The Meaning of John 6:65 Explained

John 6:65

KJV: And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

YLT: and he said, 'Because of this I have said to you -- No one is able to come unto me, if it may not have been given him from my Father.'

Darby: And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no one can come to me unless it be given to him from the Father.

ASV: And he said, For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he said,  Therefore  said I  unto you,  that  no man  can  come  unto  me,  except  it were  given  unto him  of  my  Father. 

What does John 6:65 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Again Jesus expressed His belief that the human decision to believe or not believe rested ultimately in God"s elective purpose ( John 6:37; John 6:44). Thus He did not view the unbelief of His disciples as an indication that He had failed. Notwithstanding, He did not present the importance of belief on Himself as something His hearers could take or leave either. It meant the difference between life and death to them, and He urged them to believe.

Context Summary

John 6:60-71 - The Sifting Of Jesus' Followers
The teaching of this chapter involves a deliberate act of Christ to arrest the revolutionary movement that was gathering around His person and making Him its figure-head, John 6:15. He therefore set Himself to teach that these people had misconceived the meaning of His ministry, which was not intended to raise a standard of revolt against Rome, but to lead to a spiritual revolution. The effect of His words was precisely what he expected, and must have shattered any ambitions that had begun to stir in the hearts of His disciples. In John 6:41 the men who the night before wished to crown Him, murmured at Him. In John 6:52 they strove among themselves. In John 6:60 many of His disciples said that His sayings were hard to be understood, and still harder to be obeyed. In John 6:66 many went back. And now as the shades of evening began to fall and the synagogue was almost empty, he was left alone with the little company of twelve, who had sorrowfully watched the overthrow of their hopes. Christ's pathetic question-Will ye also go away?-elicited from Peter a reply which proved that the inner meaning of His words had already broken upon their souls. "Thy words give us and nourish within us the eternal life."
The questions on Section 1-28, to be found on pp. 232, 233, will serve as a review at this point. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 6

1  Jesus feeds five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes
15  Thereupon the people would have made him king;
16  but withdrawing himself, he walks on the sea to his disciples;
26  reproves the people flocking after him, and all the fleshly hearers of his word;
32  declares himself to be the bread of life to believers
66  Many disciples depart from him
68  Peter confesses him
70  Judas is a devil

Greek Commentary for John 6:65

Except it be given him of the Father [εαν μη ηι δεδομενον αυτωι εκ του πατρος]
Condition of third class with εαν μη — ean mē and periphrastic perfect passive subjunctive of διδωμι — didōmi Precisely the same point as in John 6:44 where we have ελκυσηι — helkusēi instead of ηι δεδομενον — ēi dedomenon The impulse to faith comes from God. Jesus does not expect all to believe and seems to imply that Judas did not truly believe. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 6:65

John 10:32 From the Father [εκ του πατρος]
Proceeding out of the Father as in John 6:65; John 16:28 (cf. John 7:17; John 8:42, John 8:47) rather than παρα — para as in John 1:14; John 6:46; John 7:29; John 17:7. For which of those works Literally, “For what kind of work of them” (referring to the “many good works” πολλα εργα καλα — polla erga kala). Noble and beautiful deeds Jesus had done in Jerusalem like healing the impotent man (chapter 5) and the blind man (chapter 9). Ποιον — Poion is a qualitative interrogative pronoun pointing to καλα — kala (good). Do ye stone me Conative present active indicative, “are ye trying to stone me.” They had the stones in their hands stretched back to fling at him, a threatening attitude. [source]
John 3:27 Except it have been given him from heaven [εαν μη ηι δεδομενον αυτωι εκ του ουρανου]
See the same idiom in John 6:65 (cf. John 19:11). Condition of third class, undetermined with prospect of determination, αποστελλω — ean mē with the periphrastic perfect passive subjunctive of didōmi The perfect tense is rare in the subjunctive and an exact rendering into English is awkward, “unless it be granted him from heaven.” See 1 Corinthians 4:7 where Paul says the same thing. [source]
John 6:37 All that [παν ο]
Collective use of the neuter singular, classic idiom, seen also in John 6:39; John 17:2, John 17:24; 1 John 5:4. Perhaps the notion of unity like εν — hen in John 17:21 underlies this use of παν ο — pān ho Giveth me For the idea that the disciples are given to the Son see also John 6:39, John 6:65; John 10:29; John 17:2, John 17:6, John 17:9, John 17:12, John 17:24; John 18:9. I will in no wise cast out Strong double negation as in John 6:35 with second aorist active subjunctive of βαλλω — ballō Definite promise of Jesus to welcome the one who comes. [source]
John 6:44 Except the Father draw him [εαν μη ελκυσηι αυτον]
Negative condition of third class with εαν μη — ean mē and first aorist active subjunctive of ελκυω — helkuō older form ελκω — helkō to drag like a net (John 21:6), or sword (John 18:10), or men (Acts 16:19), to draw by moral power (John 12:32), as in Jeremiah 31:3. Συρω — Surō the other word to drag (Acts 8:3; Acts 14:19) is not used of Christ‘s drawing power. The same point is repeated in John 6:65. The approach of the soul to God is initiated by God, the other side of John 6:37. See Romans 8:7 for the same doctrine and use of ουδε δυναται — oude dunatai like ουδεις δυναται — oudeis dunatai here. [source]
1 John 4:17 Herein [ἐν τούτῳ]
To what does this refer? Two explanations are given. (1.) To the following that we may have boldness. So Huther, who argues thus on the ground that 1 John 4:18shows that the drift of the writer's thought is toward the fearlessness of love. According to this, therefore, love has its fulfillment in freeing us from fear, and inspiring us with boldness even in view of the final judgment. (2.) To what precedes, viz., our dwelling in God and He in us. So Westcott: “The fellowship of God with man and of man with God, carries with it the consummation of love.” I prefer the latter, principally on the ground that in such phrases as ἐν τούτῳ inthis, διὰ τοῦτο onthis account, therefore, the pronoun usually refers to something preceding, though more fully developed in what follows. See John 5:16, John 5:18; John 6:65; John 8:47; John 10:17; John 12:18; John 16:15. [source]
Revelation 2:7 Will I give []
This phrase has a place in every one of these Epistles. The verb is John's habitual word for the privileges and functions of the Son, whether as bestowed upon Him by the Father, or dispensed by Him to His followers. See John 3:35; John 5:22, John 5:27, John 5:36; John 6:65; John 13:3; John 17:6. Compare Revelation 2:23; Revelation 3:8; Revelation 6:4; Revelation 11:3. [source]

What do the individual words in John 6:65 mean?

And He was saying Because of this have I said to you that no one is able to come to Me if not it shall have been granted to him from the Father
Καὶ ἔλεγεν Διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἐὰν μὴ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός

ἔλεγεν  He  was  saying 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Διὰ  Because  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
τοῦτο  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
εἴρηκα  have  I  said 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to utter, speak, say.
ὑμῖν  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
οὐδεὶς  no  one 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὐδείς 
Sense: no one, nothing.
δύναται  is  able 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: δύναμαι  
Sense: to be able, have power whether by virtue of one’s own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom.
ἐλθεῖν  to  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
  it  shall 
Parse: Verb, Present Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
δεδομένον  have  been  granted 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Πατρός  Father 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.