John 6:23
What does John 6:23 mean?
A plain-English look at John 6:23 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 6:23 means
John adds that boats from Tiberias arrived near the place where the people ate after the Lord gave thanks. This detail explains the logistics of the crowd’s pursuit while subtly reminding us of the source of the previous meal—the Lord’s thanksgiving and distribution. The boats become tools for a continued search that is fueled more by filled stomachs than by faith. The note anchors the narrative in real geography and movement, yet keeps the miracle central: the crowd can travel because God had first provided.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000(howbeit there came boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks):
KJV
King James Version · 1611(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901(howbeit there came boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks):
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Some other boats, however, came from Tiberias near to the place where they had taken the bread after the Lord had given praise.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862(and other little boats came from Tiberias, nigh the place where they did eat the bread, the Lord having given thanks),
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752But other ships came in from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where they had eaten the bread, the Lord giving thanks.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890(but other little ships out of Tiberias came near to the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks;)
Context
This parenthesis follows the crowd’s realization that Jesus did not depart with the disciples and precedes their decision to cross the sea. It supplies the natural means for their movement, preventing the story from seeming implausible, and recalls the feeding by mentioning “the Lord had given thanks.” With boats available, the multitude will set off for Capernaum, where the crucial Bread of Life discourse occurs.
v.22On the morrow the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, save one, and that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples went away alone
v.23This passage
v.24when the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
Related questions readers ask
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