John 6 · Verse 20

John 6:20

But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
John 6:20, King James Version

John 6:20 in other translations

BSBBut Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”
WEBBut he said to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
ASVBut he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
YLTand he saith to them, ‘I am he, be not afraid;'
DARBYBut he says to them, It is I: be not afraid.
BBEBut he said to them, It is I, have no fear.
WebsterBut he saith to them, It is I; be not afraid.

What does John 6:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
20. It is I; be not afraid--Matthew (Mt 14:27) and Mark (Mr 6:50) give before these exhilarating words, that to them well-known one, "Be of good cheer!"

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 20.

(h) "It is I" Ps 35:3, Isa 43:1,2, Rev 1:17,18

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 6:15-21

Here were Christ's disciples in the way of duty, and Christ was praying for them; yet they were in distress. There may be perils and afflictions of this present time, where there is an interest in Christ. Clouds and darkness often surround the children of the light and of the day. They see Jesus walking on the sea. Even the approaches of comfort and deliverance often are so mistaken, as to become the occasions of…

Read the full comment on John 6:15-21 →

John 6:20 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.

ὁho<the>G3588
δὲdeAndG1161
λέγειlegeiHe saysG3004
αὐτοῖς·autoisto them;G846
ἐγώegōI myselfG1473
εἰμι,eimiam [He],G1510
μὴmēnotG3361
φοβεῖσθε.phobeisthedo fear.G5399

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

Cross references for John 6:20

  • Matthew 14:27-31

    But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. …

  • Isaiah 43:1-2

    But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

  • Isaiah 44:8

    Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

  • Isaiah 41:10

    Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

  • Revelation 1:17-18

    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

  • Isaiah 41:14

    Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

  • Mark 6:50

    For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

  • Psalms 35:3

    Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

  • Mark 16:6

    And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
It is.
Ps 35:3; Isa 41:10,14; 43:1,2; 44:8; Mt 14:27-31; Mr 6:50; 16:6
Re 1:17,18

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

Context

  • John 6:19

    So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

  • John 6:20

    But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

  • John 6:21

    Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

Read all of John 6

John 6:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Mas él les dijo: Yo soy; no tengáis miedo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Mais il leur dit: C’est moi, n’ayez point de peur.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Er aber spricht zu ihnen: Ich bins, fürchtet euch nicht!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Ille autem dicit eis: Ego sum, nolite timere.