Devine Scripture

John 6:3

What does John 6:3 mean?

A plain-English look at John 6:3 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What John 6:3 means

Jesus ascends a hillside and sits with His disciples, taking the posture of a teacher. He withdraws from the immediate crush of the crowd to instruct those closest to Him. This quiet moment underscores that Jesus forms His followers before He feeds the multitudes. In John, sitting signals authority and deliberateness; He is not reacting in panic but preparing in peace. The mountain setting often evokes God’s revelation in Scripture. Here, the One who will soon provide bread first gathers His disciples, ready to involve them in His work and to grow their faith through an impossible situation they cannot solve without Him.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

Then Jesus went up the mountain and was seated there with his disciples.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and Jesus went up to the mount, and he was there sitting with his disciples,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

Jesus therefore went up into a mountain: and there he sat with his disciples.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there sat with his disciples:

Context

This verse follows the gathering crowd and precedes Jesus’s test of Philip. The scene shifts from the multitude’s needs to the disciples’ training. The mountain setting creates space for a lesson that will unfold as the crowd approaches. Readers should see the feeding not merely as public provision, but as disciple-making. What Jesus does for the five thousand He also does in the disciples—forming trust, obedience, and understanding. The calm before the sign will highlight Jesus’s control when the need becomes overwhelming.

v.2And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick.

v.3This passage

v.4Now the passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Matthew 14:23

    And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray: and when even was come, he was there alone.

  • Matthew 15:29

    And Jesus departed thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.

  • John 6:15

    Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain himself alone.

  • Luke 9:28

    And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up into the mountain to pray.

  • Luke 6:12

    And it came to pass in these days, that he went out into the mountain to pray; and he continued all night in prayer to God.

Related questions readers ask

Keep reading

Want to dig deeper? Explore John 6

Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on John 6.

Keep exploring

Follow this verse across Scripture

Topics, devotionals, original-language word studies, and figures connected to John 6:3.

Browse every hub

BibleTopicsBible answersDevotionalsFamous passagesWord studiesPeoplePlacesVerses for…Reading plansCommentary