Devine Scripture

John 6:40

What does John 6:40 mean?

A plain-English look at John 6:40 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What John 6:40 means

Jesus personalizes the will of the Father: everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him has eternal life, and He will raise him up at the last day. Eternal life begins now with faith and culminates in resurrection. Seeing here is not mere physical sight but spiritual recognition that leads to trust. The promise is universal in scope—“everyone”—yet specific in condition—beholding and believing the Son. The Son guarantees both present possession and future hope. Here, the bread of life theme meets the resurrection promise: those who feed on Him by faith will never be finally lost.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

This, I say, is my Father's pleasure, that everyone who sees the Son and has faith in him may have eternal life: and I will take him up on the last day.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and this is the will of Him who sent me, that every one who is beholding the Son, and is believing in him, may have life age-during, and I will raise him up in the last day.'

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And this is the will of my Father that sent me: that every one who seeth the Son and believeth in him may have life everlasting. And I will raise him up in the last day.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son, and believes on him, should have life eternal; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Context

This assurance follows the broad statement about not losing any of those given and anticipates the crowd’s murmuring over Jesus’s claim to have come down from heaven. It seals the central promise of the discourse before controversy intensifies. The next verses record “the Jews” complaining about His heavenly origin, prompting Jesus to speak about divine drawing and instruction, and to restate the resurrection hope.

v.39And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

v.40This passage

v.41The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven.

Cross references

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

  • Isaiah 52:10

    Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

  • 1 John 2:25

    And this is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal.

  • 1 John 5:11

    And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

  • Romans 6:23

    For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  • John 3:15

    that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life.

  • Jude 1:21

    keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

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