Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?”
- BSB On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”
- ESV When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
- NKJV Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
- NASB So then many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This statement is very unpleasant; who can listen to it?”
- NLT Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Many disciples call this a hard saying and ask who can listen to it. His teaching exposes the limits of their commitment.
Overview
The difficulty is not that the words are obscure but that they offend, demanding faith in Christ's heavenly origin and sacrificial death. These were broader followers, not the Twelve. Their complaint reveals that crowds may follow Jesus for benefits yet recoil when His true claims confront them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- John 6:66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
- John 8:43Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
- John 8:31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
- Matt 11:6And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
- John 6:41–42The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
- 2 Pet 3:16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
- Heb 5:11Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
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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 6:60 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.