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This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
John 2:11 · New King James Version
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.
  • BSB Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed 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 20:30–31Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book;
  • 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.
  • John 3:2The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”
  • John 6:2A great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he did on those who were sick.
  • John 6:14When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.”
  • Isa 40:5Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
  • John 6:26Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.
  • John 6:30They said therefore to him, “What then do you do for a sign, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you do?
  • 2 Cor 4:17For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
  • Ps 96:3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
  • John 12:41Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.
  • John 14:13Whatever you will ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
  • John 1:50Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”
  • John 12:37But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,
  • John 2:23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.
  • John 4:46Jesus came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
  • 1 Jn 5:13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
  • Exod 4:9It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land.”
  • Ps 72:19Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen.
  • Deut 5:24and you said, “Behold, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire. We have seen today that God does speak with man, and he lives.
  • Eccl 9:7Go your way — eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
  • John 5:23that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.
  • 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.
  • Gal 3:10–13For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
  • 2 Cor 3:18But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
  • Exod 7:19–21Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
  • John 11:15I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.”
  • John 1:17For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
  • Mal 2:2If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name,” says Yahweh of Armies, “then will I send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart.
  • John 14:9–11Jesus 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?’

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.