Limitless Word
Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
John 2:11 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
  • KJV This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
  • NKJV This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
  • NASB This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
  • NLT This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in 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

This first of Jesus' signs at Cana revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. The miracle authenticates who Jesus is and strengthens faith.

Overview

John calls the miracle the 'beginning of his signs' — works that point beyond themselves to Jesus' identity and mission. Through it Jesus 'revealed his glory,' the divine glory mentioned in the prologue (1:14), and His disciples' faith deepened. This frames all of John's miracle accounts as signs meant to lead readers to believe in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 30

  • John 20:30–31Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
  • John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
  • John 3:2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
  • John 6:2A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.
  • John 6:14When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
  • Isa 40:5And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
  • John 6:26Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
  • John 6:30So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do?
  • 2 Cor 4:17For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
  • Ps 96:3Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples.
  • John 12:41Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.
  • John 14:13And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
  • John 1:50Jesus said to him, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”
  • John 12:37Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.
  • John 2:23While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.
  • John 4:46So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
  • 1 Jn 5:13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
  • Exod 4:9But if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. Then the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
  • Ps 72:19And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.
  • Deut 5:24and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.
  • Eccl 9:7Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
  • John 5:23so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
  • 2 Cor 4:6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
  • Gal 3:10–13All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
  • 2 Cor 3:18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
  • Exod 7:19–21And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.”
  • John 11:15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
  • John 1:17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
  • Mal 2:2If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.
  • John 14:9–11Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 2:11YouTube · 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 2:11 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.