Limitless Word
Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.
John 10:40 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and there he stayed.
  • KJV And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
  • NKJV And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.
  • NASB And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He stayed there.
  • NLT He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.

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 withdraws beyond the Jordan to where John had first baptized, and stays there. He retreats to a place associated with His public beginning.

Overview

This region recalls the scene of John the Baptist's witness and Jesus' baptism. The withdrawal offers respite from Jerusalem's hostility and a setting of fruitful ministry. It also frames the coming reflection on John's faithful testimony.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • John 1:28All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
  • John 7:1After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.
  • John 11:54As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
  • John 3:26So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 10:40YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 10:40 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.