ris3n's Apologetics Codex

John 6.39-40

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: John chapter: 6 verses: "39-40" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 1 enriched: false

Quoted in

There are ads on our codex that pay for hosting and keep the codex free. If you can, please consider whitelisting ris3n.com or allowing scripts to support the work.

Sponsored

John 6.39-40

Book: John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"37. All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38. For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

"39. And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40. For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

"41. The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven. 42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he now say, I am come down out of heaven?" (John 6:37-42, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"37. All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out. 38. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me."

"39. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. 40. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”"

"41. The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.” 42. They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’”" (John 6:37-42, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

"39. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

"41. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?" (John 6:37-42, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"37. all that the Father doth give to me will come unto me; and him who is coming unto me, I may in no wise cast without, 38. because I have come down out of the heaven, not that I may do my will, but the will of Him who sent me."

"39. 'And this is the will of the Father who sent me, that all that He hath given to me I may not lose of it, but may raise it up in the last day; 40. and this is the will of Him who sent me, that every one who is beholding the Son, and is believing in him, may have life age-during, and I will raise him up in the last day.'"

"41. The Jews, therefore, were murmuring at him, because he said, 'I am the bread that came down out of the heaven;' 42. and they said, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we have known? how then saith this one, Out of the heaven I have come down?'" (John 6:37-42, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: John the Apostle (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
  • Audience: later Christian audience (high-Christological emphasis; against early gnosticism)
  • Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Ephesus (composition)
  • Time period: events c. 26-33 AD (3-Passover chronology); composed c. AD 85-95

Theological reading

Key words

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.