John 1:47 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

NIV: When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.'

NASB: Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, 'Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!'

CSB: Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."

NLT: As they approached, Jesus said, 'Now here is a genuine son of Israel — a man of complete integrity.'

KJV: Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

NKJV: Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

Jesus' comment to Nathanael is mysterious; He labels him a "true Israelite," and notes his honesty. There are several ways to interpret Jesus' remark about Nathanael. All may apply at the same time. One possibility is that Jesus is making a blunt assessment of Nathanael, who in verse 46 certainly seemed willing to speak his mind. The second, more probable interpretation is that Christ was making a friendly joke. It's likely Jesus was teasing Nathanael, responding to sarcasm with sarcasm. Joking about a "true Israelite" having no deceit in him is a play on words. All Jewish people are descendants of Jacob, whom God renamed "Israel." Jacob would eventually become the father of the twelve men who founded the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Prior to his re-naming, Jacob was a habitual liar. He manipulated his brother in order to steal his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34). He tricked his father in order to steal his brother's firstborn blessing (Genesis 27). He was even born holding on to his twin brother's heel (Genesis 25:26). The name Jacob literally means, "Leg-puller," which meant much the same thing then as it does today. In verse 46, Nathanael had dismissed Jesus because He was from Nazareth. In response, Jesus' joke points out the mistake of judging a person based on heritage.

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.