John 6:4

Translations

Modern

Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.

Traditional

And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

Literal

Now the Passover was near, the feast of the Jews.

Latin

Erat autem proximum Pascha dies festus Judæorum.

Interlinear

Greek

English

Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.

Notes

John 6:1–15

Jesus feeding the 5,000 recalls the Old Testament story of manna (bread from heaven) when Israel was in the wilderness (Exodus 16). In that story, God provided bread each day for his people.

In the time of Jesus, some Jewish teachers believed that the Messiah would again give bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4). They expected a new act of divine provision.

When Jesus fed the crowd, he met this expectation. However, he was not only giving physical bread. He was pointing to himself as the true bread from heaven, who gives life to the world.

John 6:1–71

Each story in this chapter uses the setting of the Feast of the Passover (6:4) to communicate a deeper meaning.

Theme notes and profiles

Bread from Heaven Miraculous Signs in the Gospel of John

Events

Feeding of Five Thousandc. AD 29

Related verses

John 2:13
When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 11:55
Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover.
John 5:1
Some time later there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy 16:1
Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
Exodus 12:6–14
You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
Leviticus 23:7
On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work.
John 13:1
It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.
John 12:1
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
Leviticus 23:5
The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Parallels

Matthew 14:13–21 Mark 6:30–44 Luke 9:10–17

People

Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province Passover: An annual Jewish feast commemorating the Exodus

Glossary

Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Bread Chronology of the Bible (New Testament) Feasts and Festivals of Israel Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, Teachings of John, Gospel of Lord’s Supper, the Miracle Sea of Galilee Spirit of Jesus Christ

Topics

Jesus, the Christ: The Twelve Apostles Return

John 6:4

Translations?

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Notes?

Events?

Related verses?

Parallels?