For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
Parallel translations
- KJV For neither did his brethren believe in him.
- BSB For even His own brothers did not 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 friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”
- John 1:11–13He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.
- John 7:10But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but as it were in secret.
- John 7:3His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here, and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do.
- Mic 7:5–6Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!
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 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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