Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” They filled them up to the brim.
- KJV Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
- NKJV Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
- NASB Jesus *said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.
- NLT Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled,
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
Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars with water, and they fill them to the brim. The miracle works through ordinary obedience to His command.
Overview
Jesus chooses to act through the servants' simple compliance, having them fill the jars completely. Their full obedience, filling to the brim, sets the stage for the abundance of the sign. The episode shows that God often works His wonders as people obey His word, however ordinary the task may seem.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Kgs 4:2–6“How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
- John 2:5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
- John 2:3When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.”
- 1 Kgs 17:13“Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son,
- Mark 14:12–17On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
- Mark 11:2–6and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
- 2 Kgs 5:10–14Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”
- Josh 6:3–5March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.
- Acts 8:26–40Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
- Num 21:6–9So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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 2:7 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.