Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”
Parallel translations
- WEB The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”
- KJV The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
- NKJV The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”
- NASB So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!”
- NLT Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after 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
The frustrated Pharisees admit the whole world has gone after Jesus. Their words unwittingly point to the gospel's reach.
Overview
The Pharisees lament their failure to stop Jesus, exaggerating that 'the world' follows him. Their complaint ironically anticipates the truth, for Jesus will indeed draw people from all nations. John uses their words to foreshadow the coming of the Greeks in the next verses and the universal scope of salvation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Acts 17:6But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,
- Ps 22:27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
- Acts 4:16–17“What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it.
- 1 Jn 2:2He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
- John 17:21that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
- 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.”
- Isa 27:6In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.
- Acts 5:27–28They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them.
- Luke 19:47–48Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.
- Matt 21:15But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
- Ps 49:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,
- John 11:47–50Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.
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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 12:19 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.