Limitless Word
So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.
John 4:53 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house.
  • KJV So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
  • BSB Then the father realized that this was the very hour in which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and all his household believed.
  • NASB So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son is alive”; and he himself believed, and his entire household.
  • NLT Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and his entire household believed in Jesus.

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

The father realized the healing came exactly when Jesus spoke, and he and his whole household believed. Initial trust deepened into full, family-wide faith.

Overview

The confirmed timing moves the official from situational trust to settled belief in Jesus, and his household believes with him. John presents a model of faith that grows from a specific request to wholehearted commitment. The conversion of an entire household foreshadows the gospel's pattern in Acts and the saving reach of Christ across families.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • Ps 107:20He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves.
  • Luke 19:9Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.
  • Acts 11:14who will speak to you words by which you will be saved, you and all your house.’
  • Acts 16:34He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.
  • Ps 33:9For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.
  • Matt 8:13Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
  • Acts 18:8Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
  • Matt 8:8–9The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
  • Acts 16:15When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us.
  • Acts 2:39For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 4:53YouTube · 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 4:53 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.