John 1:44

Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. NOW PHILIP WAS OF [RATHER, 'FROM' apo (G575 )] BETHSAIDA, THE CITY, [ ek (G1537) tees (G3588) poleoos (G4172)] - it should be 'of the city' "of Andrew and Peter" OF ANDREW AND PETER - the city of their birth probably; because their place of residence was Capernaum (Mark 1:29). The fact mentioned in this verse throws light on a very small incident in John 6:5 (on which s...

44._Was of Bethsaida. _The name of the city appears to have been mentioned on purpose, that the goodness of God to the three Apostles may be more illustriously displayed. We know how severely, on other occasions, Christ threatens and curses that city, (Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13.) Accordingly, when God brought into favor with him some out of a nation so ungodly and wicked, we ought to view it in the same light as if they had been brought out of the lowest hell. And when Christ, after having drawn them out of that deep gulf, honors them so highly as to make them Apostles, it is a distinguished favor and worthy of being recorded....

43-51 See the nature of true Christianity, it is following Jesus; devoting ourselves to him, and treading in his steps. Observe the objection Nathanael made. All who desire to profit by the word of God, must beware of prejudices against places, or denominations of men. They should examine for themselves, and they will sometimes find good where they looked for none. Many people are kept from the ways of religion by the unreasonable prejudices they conceive. The best way to remove false notions of religion, is to make trial of it. In Nathanael there was no guile. His profession was not hypocritical. He was not a dissembler, nor dishonest; he was a sound character, a really upright, godly man. Christ knows what men are indeed. Does He know us? Let us desire to know him. Let us seek and pray to be Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile; truly Christians, approved of Christ himself. Some thi...

OF BETHSAIDA - See the notes at Matthew 11:21. THE CITY OF - The place where Andrew and Peter dwelt....

EXPOSITION THE title of the book is differently given in the manuscripts and ancient versions, and the differences are so considerable that they cannot be referred to the original text. The simplest form of the title is found in א, B, D, and is nothing more than "_according to_ John," ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ (B gives only one N in John's name, but א two); and this is followed by the vulgate and Syriac as a running title. The immense proportion of the uncials—A, C, E, F, G, L, and eight or nine others—read "Gospel according to John" (Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ιωάννην). This is followed by Tregelles, Lachmann, Alford. The T.R., with a large number of manuscripts, reads, "The Gospel according to John;" and in Stephen's third edition the word "holy" occurs before "Gospel." The cursives 69, 178, 259, read Εὐαγγέλιον ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωὰνην. Some cursives read, "Of the (holy) Gospel according to John." The p...

NOW PHILIP WAS OF BETHSAIDA,.... A town on the lake of Gennesaret, afterwards made a city by Philip the tetrarch, and called Julias, after the name of Caesar's daughter m: it was a fishing town, and had its name from thence; and the disciples that were of it, were of this business: THE CITY OF ANDREW AND PETER; or "Simon", as read the Syriac and Persic versions: three apostles were called out of this place, as mean, and wicked, as it was; see Matthew 11:21; which was no small honour to it: it is a saying of the Jews n, that "a man's place (his native place) does not honour him, but a man honours his place.'' This was the case here. m Joseph. Antiqu. l. 18. c. 3. n T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 21. 2....

John 1:19. _And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou ? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ._ «I am not the One anointed of God to save mankind.» John 1:21. _And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias ?_ «Art thou Elijah come back to earth?» John 1:21. _And he saith, I am not._ For, though indeed he was the true spiritual Elijah who was to come as the forerunner of the Messiah, yet, in the sense in which they asked the question, the only truthful answer was, «I am not.» John 1:21

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. The Only-begotten, the Eternal Word; His Glory and His Manifestation -- Chapter 1:1-2:22 CHAPTER 1 __ 1. The Word: the Creator, the Life and the Light. (John 1:1 .) 2. The Light and the Darkness. The Light not Known. (John 1:5 .) 3. The Word Made Flesh and Its Gracious Results. (John 1:12 .) 4. The Witness of John. (John 1:19 .) 5. Following Him and Dwelling With Him. (John 1:35 .) 6. The Next Day. Nathanael's Unbelief and Confession. ...

THE BAPTIST'S DISCIPLES AND JESUS. On the morrow to two of his disciples John bears similar witness. The account in its details suggests the recollections of one to whom the incident bad been the turning-point of his life. The tenth hour, four o-' clock, if true or traditional, may have suggested to the writer the beginning of a new era. He could hardly have invented it for that purpose. The unnamed disciple (_cf._ John 1:40) is generally identified with John the son of Zebedee. John 1:41 does not really hint that he also brought his brother James. Jesus reads the character of Simon, and predicts that men will find in him the Rock man, and will so call him (_cf._ Mark 3:16). It is apparently Peter who ...

THE WORD (John 1:1-18)...