John 1:44 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

NIV: Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.

NASB: Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

CSB: Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

NLT: Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.

KJV: Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

NKJV: Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip, Andrew, and Peter were all from Bethsaida, which was on the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. It would have been fairly close to Capernaum, which housed a synagogue. It's possible that this town was something of a miniature suburb of the larger Capernaum. The name "Bethsaida" literally means, "house of fishing," so it's safe to assume that almost everyone who lived there was a fisherman by trade. It's no accident that Jesus sought out fishermen for most of His disciples. The first requirement of a servant of God is a willingness to work. Knowledge and talents are important, but useless until a person submits to God's direction for his life. The region of Galilee curved around the north and west of the Sea of Galilee, which was west of the Jordan River. It was a unique setting in that area, since it had more rain and less heat than the surrounding land. Galilee was both beautiful and popular for travelers.

John 1:43–51 shows Jesus recruiting Philip and Nathanael. Philip seems eager to follow Jesus. Nathanael is skeptical, especially because Jesus is from a back-water town like Nazareth. When Jesus demonstrates His supernatural wisdom, Nathanael proclaims Him as the “Son of God” and “The King of Israel.” Jesus responds by predicting even more spectacular signs, and refers to Himself using the term “Son of Man,” an important figure in Jewish prophecy.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as “the Word,” from the Greek Logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as identical to God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names for Christ in this chapter, including “The Son of God,” “The Word,” and “The King of Israel.”

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God, and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including “The Word,” “The Son of God,” and “The King of Israel.” This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 4/27/2024 1:43:31 PM