John 1:48

Ver. 48. “ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and says of him: Behold a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile. ”

Nathanael is one of those upright hearts who have only to see Jesus in order to believe in Him; Philip is not mistaken. Jesus Himself, as He sees him, also signalizes in him this quality. Penetrating him, as He had penetrated Simon, he utters aloud this reflection with regard to him (περὶ αὐτοῦ): “Behold...” We can make the adverb ἀληθῶς, truly, qualify ἴδε, Behold really an Israelite without guile;” in this case, the idea without guile is not placed in connection with the national Israelitish character; it is applied to Nathanael personally. But we can make the adverb ἀληθῶς qualify the word Israelite: a true (truly) Israelite, and that as being without guile.” In that case, it is the national character, as well as that of Nathanael, which Jesus signalizes, and there may be, perhaps, an allusion to the name Israel (conqueror of God) which was substituted for Jacob (supplanter), after the mysterious scene, Genesis 32, where the new way of struggling took the place, in the patriarch's case, of the deceitful methods which were natural to him. However, John 6:5 and John 8:31, where the adverb qualifies the verb to be, must not be cited for this meaning.