But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”
- KJV But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
- NKJV But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
- NASB But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”
- NLT But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
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 says He has food the disciples don't know about, pointing beyond literal bread. It signals that obedience to God sustains Him.
Overview
Jesus speaks of hidden 'food,' deliberately raising a question in the disciples' minds, much as He did with the Samaritan woman over 'living water.' This Johannine pattern of misunderstanding leads to deeper truth. His true nourishment, soon explained, is accomplishing the Father's saving work.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 23:12I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.
- Ps 119:103How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!
- John 4:34Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
- Prov 18:20From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.
- Jer 15:16Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
- Ps 63:5My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods; with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.
- Ps 25:14The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
- Prov 14:10The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares in its joy.
- Rev 2:17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.
- Isa 53:11After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.
- Acts 20:35In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
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 4:32 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.