John 14 · Verse 8

John 14:8

Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
John 14:8, King James Version

John 14:8 in other translations

BSBPhilip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
WEBPhilip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
ASVPhilip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
YLTPhilip saith to him, ‘Sir, shew to us the Father, and it is enough for us;'
DARBYPhilip says to him, Lord, shew us the Father and it suffices us.
BBEPhilip said to him, Lord, let us see the Father, and we have need of nothing more.
WebsterPhilip saith to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

What does John 14:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 14:8-12
8-12. The substance of this passage is that the Son is the ordained and perfect manifestation of the Father, that His own word for this ought to His disciples to be enough; that if any doubts remained His works ought to remove them (see on Joh 10:37); but yet that these works of His were designed merely to aid weak faith, and would be repeated, nay exceeded, by His disciples, in virtue of the power He would confer on them after His departure. His miracles the apostles wrought, though wholly in His name and by His power, and the "greater" works--not in degree but in kind--were the conversion of thousands in a day, by His Spirit accompanying them.

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 8. Lord, show us the Father. Philip here referred to some outward and visible manifestation of God. God had manifested himself in various ways to the prophets and saints of old, and Philip affirmed that if some such manifestation should be made to them they would be satisfied. It was right to desire evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, but such evidence had been afforded abundantly in the miracles and teaching of Jesus, and that should have sufficed them.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 Show us the Father - As if he had said, We have seen and adored thee, and our happiness will be complete if thou show us the Father. The demand of Philip was similar to that made by Moses, Exo 33:18. He wished to see the glory of God. In Peter, James, or John, this would have been inexcusable; but Philip had not seen the transfiguration on the mount. The Jewish history is full of the manifestations which God made of himself, and especially when he gave the law. As Christ was introducing a new law, Philip wished to have an additional manifestation of God.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 14:1-11

Here are three words, upon any of which stress may be laid. Upon the word troubled. Be not cast down and disquieted. The word heart. Let your heart be kept with full trust in God. The word your. However others are overwhelmed with the sorrows of this present time, be not you so. Christ's disciples, more than others, should keep their minds quiet, when everything else is unquiet. Here is the remedy against this…

Read the full comment on John 14:1-11 →

John 14:8 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.

λέγειlegeiSaysG3004
αὐτῷautōto HimG846
Φίλιππος·PhilipposPhilip;G5376
κύριε,kurieLord,G2962
δεῖξονdeixondo showG1166
ἡμῖνhēminusG3165
τὸνtontheG3588
πατέρα,pateraFather,G3962
καὶkaiandG2532
ἀρκεῖarkeiit is enoughG714
ἡμῖν.hēminfor us.G3165

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

Cross references for John 14:8

  • Exodus 33:18-23

    And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: …

  • Revelation 22:3-5

    And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

  • John 1:43-46

    The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

  • John 16:25

    These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

  • Psalms 17:15

    As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

  • John 6:5-7

    When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

  • Job 33:26

    He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.

  • Matthew 5:8

    Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

  • John 12:21-22

    The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

  • Exodus 34:5-7

    And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Philip.
1:43-46; 6:5-7; 12:21,22
shew.
16:25; Ex 33:18-23; 34:5-7; Job 33:26; Ps 17:15; 63:2; Mt 5:8
Re 22:3-5

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

Context

  • John 14:7

    If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

  • John 14:8

    Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

  • John 14:9

    Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Read all of John 14

John 14:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dícele Felipe: Señor, muéstranos el Padre, y nos basta.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Philippe lui dit: Seigneur, montre-nous le Père, et cela nous suffit.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Philippus spricht zu ihm: Herr, zeige uns den Vater, und es genügt uns.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dicit ei Philippus: Domine, ostende nobis Patrem, et sufficit nobis.