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Amplified Bible

John 15:1

"I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Church;   Fellowship;   Grape;   Husbandman;   Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Regeneration;   Righteous;   Vine;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abiding in Christ;   Fellowship-Estrangement;   I Am's of Christ;   Names;   Nearness to God;   Titles and Names;   Vine;   The Topic Concordance - Abidance;   Bearing Fruit;   Choosing/chosen;   Cleanness;   Comfort;   Disciples/apostles;   Enemies;   Friendship;   Happiness/joy;   Hate;   Hell;   Holy Spirit;   Jesus Christ;   Love;   Obedience;   Ordination;   Persecution;   Sacrifice;   Sending and Those Sent;   Servants;   Sin;   Truth;   Witness;   World;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Parables;   Titles and Names of Christ;   Union with Christ;   Vine, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Comforter;   Parable;   Vine;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Grapes;   Truth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Covenant;   Fruit;   God;   Love;   Spirituality;   Union with Christ;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Union to Christ;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Vine;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Blood;   Jesus Christ;   John, the Gospel According to;   Judah;   Parable;   Revelation of John, the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Branch;   Ezekiel;   Imagery;   Incarnation;   John, the Gospel of;   Truth;   Vine;   Wrath, Wrath of God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Children (Sons) of God;   Ethics;   God;   Holy Spirit;   Husbandman, Husbandry;   John, Theology of;   Parable;   Vine, Vineyard;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abiding;   Acceptance;   Agriculture;   Allegory;   Announcements of Death;   Body (2);   Brotherhood (2);   Communion (2);   Dependence;   Fall (2);   Grace;   Headship;   Husbandman ;   Ideas (Leading);   Immanence ;   Kin, Kindred, Kinship;   Life ;   Lord's Supper (Ii);   Lord's Supper. (I.);   Love (2);   Mediator;   Metaphors;   Mission;   Nature and Natural Phenomena;   Oneness;   Parable;   Personality;   Poet;   Quotations (2);   Redemption (2);   Religious Experience;   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Temple (2);   Truth (2);   Unity (2);   Vine, Allegory of the;   Yoke;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Husbandman;   Vine, Vineyard;   26 True the True;   1910 New Catholic Dictionary - names of our lord;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Church;   Cluster;   Corn;   Fruit;   Pentecost;   Vine;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Church;   Names titles and offices of christ;   Vine;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Vine,;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Vine;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Communion;   Husbandman;   Lord's Supper (Eucharist);   Number;   Salvation;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Didache;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for January 24;   Every Day Light - Devotion for November 17;   My Utmost for His Highest - Devotion for January 7;  

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
Then Jesus said, "I am the Top Hand, and my Father is the ranch owner. He's the one who cares for everything on the ranch.
Legacy Standard Bible
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-grower.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Bible in Basic English
I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.
Darby Translation
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
New King James Version
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Christian Standard Bible®
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.
World English Bible
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away;
Weymouth's New Testament
"I am the Vine--the True Vine, and my Father is the vine-dresser.
King James Version (1611)
I am the true vine, and my Father is ye husbandman.
Literal Translation
I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I am a true vyne, and my father is an hussbande man.
Mace New Testament (1729)
I am the genuine vine, and my father is the vintager.
THE MESSAGE
"I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.
American Standard Version
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Revised Standard Version
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
I am the true vyne and my father ys an husbande man.
Update Bible Version
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Webster's Bible Translation
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Young's Literal Translation
`I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman;
New Century Version
"I am the true vine; my Father is the gardener.
New English Translation
"I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.
Contemporary English Version
Jesus said to his disciples: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
Complete Jewish Bible
"I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener.
English Standard Version
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I Am that true vine, and my Father is that husband man.
George Lamsa Translation
I AM the true vine, and my Father is the worker.
Hebrew Names Version
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
International Standard Version
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.
Etheridge Translation
I am the true vine, [fn] and my Father is the husbandman.
Murdock Translation
I am the true vine; and my Father is the cultivator.
New Living Translation
"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.
New Life Bible
"I am the true Vine. My Father is the One Who cares for the Vine.
English Revised Version
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Berean Standard Bible
I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.
New Revised Standard
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I, am the real vine, and, my Father, is, the husbandman.
Douay-Rheims Bible
I am the true vine: and my Father is the husbandman.
King James Version
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Lexham English Bible
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman.
Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
New American Standard Bible
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Good News Translation
"I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y am a very vyne, and my fadir is an erthe tilier.

Contextual Overview

1"I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.2"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]. 3"You are already clean because of the word which I have given you [the teachings which I have discussed with you]. 4"Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 5"I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. 6"If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7"If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. 8"My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

true: John 1:9, John 1:17, John 6:32, John 6:55, 1 John 2:8

vine: Genesis 49:10, Genesis 49:11, Psalms 80:8-19, Isaiah 4:2, Isaiah 5:1-7, Jeremiah 2:21, Jeremiah 12:10, Ezekiel 15:2-6, Hosea 10:1, Zechariah 3:8, Matthew 21:33, Luke 13:6

husbandman: Song of Solomon 7:12, Song of Solomon 8:11, Song of Solomon 8:12, Isaiah 27:2, Isaiah 27:3, Isaiah 60:21, Isaiah 61:3, Matthew 20:1, Mark 12:1, 1 Corinthians 3:9

Reciprocal: Numbers 17:8 - budded Psalms 80:15 - vineyard Psalms 92:15 - To show Song of Solomon 2:3 - the apple tree Song of Solomon 4:13 - are Isaiah 6:13 - so the holy Hosea 14:6 - branches Hosea 14:8 - From me Matthew 13:23 - beareth Mark 12:2 - a servant Luke 20:9 - planted John 1:16 - of his John 14:6 - the truth Romans 6:5 - planted 1 Corinthians 1:30 - in

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; Your reward [for obedience] shall be very great."
Genesis 15:2
Abram said, "Lord GOD, what reward will You give me, since I am [leaving this world] childless, and he who will be the owner and heir of my house is this [servant] Eliezer from Damascus?"
Genesis 15:3
And Abram continued, "Since You have given no child to me, one (a servant) born in my house is my heir."
Genesis 15:4
Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man [Eliezer] will not be your heir but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir."
Genesis 15:5
And the LORD brought Abram outside [his tent into the night] and said, "Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "So [numerous] shall your descendants be."
Genesis 15:6
Then Abram believed in (affirmed, trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the LORD; and He counted (credited) it to him as righteousness (doing right in regard to God and man).
Genesis 15:10
So Abram brought all these to Him and cut them down the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.
Genesis 15:14
"But on that nation whom your descendants will serve I will bring judgment, and afterward they will come out [of that land] with great possessions.
Genesis 15:16
"Then in the fourth generation your descendants shall return here [to Canaan, the land of promise], for the wickedness and guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete (finished)."
Genesis 15:17
When the sun had gone down and a [deep] darkness had come, there appeared a smoking brazier and a flaming torch which passed between the [divided] pieces [of the animals].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I am the true vine,.... The fruit of which he had been just speaking of at supper with his disciples; and then informs them, that he himself is the vine from whence that fruit must be expected, which should be partook of by them in his Father's kingdom; for though Christ may be compared to a vine for its tenderness, weakness, and being subject to cuttings and prunings; all which may express his outward meanness in his birth, parentage, and education, Which exposed him to the contempt of men; the weakness of the human nature in itself, his being encompassed with the infirmities of his people, and his sufferings and death for their sakes; yet he is rather called so with respect to his fruitfulness: for as the vine is a fruitful tree, brings forth and bears fruit in clusters, so Christ, as man and Mediator, is full of grace and truth, of all spiritual blessings, and exceeding great and precious promises; from him come the wine of divine love, of Gospel truths and Gospel ordinances, the various blessings of grace, and the joys of heaven, which are the best wine reserved by him till last: Christ is the "true" vine; not that he is really and literally so, without a figure; but he is, as the Syriac renders it, נפתא דשררא, "the vine of truth". Just as Israel is called a noble vine, wholly a right seed, זרע אמת, "a seed of truth", Jeremiah 2:21; right genuine seed; or, as the Septuagint render it, "a vine", bringing forth fruit, πασαν

αληθινην, "wholly true"; to which the allusion may be here. Christ is the noble vine, the most excellent of vines, wholly a right seed, in opposition to, and distinction from, the wild and unfruitful, or degenerate plant of a strange vine: to him agree all the properties of a right and real vine; he really and truly communicates life, sap, juice, nourishment, and fruitfulness to the several branches which are in him. The metaphor Christ makes use of was well known to the Jews; for not only the Jewish church is often compared to a vine, but the Messiah too, according to them: thus the Targumist explains the phrase in Psalms 80:15, "the branch thou madest strong for thyself", of the King Messiah: and indeed, by comparing it with

Psalms 80:17 it seems to be the true sense of the passage g. The Cabalistic doctors say h, that the Shekinah is called, גפן, "a vine"; see Genesis 49:11; where the Jews observe i, the King Messiah is so called. The Jews k say, there was a golden vine that stood over the gate of the temple, and it was set upon props; and whoever offered a leaf, or a grape, or a cluster, (that is, a piece of gold to the temple, in the form of either of these,) bought it, and hung it upon it. And of this vine also Josephus l makes mention, as being in Herod's temple; of which he says, that it was over the doors (of the temple), under the edges of the wall, having clusters hanging down from it on high, which filled spectators with wonder as for the size of it, so for the art with which it was made. And elsewhere he says m, the inward door in the porch was all covered with gold, and the whole wall about it; and it had over it golden vines, from whence hung clusters as big as the stature of a man: now whether our Lord may refer to this, being near the temple, and in view of it, and point to it, and call himself the true vine, in distinction from it, which was only the representation of one; or whether he might take occasion, from the sight of a real vine, to compare himself to one, nay be considered; since it was usual with Christ, upon sight or mention of natural things, to take the opportunity of treating of spiritual ones: though it may be rather this discourse of the vine and branches might be occasioned by his speaking of the fruit of the vine, at the time he ate the passover, and instituted the ordinance of the supper.

And my Father is the husbandman; or vinedresser. So God is called by Philo the Jew n, γεωργος αγαθος, "a good husbandman"; and the same the Targumist says of the word of the Lord o,

"and my word shall be unto them, כאכרא טבא, "as a good husbandman".''

Now Christ says this of his Father, both with respect to himself the vine, and with respect to the branches that were in him: he was the husbandman to him; he planted the vine of his human nature, and filled it with all the graces of the Spirit; he supported it, upheld it, and made it strong for himself, for the purposes of his grace, and for his own glory; and took infinite delight in it, being to him a pleasant plant, a plant of renown. The concern this husbandman has with the branches, is expressed in the following verse.

g Vid. R. Mosem Hadersan in Galatin. de Arcan. Cathol. verit, l. 8. c. 4. h Zohar in Exod. fol. 70. 2. & Cabala denudata, par. 1. p. 241. i Zohar in Gen fol. 127. 3. k Misn. Middot, c. 3. sect. 8. T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 90. 2. & Tamid, fol. 29. 1, 2. l Antiqu. l. 15. c. 11. sect. 3. m De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 5. sect. 4. n Leg. Allegor. l. 1. p. 48. o Targum in Hos. 11. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I am the true vine - Some have supposed that this discourse was delivered in the room where the Lord’s Supper was instituted, and that, as they had made use of wine, Jesus took occasion from that to say that he was the true vine, and to intimate that his blood was the real wine that was to give strength to the soul. Others have supposed that it was delivered in the temple, the entrance to which was adorned with a golden vine (Josephus), and that Jesus took occasion thence to say that he was the true vine; but it is most probable that it was spoken while they were going from the paschal supper to the Mount of Olives. Whether it was suggested by the sight of vines by the way, or by the wine of which they had just partaken, cannot now be determined. The comparison was frequent among the Jews, for Palestine abounded in vineyards, and the illustration was very striking. Thus, the Jewish people are compared to a vine which God had planted, Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalms 80:8-16; Joel 1:7; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 19:10. When Jesus says he was the true vine, perhaps allusion is had to Jeremiah 2:21. The word “true,” here, is used in the sense of real, genuine. He really and truly gives what is emblematically represented by a vine. The point of the comparison or the meaning of the figure is this: A vine yields proper juice and nourishment to all the branches, whether these are large or small. All the nourishment of each branch and tendril passes through the main stalk, or the vine, that springs from the earth. So Jesus is the source of all real strength and grace to his disciples. He is their leader and teacher, and imparts to them, as they need, grace and strength to bear the fruits of holiness.

And my Father is the husbandman - The word “vine-dresser” more properly expresses the sense of the original word than husbandman. It means one who has the care of a vineyard; whose office it is to nurture, trim, and defend the vine, and who of course feels a deep interest in its growth and welfare. See the notes at Matthew 21:33. The figure means that God gave, or appointed his Son to be, the source of blessings to man; that all grace descends through him; and that God takes care of all the branches of this vine - that is, of all who are by faith united to the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus and all his church he feels the deepest interest, and it is an object of great solicitude that his church should receive these blessings and bear much fruit.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XV.

The union of Jesus Christ with his followers, represented by the

parable of a vine and its branches, 1-11.

He exhorts them to mutual love, 12.

Calls them his friends, and promises to lay down his life for

them, 13-15.

Appoints them their work, and promises them success in it, 16.

Renews the exhortation to mutual love, 17,

and foretells the opposition they would meet with from the

world, 18-21.

The sin of the Jews in rejecting Christ, 22-25.

The Holy Spirit is promised as a witness for Christ, and the

Comforter of the disciples, 26, 27.

NOTES ON CHAP. XV.

Verse John 15:1. I am the true vine — Perhaps the vines which they met with, on their road from Bethany to Gethsemane, might have given rise to this discourse. Some of the disciples were probably making remarks on the different kinds of them, and our Lord took the opportunity of improving the conversation, according to his usual manner, to the instruction of their souls. He might here term himself the true vine, or vine of the right sort, in opposition to the wild and barren vine. Some MSS. and several of the fathers read the verse thus: I am the true vine, ye are the branches, and my Father is the husbandman. Some think that, as this discourse followed the celebration of the Eucharist, our Lord took occasion from the fruit of the vine, used in that ordinance, to introduce this similitude.


 
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