John 6:31

“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’””
John 6:31 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

Our fathersοἱ πατέρες ἡμῶνateἔφαγονthe mannaτὸ μάνναinἐνthe wilderness,τῇ ἐρήμῳasκαθώςit isἐστινwritten,γεγραμμένον‘He gaveἔδωκενthemαὐτοῖςbreadἌρτονfromἐκheavenτοῦ οὐρανοῦto eat.’”φαγεῖν

Quotation · Exodus 16:4

Go to Exodus 16:4

The people quote a saying about the manna. “Bread from heaven” is in Exodus 16:4; “he gave them” is in Psalm 78:24, which in Hebrew says “grain of heaven.”

Formula: καθώς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον “as it is written” (John 6:31)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν τὸ μάννα ἔφαγον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καθώς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον Ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς φαγεῖν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר לָכֶם לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם וְיָצָא הָעָם וְלָקְטוּ דְּבַר יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ לְמַעַן אֲנַסֶּנּוּ הֲיֵלֵךְ בְּתוֹרָתִי אִם לֹא

This passage could not be located with certainty in the transcription of the Septuagint we use, so it is not compared.

John 6:31, word by word

Our fathersπατέρεςpateres

forefather

An ancestor: Abraham as the founder of the family.

Where else “pateres” appears

ateἔφαγονephagon

eat

Eat.

Where else “ephagon” appears

the mannaμάνναmanna

manna

Manna, the food God gave Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 16).

Where else “manna” appears

the wildernessἐρήμῳerēmōi

wilderness

Land without people or crops.

Where else “erēmōi” appears

it isἐστινestin

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “estin” appears

writtenγεγραμμένονgegrammenon

it is written

So the Bible says; a passage is quoted.

Where else “gegrammenon” appears

‘He gaveἔδωκενedōken

give

To hand something to another freely, as a gift.

Where else “edōken” appears

breadἌρτονArton

bread

A piece of baked bread made from flour: the basic food.

Where else “Arton” appears

heavenοὐρανοῦouranou

heaven

God's dwelling, above all that is created.

Where else “ouranou” appears

Translation note

Psalm 78:24; compare Exodus 16:4 and 16:15.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Exodus 16:4

The people quote a saying about the manna. “Bread from heaven” is in Exodus 16:4; “he gave them” is in Psalm 78:24, which in Hebrew says “grain of heaven.”

See them side by side

John 6:31

³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Exodus 16:4

⁴YHWH said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test them, whether they will walk in my instruction or not.

The context

30So they said to him, “What sign then do you do that we may see and believe you? What work are you doing?

31 · This verse (above)

32So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

Read all of John 6

To study John 6 in a group

1. What it says
What did the boy Andrew mentioned have, and what does Jesus do with it before it is given to the crowd? (vv. 8-13)
2. What it means
Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” What does he promise to the one who comes to him and believes in him? (vv. 35-40)
3. How I live it
When many walked away, Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (vv. 66-68). What keeps you close to Jesus?

How to use it