The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”
- BSB 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!”
- 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 17:6And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
- Ps 22:27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
- Acts 4:16–17Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
- 1 Jn 2:2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
- John 17:21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
- John 3:26And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
- Isa 27:6He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
- Acts 5:27–28And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
- Luke 19:47–48And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
- Matt 21:15And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,
- Ps 49:1Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:
- John 11:47–50Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
Resources, by level
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 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.