John 6 · Verse 32

John 6:32

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:32, King James Version

John 6:32 in other translations

BSB	Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
WEB	Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.
ASV	Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven.
YLT	Jesus, therefore, said to them, ‘Verily, verily, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread out of the heaven; but my Father doth give you the true bread out of the heaven;
DARBY	Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, It is not Moses that has given you the bread out of heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.
BBE	Jesus then said to them, Truly I say to you, What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
Webster	Then Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

What does John 6:32 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 6:32-33

32-33. Moses gave you not, &c.--"It was not Moses that gave you the manna, and even it was but from the lower heavens; 'but My Father giveth you the true bread,' and that 'from heaven.'"

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

Barnes' Notes

Verse 32. Moses gave you not that bread from heaven. This might be translated, "Moses gave you not the bread of heaven." The word "that," which makes some difference in the sense, is not necessary to express the meaning of the original. It does not appear that Jesus intended to call in question the fact that their fathers were fed by the instrumentality of Moses, but to state that he did not give them the true bread that was adapted to the wants of the soul. He fed the body, although his food did not keep the body alive (Jn 6:59), but he did not give that which would preserve the soul from death. God gave, in his Son Jesus, the true bread from heaven which was fitted to man, and of far more value than any supply of their temporal wants, He tells them, therefore, that they are not to seek from him any such supply of their temporal wants as they had supposed. A better gift had been furnished in his being given for the life of the world.

My father giveth you. In the gospel; in the gift of his Son.

The true bread. The true or real support which is needed to keep the soul from death. It is not false, deceitful, or perishing. Christ is called bread, because, as bread supports life, so his doctrine supports, preserves, and saves the soul from death. He is the true support, not only in opposition to the mere supply of temporal wants such as Moses furnished, but also in opposition to all false religion which deceives and destroys the soul.

(q) "my Father" Gal 4:4

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 32 Moses gave you not that bread from heaven - Our Lord refutes the argument of the Jews, by proving: 1. That it was not Moses, but God, who gave the manna. 2. That this bread was not the true bread, but was merely a type of it. 3. That God had given them now a bread infinitely more excellent. 4. That himself is that heavenly nourishment of which he spake, and who was typified by the manna in the desert. To show that himself was the true bread from heaven, he proves two things: 1. That his doctrine was the true nourishment of the soul, and that those who were to be put in possession of the blessings promised in it must come to God by faith. 2. That he would give his body for the life of the world: that as bread is the staff that supports the natural life of man, so the salvation procured by his death should be that by which the bodies and souls of believers should be preserved unto life eternal.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 6:28-35

Constant exercise of faith in Christ, is the most important and difficult part of the obedience required from us, as sinners seeking salvation. When by his grace we are enabled to live a life of faith in the Son of God, holy tempers follow, and acceptable services may be done. God, even his Father, who gave their fathers that food from heaven to support their natural lives, now gave them the true Bread for the…

Read the full comment on John 6:28-35 →

John 6:32 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

αὐτοῖςautoisto themG846

ὁho<the>G3588

Ἰησοῦς·IēsousJesus;G2424

ἀμὴνamēnAmenG281

λέγωlegōI sayG3004

ὑμῖν·huminto you;G4771

οὐounotG3756

ΜωϋσῆςMōusēsMosesG3475

δέδωκενdedōkenhas givenG1325

ὑμῖνhuminyouG4771

τὸνtontheG3588

ἄρτονartonbreadG740

ἐκekfromG1537

τοῦtou<the>G3588

οὐρανοῦ,ouranouheaven,G3772

ἀλλ᾽all᾽butG235

ὁhotheG3588

πατήρpatērFatherG3962

μουmouof MineG3165

δίδωσινdidōsingivesG1325

ὑμῖνhuminyouG4771

τὸνtontheG3588

ἄρτονartonbreadG740

ἐκekfromG1537

τοῦtou<the>G3588

οὐρανοῦouranouheavenG3772

τὸνton<the>G3588

ἀληθινόν.alēthinontrue.G228

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

Cross references for John 6:32

John 15:1
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
John 6:58
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Exodus 16:4
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
John 1:9
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
John 6:55
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
John 6:50
This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
John 6:33
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
John 6:35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 6:41
The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
Psalms 78:23
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
Exodus 16:8
And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Moses.
Ex 16:4,8; Ps 78:23
the true.
33,35,41,50,55,58; 1:9; 15:1; Ga 4:4; 1Jo 5:20

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

Context

John 6:31
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
John 6:32
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
John 6:33
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Read all of John 6

John 6:32 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y Jesús les dijo: De cierto, de cierto os digo: No os dió Moisés pan del cielo; mas mi Padre os da el verdadero pan del cielo.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Jésus donc leur dit: En vérité, en vérité, je vous dis: Moïse ne vous a pas donné le pain qui vient du ciel, mais mon Père vous donne le véritable pain qui vient du ciel.
German Elberfelder 1871	Da sprach Jesus zu ihnen: Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch: Nicht Moses hat euch das Brot aus dem Himmel gegeben, sondern mein Vater gibt euch das wahrhaftige Brot aus dem Himmel.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Dixit ergo eis Jesus: Amen, amen dico vobis: non Moyses dedit vobis panem de cælo, sed Pater meus dat vobis panem de cælo verum.