For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
- KJV For neither did his brethren believe in him.
- NKJV For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
- NASB For not even His brothers believed in Him.
- NLT For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
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
John explains that even Jesus's brothers did not believe in Him. Their unbelief underscores how His own family failed to grasp who He was.
Overview
This sobering note reveals that Jesus faced unbelief even within His household, fitting the pattern that a prophet lacks honor among his own (cf. Mark 6:4). Their advice was therefore not faith but misunderstanding. Encouragingly, some of His brothers, like James, later came to faith after the resurrection (Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:7).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Mark 3:21When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
- John 1:11–13He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
- John 7:10But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.
- John 7:3So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.
- Mic 7:5–6Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
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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 7:5 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
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