John 4 · Verse 48

John 4:48

Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
John 4:48, King James Version

John 4:48 in other translations

BSBJesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
WEBJesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe.”
ASVJesus therefore said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will in no wise believe.
YLTJesus then said unto him, ‘If signs and wonders ye may not see, ye will not believe.'
DARBYJesus therefore said to him, Unless ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe.
BBEThen Jesus said to him, You will not have faith if you do not see signs and wonders.
WebsterThen said Jesus to him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

What does John 4:48 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 4:48-54
48-54. Except ye see signs, &c.--He did believe, both as his coming and his urgent entreaty show; but how imperfectly we shall see; and our Lord would deepen his faith by such a blunt and seemingly rough answer as He made to Nicodemus.

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 48. Except ye see signs, &c. This was spoken not to the nobleman only, but to the Galileans generally. The Samaritans had believed without any miracle. The Galileans, he said, were less disposed to believe him than even they were; and though he had wrought miracles enough to convince them, yet, unless they continually saw them, they would not believe.

(g) "signs and wonders" 1Cor 1:22

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 48 Except ye see signs and wonders, etc. - Our Lord does not tell this man that he had no faith, but that he had not enough. If he had had none, he would not have come from Capernaum to Cana, to beg him to heal his son. If he had had enough, he would have been contented with recommending his son to our Lord, without entreating him to go to Capernaum to heal him; which intimates that he did not believe our Lord could do it at a distance. But the words are not addressed to the nobleman alone, but to all the Galilean Jews in general; for our Lord uses the plural number, which he never does when addressing an individual. These people differed widely from the people of Sychar: they had neither a love of the truth, nor simplicity of heart; and would not believe any thing from heaven, unless forced on their minds by the most striking miracles. They were favored with the ministry of John Baptist; but, as that was not accompanied with miracles, it was not generally credited. They require the miracles of Christ, in order that they may credit the advent of the Messiah. There are many like these Galileans still in the world: they deny that God can have any influence among men; and as to the operations of the Holy Spirit, they, in the genuine Galilean spirit, boldly assert that they will not credit any man who professes to be made a partaker of them, unless he work a miracle in proof of his pretensions! These persons should know that the grace of working miracles was very different from that by which a man is saved; and that the former might exist, even in the most astonishing measure, where the latter did not. See 1Cor 13:2.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 4:43-54

The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, are no hinderance to the knowledge…

Read the full comment on John 4:43-54 →

John 4:48 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.

εἶπενeipenSaidG2036
οὖνounthereforeG3767
ὁho<the>G3588
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
πρὸςprostoG4314
αὐτόν·autonhim;G846
ἐὰνeanonlyG1437
μὴmēunlessG3361
σημεῖαsēmeiasignsG4592
καὶkaiandG2532
τέραταteratawondersG5059
ἴδητε,idēteyou [people] may see,G1492
οὐoucertainlyG3756
μὴmēnotG3361
πιστεύσητε.pisteusēteshall you believe.G4100

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

Cross references for John 4:48

  • John 20:29

    Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:22

    For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

  • Hebrews 2:4

    God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

  • Daniel 4:2

    I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.

  • John 12:37

    But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

  • Acts 2:22

    Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

  • Romans 15:19

    Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

  • Luke 16:31

    And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

  • Acts 14:3

    Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

  • 2 Corinthians 12:12

    Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

  • Mark 13:22

    For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

  • Matthew 24:24

    For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Except.
41,42; 2:18; 12:37; 15:24; 20:29; Nu 14:11; Mt 16:1; 27:42; Lu 10:18
Lu 16:31; Ac 2:22; 1Co 1:22

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

Context

  • John 4:47

    When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

  • John 4:48

    Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

  • John 4:49

    The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

Read all of John 4

John 4:48 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces Jesús le dijo: Si no viereis señales y milagros no creeréis.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Jésus donc lui dit: Si vous ne voyez des signes et des prodiges, vous ne croirez point.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jesus sprach nun zu ihm: Wenn ihr nicht Zeichen und Wunder sehet, so werdet ihr nicht glauben.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixit ergo Jesus ad eum: Nisi signa et prodigia videritis, non creditis.