Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.
Parallel translations
- KJV These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
- BSB Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.
- NKJV These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
- NASB These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke about Him.
- NLT Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory.
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
John says Isaiah saw Christ's glory and spoke of Him. It is a striking testimony to the pre-existence and deity of Jesus.
Overview
John identifies the glorious LORD whom Isaiah beheld in the temple vision (Isaiah 6) as Christ Himself. This implies that the eternal Son shares the very glory of Yahweh and was the object of Old Testament worship. It is one of the New Testament's clearest affirmations that Jesus is fully God, present and glorious throughout redemptive history.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Isa 6:1–5In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.
- Isa 6:9–10He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand; and you see indeed, but don’t perceive.’
- John 1:14The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- 2 Cor 4:6seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- John 1:18No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
- John 5:39“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.
- John 14:9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’
- Heb 1:3His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
- Rev 19:10I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
- Acts 10:43All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins.”
- Exod 33:18–23He said, “Please show me your glory.”
- Luke 24:27Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
- 1 Pet 1:11searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 12:41 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.