John 14 · Verse 23

John 14:23

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John 14:23, King James Version

John 14:23 in other translations

BSBJesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
WEBJesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
ASVJesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
YLTJesus answered and said to him, ‘If any one may love me, my word he will keep, and my Father will love him, and unto him we will come, and abode with him we will make;
DARBYJesus answered and said to him, If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.
BBEJesus said to him in answer, If anyone has love for me, he will keep my words: and he will be dear to my Father; and we will come to him and make our living-place with him.
WebsterJesus answered and said to him, If a man loveth me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him.

What does John 14:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. we will come and make our abode with him--Astonishing statement! In the Father's "coming" He "refers to the revelation of Him as a Father to the soul, which does not take place till the Spirit comes into the heart, teaching it to cry, Abba, Father" [Olshausen]. The "abode" means a permanent, eternal stay! (Compare Le 26:11, 12; Eze 37:26, 27; 2Co 6:16; and contrast Jr 14:8).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 23. Will keep my words. See Jn 14:15.

We will come to him. We will come to him with the manifestation of pardon, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. It means that God will manifest himself to the soul as a Father and Friend; that Jesus will manifest himself as a Saviour; that is, that there will be shed abroad in the heart just views and proper feelings toward God and Christ. The Christian will rejoice in the perfections of God and of Christ, and will delight to contemplate the glories of a present Saviour. The condition of a sinner is represented as one who has gone astray from God, and from whom God has withdrawn, Ps 58:3, Prov 27:10 Eze 14:11. He is alienated from God, Eph 2:12, Is 1:4, Eph 4:18 Col 1:21. Religion is represented as God returning to the soul, and manifesting himself as reconciled through Jesus Christ, 2Cor 5:18; Col 1:21.

Make our abode. This is a figurative expression implying that God and Christ would manifest themselves in no temporary way, but that it would be the privilege of Christians to enjoy their presence continually. They would take up their residence in the heart as their dwelling-place, as a temple fit for their abode. See 1Cor 3:16: "Ye are the temple of God;" Jn 14:19: "Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost;" 2Cor 6:16: "Ye are the temple of the living God." This does not mean that there is any personal union between Christians and God--that there is any peculiar indwelling of the essence of God in us-- for God is essentially present in all places in the same way; but it is a figurative mode of speaking, denoting that the Christian is under the influence of God; that he rejoices in his presence, and that he has the views, the feelings, the joys which God produces in a redeemed soul, and with which he is pleased.

(v) "and we will come into him" 1Jn 2:24, Rev 3:20

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 If a man - Not only my present disciples, but all those who shall believe on me through their word, or that of their successors: Love me - Receive me as his Savior, and get the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost: He will keep my words - Observe all my sayings, and have his affections and conduct regulated by my Spirit and doctrine: My Father will love him - Call him his child; support, defend, and preserve him as such. And we will come unto him - God the Father, through his Son, will continue to pour out his choicest blessings upon his head and upon his heart: And make our abode with him - Will make his heart our temple, where God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, shall rest, receive homage, and dwell to eternity. Thus will I manifest myself to the believing, loving, obedient disciple, and not to the world, who will not receive the Spirit of the truth.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 14:18-24

Christ promises that he would continue his care of his disciples. I will not leave you orphans, or fatherless, for though I leave you, yet I leave you this comfort, I will come to you. I will come speedily to you at my resurrection. I will come daily to you in my Spirit; in the tokens of his love, and visits of his grace. I will come certainly at the end of time. Those only that see Christ with an eye of faith…

Read the full comment on John 14:18-24 →

John 14:23 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἈπεκρίθηApekrithēAnsweredG611
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
καὶkaiandG2532
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
αὐτῷ·autōto him;G846
ἐάνeanIfG1437
τιςtisanyoneG5100
ἀγαπᾷagapashall loveG25
με,meMe,G3165
τὸνtontheG3588
λόγονlogonwordG3056
μουmouof MineG3165
τηρήσει,tērēseihe will keep,G5083
καὶkaiandG2532
ὁhotheG3588
πατήρpatērFatherG3962
μουmouof MineG3165
ἀγαπήσειagapēseiwill loveG25
αὐτόν,autonhim,G846
καὶkaiandG2532
πρὸςprostoG4314
αὐτὸνautonhimG846
ἐλευσόμεθαeleusomethawe will comeG2064
καὶkaiandG2532
μονὴνmonēna homeG3438
παρ᾽par᾽withG3844
αὐτῷautōhimG846
ποιησόμεθα.poiēsomethawe will make.G4160

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 14:23

  • John 14:21

    He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

  • John 14:15

    If ye love me, keep my commandments.

  • Revelation 3:20-21

    Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

  • 1 John 4:15-16

    Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

  • 1 John 2:24

    Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

  • 1 John 4:4

    Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

  • 2 Corinthians 6:16

    And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

  • John 10:30

    I and my Father are one.

  • Psalms 91:1

    He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

  • Isaiah 57:15

    For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

  • John 5:17-19

    But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

  • John 6:56

    He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
If.
15,21
make.
17; 5:17-19; 6:56; 10:30; Ge 1:26; 11:7; Ps 90:1; 91:1; Isa 57:15
Ro 8:9-11; 1Jo 2:24; 4:4,15,16; Re 3:20,21; 7:15-17; 21:22; 22:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 14:22

    Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

  • John 14:23

    Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

  • John 14:24

    He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

Read all of John 14

John 14:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Respondió Jesús, y díjole: El que me ama, mi palabra guardará; y mi Padre le amará, y vendremos á él, y haremos con él morada.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Jésus répondit et lui dit: Si quelqu’un m’aime, il gardera ma parole, et mon Père l’aimera; et nous viendrons à lui, et nous ferons notre demeure chez lui.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jesus antwortete und sprach zu ihm: Wenn jemand mich liebt, so wird er mein Wort halten, und mein Vater wird ihn lieben, und wir werden zu ihm kommen und Wohnung bei ihm machen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Si quis diligit me, sermonem meum servabit, et Pater meus diliget eum, et ad eum veniemus, et mansionem apud eum faciemus;