# John 6.51

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-05-06 | updated: 2026-05-06 -->

**Book:** [John](/codex/john-the-apostle/) · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 49. <span class="rl-speech">Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.</span> 50. <span class="rl-speech">This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.</span>
>
> **51. <span class="rl-speech">I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.</span>**
>
> 52. <span class="rl-speech">The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?</span> 53. Jesus therefore said unto them, <span class="rl-speech">Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.</span> (John 6:49-53, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 49. <span class="rl-speech">Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.</span> 50. <span class="rl-speech">This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die.</span>
>
> **51. <span class="rl-speech">I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”</span>**
>
> 52. <span class="rl-speech">The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”</span> 53. Jesus therefore said to them, <span class="rl-speech">“Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves.</span> (John 6:49-53, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 49. <span class="rl-speech">Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.</span> 50. <span class="rl-speech">This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.</span>
>
> **51. <span class="rl-speech">I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.</span>**
>
> 52. <span class="rl-speech">The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?</span> 53. Then Jesus said unto them, <span class="rl-speech">Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.</span> (John 6:49-53, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 49. <span class="rl-speech">your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they died;</span> 50. <span class="rl-speech">this is the bread that out of the heaven is coming down, that any one may eat of it, and not die.</span>
>
> **51. <span class="rl-speech">'I am the living bread that came down out of the heaven; if any one may eat of this bread he shall live, to the age; and the bread also that I will give is my flesh, that I will give for the life of the world.'</span>**
>
> 52. The Jews, therefore, were striving with one another, saying, 'How is this one able to give us [his] flesh to eat?' 53. Jesus, therefore, said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, If ye may not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and may not drink his blood, ye have no life in yourselves; (John 6:49-53, 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

- [G0165 - aion](/codex/g0165-aion/), *aion* (Strong's G165). Also appears in: [Matthew 12.31-32](/codex/matthew-12-31-32/), [Matthew 28.18-20](/codex/matthew-28-18-20/), [Mark 3.20-30](/codex/mark-3-20-30/).
- [G1510 - eimi](/codex/g1510-eimi/), *eimi* (Strong's G1510). Also appears in: [Matthew 8.5-12](/codex/matthew-8-5-12/), [Matthew 14.22-33](/codex/matthew-14-22-33/), [Matthew 18.20](/codex/matthew-18-20/).
- [G2198 - zao](/codex/g2198-zao/), *zao* (Strong's G2198). Also appears in: [Matthew 16.16](/codex/matthew-16-16/), [Matthew 26.57-68](/codex/matthew-26-57-68/), [Mark 12](/codex/mark-12/).
- [G2222 - zoe](/codex/g2222-zoe/), *zoe* (Strong's G2222). Also appears in: [Matthew 7.13-14](/codex/matthew-7-13-14/), [Matthew 19](/codex/matthew-19/), [Matthew 25.46](/codex/matthew-25-46/).
- [G2889 - kosmos](/codex/g2889-kosmos/), *kosmos* (Strong's G2889). Also appears in: [Mark 14](/codex/mark-14/), [John 1.1-14](/codex/john-1-1-14/), [John 1.10](/codex/john-1-10/).
- [G4561 - sarx](/codex/g4561-sarx/), *sarx* (Strong's G4561). Also appears in: [Matthew 19](/codex/matthew-19/), [Matthew 26.41](/codex/matthew-26-41/), [Mark 14](/codex/mark-14/).

## 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](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/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](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.

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## Quoted in

**Concepts:**

- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [John 6.26-65](/codex/john-6-26-65/)

**Lexicon:**

- [G0165 - aion](/codex/g0165-aion/)
- [G2198 - zao](/codex/g2198-zao/)
- [G2222 - zoe](/codex/g2222-zoe/)
- [G4561 - sarx](/codex/g4561-sarx/), via [John 6.51-58](/codex/john-6-51-58/)

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