John 6:45
What does John 6:45 mean?
A plain-English look at John 6:45 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 6:45 means
Jesus cites the prophets: “They shall all be taught of God.” He applies it by saying that everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Him. Divine drawing operates through divine teaching—God instructs hearts to recognize His Son. This is not secret mysticism; it is the inward work of God that makes the gospel intelligible and compelling. The mark of those taught by God is that they come to Jesus. Scripture promised such a day; in Jesus’s ministry, it is arriving. The Son is the test of whether one has truly learned from the Father.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.
KJV
King James Version · 1611It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The writings of the prophets say, And they will all have teaching from God. Everyone whose ears have been open to the teaching of the Father comes to me.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862it is having been written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God; every one therefore who heard from the Father, and learned, cometh to me;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard of the Father and hath learned cometh forth me.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught ofGod. Every one that has heard from the Father [himself], and has learned [of him], comes to me;
Context
This verse expands on the previous claim about the Father’s drawing by rooting it in prophetic expectation. It explains the mechanism—God’s own teaching—and the result—coming to the Son. Next, Jesus will clarify that no one has seen the Father except the one who is from God, underscoring His unique authority to reveal the Father. The flow moves from divine initiative to Jesus’s exclusive qualification.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Ephesians 4:21
if so be that ye heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:
- John 6:65
And he said, For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.
- Isaiah 54:13
And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
- Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, And on their heart also will I write them: And I will be to them a God, And they shall be to me a people:
- Isaiah 2:3
And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
- Hebrews 10:16
This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws on their heart, And upon their mind also will I write them; then saith he,
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