John 6:41
What does John 6:41 mean?
A plain-English look at John 6:41 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 6:41 means
The Jews murmur because Jesus said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.” Their objection is not to hunger-satisfaction language but to His claimed origin. Familiarity breeds offense: they think they know His family and thus dismiss His heavenly descent. Murmuring recalls Israel’s wilderness grumbling, ironically repeating the very pattern the Passover season evokes. Their reaction reveals that the scandal is Christ Himself—His identity, not His benefits. The sign of bread is acceptable; the claim to be bread from heaven is not.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Now the Jews said bitter things about Jesus because of his words, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862The Jews, therefore, were murmuring at him, because he said, `I am the bread that came down out of the heaven;'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752The Jews therefore murmured at him, because he had said: I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The Jews therefore murmured about him, because he said, I am the bread which has come down out of heaven.
Context
This pushback arrives after Jesus’s promises about eternal life and resurrection. It shifts the scene from promise to conflict, echoing earlier patterns in John where Jesus’s claims provoke controversy. The next verses will have Jesus command them not to murmur, explain that no one can come unless drawn by the Father, cite prophetic instruction, and reaffirm His unique vision of the Father.
v.40For 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.
v.41This passage
v.42And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he now say, I am come down out of heaven?
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- John 7:12
And there was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him: some said, He is a good man; others said, Not so, but he leadeth the multitude astray.
- John 6:66
Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
- 1 Corinthians 10:10
Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer.
- John 6:48
I am the bread of life.
- Luke 15:2
And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
- John 6:33
For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
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