Section 26 of 1056:22-27John

Go to another section

Jump to a verse

King James VersionJohn 6:22-27

The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;

(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)

When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

John 6:22-27

Jesus Exposes a Search Limited to Bread

The crowd crosses the lake for bread, and Jesus names the reduced search

The day following, the people on the other side see that there was no other boat except the one the disciples entered, and that Jesus did not go with them. Other boats from Tiberias come near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks. When the people see that Jesus is not there, nor his disciples, they also take shipping and come to Capernaum seeking him.

Finding him, they ask when he came. Jesus answers that they seek him not because they saw the miracles, but because they did eat of the loaves and were filled. He tells them not to labor for the meat that perishes, but for the meat that endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give. Jesus has just fed them. He does not despise physical bread. He exposes a reading of the sign that stops at the stomach.

Perishing food is still food

'Labour not' cannot be used to condemn employment, farms, relief work, or hunger. Seeking Jesus for help is not spiritually defective. The charge is against reducing him to a meal ticket while ignoring what the meal disclosed.

How this should shape us

Feed people and still ask what the gift says about the giver. Refuse both neglect of bodies and a religion that only consumes. Do not shame poor or food-insecure people with this text.

Teach it back

Explain John 6:22-27 in your own words. Include its place in John's movement, the decisive claim or action, one sourced uncertainty, and one use the passage does not authorize.

Explain the section in your own words

Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.

Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

John 6:22-27, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.

Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 6:22-27

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 6:22-27

NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes

Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.

NET Bible John PDF, John 6:22-27 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.

Enter the Bible John course, Outline, Theological Themes, and Book of Signs materials; applied to 6:22-27

The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides

Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.

Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Bread of Life study guide; applied to 6:22-27

John

Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.

Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 6:22-27

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Exact location: John 6:22-27, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.

Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 6:22-27

Open the John Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 6:22-27

Open source ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition

Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.

Exact location: NET Bible John PDF, John 6:22-27 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

Open the official NET John PDF ↗

modern scholarly book introduction

John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Craig R. Koester; revised by Karoline M. Lewis

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2024 revision; current course inspected 2026

Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.

Exact location: Enter the Bible John course, Outline, Theological Themes, and Book of Signs materials; applied to 6:22-27

Open the Enter the Bible John course ↗

modern scholarly narrative and theological course

The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides

Harold W. Attridge and Michal Beth Dinkler

Yale Bible Study, Yale Divinity School, Current online edition inspected 2026

Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Bread of Life study guide; applied to 6:22-27

Open the Yale Gospel of John course ↗

modern open confessional commentary

John

Andreas J. Köstenberger

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, Current online edition inspected 2026

Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.

Exact location: Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 6:22-27

Open Köstenberger's John commentary ↗