The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Parallel translations
- KJV The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
- BSB At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
- NKJV The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
- NASB Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
- NLT Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
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 Jews argue over how Jesus can give His flesh to eat. Taking His words literally, they stumble at the offense of the cross.
Overview
Misunderstanding Jesus's figurative language, the people are scandalized. Their question shows the offense His claims provoke when received without faith. John uses their objection to deepen Jesus's teaching, as He presses the necessity of receiving His sacrificed life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- John 10:19Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words.
- John 9:16Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them.
- John 6:41The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.”
- 1 Cor 2:14Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- John 3:9Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”
- John 3:4Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”
- Acts 17:32Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”
- John 4:11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water?
- John 7:40–43Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, “This is truly the prophet.”
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 6:52 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.