He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Parallel translations
- WEB He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.
- BSB He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
- NKJV He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
- NASB He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him.
- NLT He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus came to His own people, Israel, yet they largely did not receive Him. Even covenant privilege did not guarantee acceptance of the Messiah.
Overview
'His own' refers especially to the Jewish people, to whom the promises were given, and 'his own things' to the world or land that belonged to Him. Their general rejection of their long-awaited Messiah deepens the tragedy. Yet this rejection, while real, sets the stage for the gracious welcome described next and ultimately serves God's wider saving purpose.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Luke 19:14But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
- Isa 53:2–3For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- John 3:32And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
- Acts 7:51–52Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
- Luke 20:13–15Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
- Matt 15:24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Rom 15:8Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
- Acts 3:25–26Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
- Acts 13:46Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
- Rom 9:5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
- Acts 13:26Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
- Gal 4:4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
- Rom 9:1I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Pastoral
Henry on the prologue — rich on the Word and the incarnation.
Seminary
- ★ Start hereCommentaryThe Gospel According to John (Pillar NT Commentary)D. A. Carson · ~720 pp · Paid · reformed
The go-to mid-level exegetical commentary on John — rigorous and readable.
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 1:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.