The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.”
Parallel translations
- WEB On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
- KJV The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
- BSB The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”
- NKJV The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
- NLT The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”
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
Heading to Galilee, Jesus finds Philip and calls him with the words 'Follow me.' Jesus takes the initiative in summoning His disciples.
Overview
Whereas earlier disciples came via others' testimony, here Jesus directly seeks out and calls Philip. The simple command 'Follow me' is the heart of discipleship — a call to allegiance and a shared life with Christ. The verse shows both human witness and Christ's sovereign initiative at work in gathering His followers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Matt 9:9As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.
- John 14:8Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
- Isa 65:1“I am inquired of by those who didn’t ask. I am found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘See me, see me,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.
- John 12:21These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
- Matt 4:18–21Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
- Phil 3:12Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
- John 6:5Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?”
- 1 Jn 4:19We love him, because he first loved us.
- Luke 19:10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- John 1:28These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
- Matt 10:3Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, who was also called Thaddaeus;
- John 1:35Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples,
- John 6:7Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone of them may receive a little.”
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 1:43 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.