John 6:51
What does John 6:51 mean?
A plain-English look at John 6:51 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 6:51 means
Jesus declares, “I am the living bread” that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. He then specifies: the bread He will give for the life of the world is His flesh. Here, the metaphor turns sacrificial. Life for the world comes through His giving Himself in death. To “eat” this bread is to participate by faith in the benefits of His atoning sacrifice, taking Him in as our life. The scope is global—life for the world. This verse anticipates the cross and frames His flesh as the means by which eternal life is granted.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
KJV
King James Version · 1611I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949I am the living bread which has come from heaven: if any man takes this bread for food he will have life for ever: and more than this, the bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`I am the living bread that came down out of the heaven; if any one may eat of this bread he shall live--to the age; and the bread also that I will give is my flesh, that I will give for the life of the world.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890I am the living bread which has come down out of heaven: if any one shall have eaten of this bread he shall live for ever; but the bread withal which I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Context
This climactic claim follows the promise of not dying by eating the heavenly bread and intensifies the discourse by introducing language of flesh given. It moves the conversation from provision to sacrifice. The audience will stumble, taking His words in a crude, literal sense, and begin to argue among themselves. Jesus will not back away but will deepen the language to include drinking His blood, pressing the necessity of sharing in His death.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- 1 Peter 2:4
unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,
- John 3:13
And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven.
- John 4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
- Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it;
- 1 John 4:10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
- John 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.
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