And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he was sitting with his disciples.
4
ἦν δὲ ἐγγὺς τὸ πάσχα, ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων.
Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.
5
ἐπάρας οὖν ⸂τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς⸃ καὶ θεασάμενος ὅτι πολὺς ὄχλος ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγει ⸀πρὸς Φίλιππον· Πόθεν ⸀ἀγοράσωμεν ἄρτους ἵνα φάγωσιν οὗτοι;
So Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd is coming to him, says to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread so that these may eat?”
6
τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν πειράζων αὐτόν, αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλεν ποιεῖν.
He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was about to do.
7
ἀπεκρίθη ⸀αὐτῷ Φίλιππος· Διακοσίων δηναρίων ἄρτοι οὐκ ἀρκοῦσιν αὐτοῖς ἵνα ⸀ἕκαστος βραχύ ⸀τι λάβῃ.
Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not enough for them, that each might take a little.”
8
λέγει αὐτῷ εἷς ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου·
One of his disciples, Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, says to him,
9
Ἔστιν ⸀παιδάριον ὧδε ⸀ὃς ἔχει πέντε ἄρτους κριθίνους καὶ δύο ὀψάρια· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τί ἐστιν εἰς τοσούτους;
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these among so many?”
10
⸀εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ποιήσατε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀναπεσεῖν. ἦν δὲ χόρτος πολὺς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ. ἀνέπεσαν οὖν οἱ ἄνδρες τὸν ἀριθμὸν ⸀ὡς πεντακισχίλιοι.
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
11
ἔλαβεν ⸀οὖν τοὺς ἄρτους ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ⸀διέδωκεν τοῖς ἀνακειμένοις, ὁμοίως καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀψαρίων ὅσον ἤθελον.
Then Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks he distributed them to those reclining, and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
12
ὡς δὲ ἐνεπλήσθησαν λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· Συναγάγετε τὰ περισσεύσαντα κλάσματα, ἵνα μή τι ἀπόληται.
And when they were filled he says to his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”
13
συνήγαγον οὖν, καὶ ἐγέμισαν δώδεκα κοφίνους κλασμάτων ἐκ τῶν πέντε ἄρτων τῶν κριθίνων ἃ ⸀ἐπερίσσευσαν τοῖς βεβρωκόσιν.
So they gathered them, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.
14
οἱ οὖν ἄνθρωποι ἰδόντες ⸂ὃ ἐποίησεν σημεῖον⸃ ⸀ἔλεγον ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης ὁ ἐρχόμενος εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
So when the people saw the sign he had done, they were saying, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.”
15
Ἰησοῦς οὖν γνοὺς ὅτι μέλλουσιν ἔρχεσθαι καὶ ἁρπάζειν αὐτὸν ἵνα ⸀ποιήσωσιν βασιλέα ἀνεχώρησεν ⸀πάλιν εἰς τὸ ὄρος αὐτὸς μόνος.
So Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize him to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain, himself alone.
16
Ὡς δὲ ὀψία ἐγένετο κατέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν,
And when evening came his disciples went down to the sea,
17
καὶ ἐμβάντες ⸀εἰς πλοῖον ἤρχοντο πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης εἰς Καφαρναούμ. καὶ σκοτία ἤδη ἐγεγόνει καὶ ⸀οὔπω ἐληλύθει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς,
and having embarked in a boat they were going across the sea to Capernaum. And darkness had already come, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18
ἥ τε θάλασσα ἀνέμου μεγάλου πνέοντος ⸀διεγείρετο.
And the sea was rising, a great wind blowing.
19
ἐληλακότες οὖν ὡς σταδίους εἴκοσι πέντε ἢ τριάκοντα θεωροῦσιν τὸν Ἰησοῦν περιπατοῦντα ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ πλοίου γινόμενον, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν.
So when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they see Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were afraid.
20
ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ἐγώ εἰμι, μὴ φοβεῖσθε.
But he says to them, “I am; do not be afraid.”
21
ἤθελον οὖν λαβεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ εὐθέως ⸂ἐγένετο τὸ πλοῖον⸃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς ἣν ὑπῆγον.
So they were willing to take him into the boat, and at once the boat was at the land to which they were going.
22
Τῇ ἐπαύριον ὁ ὄχλος ὁ ἑστηκὼς πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης ⸀εἶδον ὅτι πλοιάριον ἄλλο οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖ εἰ μὴ ⸀ἕν, καὶ ὅτι οὐ συνεισῆλθεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ⸀πλοῖον ἀλλὰ μόνοι οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον·
On the next day the crowd standing across the sea saw that there had been no other small boat there except one, and that Jesus had not gone with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had gone away alone.
23
⸀ἀλλὰ ἦλθεν ⸀πλοιάρια ἐκ Τιβεριάδος ἐγγὺς τοῦ τόπου ὅπου ἔφαγον τὸν ἄρτον εὐχαριστήσαντος τοῦ κυρίου.
But boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
24
ὅτε οὖν εἶδεν ὁ ὄχλος ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ οὐδὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐνέβησαν αὐτοὶ εἰς τὰ ⸀πλοιάρια καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ ζητοῦντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν.
So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves embarked in the boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
25
Καὶ εὑρόντες αὐτὸν πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης εἶπον αὐτῷ· Ῥαββί, πότε ὧδε γέγονας;
And finding him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτέ με οὐχ ὅτι εἴδετε σημεῖα ἀλλ’ ὅτι ἐφάγετε ἐκ τῶν ἄρτων καὶ ἐχορτάσθητε·
Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw signs but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
27
ἐργάζεσθε μὴ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην ἀλλὰ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἣν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑμῖν δώσει, τοῦτον γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐσφράγισεν ὁ θεός.
Work not for the food that perishes but for the food that remains to life eternal, which the Son of Man will give you; for on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
Why this rendering
John.6.27 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐσφράγισεν is the aorist of σφραγίζω, the same verb as at 3:33. In John the word occurs only in those two places. βρῶσις appears twice in this verse, each time followed by an articular participle — τὴν ἀπολλυμένην, that perishes, and τὴν μένουσαν, that remains. μένω is the word GLOSSARY fixed in chapter 1.
Rendering options · 2
on him God the Father has put his seal of approval
Basis Unpacks the seal into approval or certification.
Rejected This was already set aside at 3:33. The two places share a verb; unpacking one splits the word inside the corpus. The Japanese Shinkyōdōyaku renders 3:33 as 確認 and 6:27 as 認証, erasing the seal in both — consistent, but consistently without the picture.
Adopted for on him the Father, God, has set his seal
Basis Same word as 3:33, so the same rendering. 개역한글 already matches the two with 인쳤느니라 and 인치신 자.
Lost in translation
the link between the two σφραγίζω passages At 3:33 a person sets a seal on God; at 6:27 God sets a seal on the Son. One word runs in both directions. Unpacking either as “confirm” hides the pair.
Survives in · 개역한글 / KJV / NASB / ESV / VULG / ELB / SYNOD
28
εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν· Τί ποιῶμεν ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ;
So they said toward him, “What are we to do, that we may work the works of God?”
29
ἀπεκρίθη ⸀ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ ἵνα ⸀πιστεύητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος.
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”
30
εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ· Τί οὖν ποιεῖς σὺ σημεῖον, ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ πιστεύσωμέν σοι; τί ἐργάζῃ;
So they said to him, “What sign then do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
31
οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν τὸ μάννα ἔφαγον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καθώς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον· Ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς φαγεῖν.
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”
32
εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ Μωϋσῆς ⸀δέδωκεν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλ’ ὁ πατήρ μου δίδωσιν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀληθινόν·
So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven; but my Father is giving you the true bread out of heaven.
Why this rendering
John.6.32 Hypothesis
Syntactic observation
The same verb δίδωμι occurs twice in one sentence with different tenses. Moses gets δέδωκεν, a perfect; the Father gets δίδωσιν, a present. “Gave, and that is done” stands against “is giving.” The citation in v.31 used ἔδωκεν, an aorist, so Jesus' answer takes up the quotation and shifts its tense. **SBLGNT marks a variant (⸀) at δέδωκεν itself.** The aspectual contrast therefore rests on a point where the text divides. If some manuscripts read an aorist rather than a perfect, only the contrast of time remains. We follow the base text and record the fact here.
Rendering options · 2
it was not Moses who gave, but my Father gives
Basis Renders with a Korean past and present.
Rejected A perfect is not a simple past; it says the giving stands completed. Here it is used to show that the result is already finished, so a simple past leaves only a contrast of time and drops the contrast of aspect.
Adopted It was not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven; but my Father is giving you the true bread out of heaven.
Basis Renders perfect and present apart so the aspectual contrast stands. YLT has “hath given / doth give”, Elberfelder “hat gegeben / gibt”.
Lost in translation
perfect against present An aspectual contrast inside one sentence. Flattening both to past and present leaves only when, not whether it is finished or ongoing. It is the same kind of decision as separating ἦν from ἐγένετο in chapter 1.
Survives in · YLT / KJV / NASB / ESV / ELB
33
ὁ γὰρ ἄρτος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ.
For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
34
εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν· Κύριε, πάντοτε δὸς ἡμῖν τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον.
So they said toward him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35
⸀Εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς· ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρὸς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ πεινάσῃ, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ⸀ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ ⸀διψήσει πώποτε.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one coming to me will never hunger, and the one believing in me will never thirst.
Why this rendering
John.6.35 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἐγώ εἰμι here takes an articular predicate — ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς. At 4:26 Ἐγώ εἰμι had no predicate, and in this chapter 6:20 again has none. So the Gospel carries both forms, and chapter 6 is the first place where the two stand in one chapter. The same predicate returns at 6:48 and 6:51, and at 6:41 the Jews quote the saying back. SBLGNT places three variant marks in this verse — ⸀Εἶπεν, ⸀ἐμὲ and ⸀διψήσει.
Rendering options · 2
I am the bread of life
Basis Uses the settled Korean rendering 떡.
Rejected In Korean 떡 names a rice cake, which does not match the manna, the barley loaves and the eating that run through the chapter. Rendering ἄρτους κριθίνους at 6:9 as 보리떡 changes the object.
Adopted I am the bread of life; the one coming to me will never hunger, and the one believing in me will never thirst.
Basis Rendering ἄρτος as bread keeps one word from the barley loaves of 6:9 through 6:58. Ἐγώ εἰμι is the form met at 4:26, rendered so that the predicateless occurrences such as 6:20 stay visible as the same phrase.
Lost in translation
the link to the bare Ἐγώ εἰμι 6:20 has no predicate and 6:35 does. Most versions render 6:20 as “It is I”, making the two different sentences. The reader then cannot see one phrase recurring in two forms.
Survives in · VULG
36
ἀλλ’ εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι καὶ ἑωράκατέ με καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε.
But I said to you that you have both seen me and do not believe.
37
πᾶν ὃ δίδωσίν μοι ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἥξει, καὶ τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρός ⸀με οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω,
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one coming to me I will never cast out,
38
ὅτι καταβέβηκα ⸀ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με·
because I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
39
τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός ⸀με ἵνα πᾶν ὃ δέδωκέν μοι μὴ ἀπολέσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ ἀναστήσω ⸀αὐτὸ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
And this is the will of the one who sent me: that of all he has given me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
40
τοῦτο ⸀γάρ ἐστιν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ ⸂πατρός μου⸃ ἵνα πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ⸀ἐγὼ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him have life eternal, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41
Ἐγόγγυζον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι εἶπεν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ καταβὰς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ,
So the Jews were grumbling about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven,”
42
καὶ ἔλεγον· ⸀Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωσήφ, οὗ ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα; πῶς ⸀νῦν ⸀λέγει ὅτι Ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκα;
and they were saying, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”
43
⸀ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Μὴ γογγύζετε μετ’ ἀλλήλων.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble with one another.
44
οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός ⸀με ἐὰν μὴ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ πέμψας με ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
45
ἔστιν γεγραμμένον ἐν τοῖς προφήταις· Καὶ ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοὶ θεοῦ· ⸀πᾶς ὁ ⸀ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μαθὼν ἔρχεται πρὸς ⸀ἐμέ.
It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard from the Father and learned comes to me.
46
οὐχ ὅτι τὸν πατέρα ⸂ἑώρακέν τις⸃ εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗτος ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα.
Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ ⸀πιστεύων ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the one believing has life eternal.
48
ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς·
I am the bread of life.
49
οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἔφαγον ⸂ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸ μάννα⸃ καὶ ἀπέθανον·
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died.
50
οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνων ἵνα τις ἐξ αὐτοῦ φάγῃ καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ·
This is the bread that comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
51
ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου ⸀ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω ἡ σάρξ μού ⸀ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς.
I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread he will live to the age. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”
52
Ἐμάχοντο οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· Πῶς δύναται οὗτος ἡμῖν δοῦναι τὴν σάρκα ⸀αὐτοῦ φαγεῖν;
So the Jews were fighting with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53
εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.
So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.
54
ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
The one who chews my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Why this rendering
John.6.54 Hypothesis
Syntactic observation
The author changes verbs here. Up to 6:53 he uses ἐσθίω (6:5, 23, 26, 31, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53); from 6:54 he switches to τρώγω, which he uses four times, at 6:54, 56, 57 and 58. τρώγω is the word for audible chewing. Verse 58 carries both — ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες (ἐσθίω) and ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον (τρώγω). The fathers' eating and the present eating are set down in different words.
Rendering options · 2
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
Basis Renders both verbs with one word for eating.
Rejected The word the author deliberately changed is erased. That both verbs stand in 6:58 shows the switch is intended; with one rendering that verse reads as saying the same thing twice. Of our twenty-nine versions only ESV separates them, with “eat” at 6:53 and “feeds on” at 6:54.
Adopted The one who chews my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal
Basis Renders the changed word as changed. Only if the eating of 6:53 and the chewing from 6:54 are kept apart does 6:58 read.
Lost in translation
the ἐσθίω / τρώγω switch The verb changes inside one discourse and almost every version uses a single word. Of twenty-nine, only ESV separates them. The Vulgate takes both with manduco.
Survives in · ESV
the Vulgate's verse numbering In the Vulgate's John 6 the numbering runs one ahead — Vulgate 6:54 is Greek 6:53. Reading versions side by side, the same number is not always the same verse, and it shows here.
55
ἡ γὰρ σάρξ μου ⸀ἀληθής ἐστι βρῶσις, καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ⸁ἀληθής ἐστι πόσις.
For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
56
ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ.
The one who chews my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
57
καθὼς ἀπέστειλέν με ὁ ζῶν πατὴρ κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κἀκεῖνος ⸀ζήσει δι’ ἐμέ.
As the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who chews me will also live because of me.
58
οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ⸀ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ ⸀πατέρες καὶ ἀπέθανον· ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον ⸀ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; the one who chews this bread will live to the age.”
59
ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καφαρναούμ.
These things he said in a synagogue, teaching in Capernaum.
60
Πολλοὶ οὖν ἀκούσαντες ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶπαν· Σκληρός ἐστιν ⸂ὁ λόγος οὗτος⸃· τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν;
So many of his disciples, on hearing it, said, “This word is hard; who can listen to it?”
61
εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὅτι γογγύζουσιν περὶ τούτου οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει;
But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?
62
ἐὰν οὖν θεωρῆτε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον;
What then if you should see the Son of Man going up where he was before?
63
τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν τὸ ζῳοποιοῦν, ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν· τὰ ῥήματα ἃ ἐγὼ ⸀λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμά ἐστιν καὶ ζωή ἐστιν.
It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
Why this rendering
John.6.63 Observation
Syntactic observation
σάρξ occurs seven times in this chapter — 6:51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, and here at 6:63. The first six say to eat his flesh; 6:63 says the σάρξ profits nothing. One word stands against itself inside a chapter. πνεῦμα appears twice: the first with the article (τὸ πνεῦμα), the second without (πνεῦμά ἐστιν) — the anarthrous predicate met at 4:24. ζῳοποιοῦν is the participle of ζῳοποιέω, the verb used at 5:21 of what the Father and the Son do. SBLGNT marks a variant (⸀) at λελάληκα.
Rendering options · 2
the flesh profits nothing
Basis Treats it as a different sense from the earlier σάρξ and gives it a separate word.
Rejected It is the same word inside the same chapter; making the first “flesh to eat” and the second “the flesh” blunts the turn. The sentence picks up the very word just used and reverses it.
Adopted It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
Basis Keeps one word for σάρξ so the reversal is visible. ζῳοποιέω takes the same rendering as at 5:21, and the second anarthrous πνεῦμα is rendered without an article as at 4:24.
Lost in translation
the reversal of σάρξ “My flesh” in 6:51–56 and “the flesh profits nothing” in 6:63 are one word. Splitting them removes the doubling back, and it becomes less clear why the disciples leave at this point.
Survives in · NASB / ESV / NET / VULG / ELB / SYNOD / JPNICT
the anarthrous predicate πνεῦμα The first τὸ πνεῦμα has the article and the second πνεῦμά ἐστιν does not. The loss of 4:24 and 1:1c returns.
64
ἀλλὰ εἰσὶν ἐξ ὑμῶν τινες οἳ οὐ πιστεύουσιν. ᾔδει γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ Ἰησοῦς τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ μὴ πιστεύοντες καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδώσων αὐτόν.
But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was who would hand him over.
65
καὶ ἔλεγεν· Διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ ⸀πατρός.
And he was saying, “For this reason I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been given him from the Father.”
66
Ἐκ τούτου πολλοὶ ⸀ἐκ ⸂τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον⸃ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ οὐκέτι μετ’ αὐτοῦ περιεπάτουν.
From this many of his disciples went back to what lay behind and were no longer walking with him.
67
εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς δώδεκα· Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε ὑπάγειν;
So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68
⸀ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Σίμων Πέτρος· Κύριε, πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις,
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of life eternal,
69
καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ⸀ἅγιος τοῦ ⸀θεοῦ.
and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Οὐκ ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς τοὺς δώδεκα ἐξελεξάμην; καὶ ἐξ ὑμῶν εἷς διάβολός ἐστιν.
Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And one of you is a slanderer.”
71
ἔλεγεν δὲ τὸν Ἰούδαν Σίμωνος ⸀Ἰσκαριώτου· οὗτος γὰρ ἔμελλεν ⸂παραδιδόναι αὐτόν⸃, ⸀εἷς ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα.
He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot; for he, one of the twelve, was about to hand him over.