John 6:60

Green's Literal Translation

Then many of His disciples having heard, they said, This Word is hard; who is able to hear it?

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
When Jesus' followers heard this, many of them said, "This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Many of his disciples when they had herde this sayde: this is an herde sayinge: who can abyde the hearinge of it?

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore many of his talmidim, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying! Who can hear it?"

International Standard Version
When many of his disciples heard this, they said, "This is a difficult statement. Who can acceptlisten to">[fn] it?"Matthew 11:6; John 6:66;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
So then many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This statement is very unpleasant; who can listen to it?"

New Century Version
When the followers of Jesus heard this, many of them said, "This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?"

Update Bible Version
Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard [this], said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?

Webster's Bible Translation
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard [this], said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?

English Standard Version
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

World English Bible
Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying! Who can hear it?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Many of his disciples hearing it, said, This is an hard saying: who can hear it?

Weymouth's New Testament
Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is hard to accept. Who can listen to such teaching?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor many of hise disciplis herynge, seiden, This word is hard, who may here it?

English Revised Version
Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?

Berean Standard Bible
On hearing it, many of His disciples said, "This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?"

Contemporary English Version
Many of Jesus' disciples heard him and said, "This is too hard for anyone to understand."

Amplified Bible
When many of His disciples heard this, they said, "This is a difficult and harsh and offensive statement. Who can [be expected to] listen to it?"

American Standard Version
Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?

Bible in Basic English
Then, hearing this, a number of his disciples said, This is a hard saying; who is able to take in such teaching?

Complete Jewish Bible
On hearing it, many of his talmidim said, "This is a hard word — who can bear to listen to it?"

Darby Translation
Many therefore of his disciples having heard [it] said, This word is hard; who can hear it?

Etheridge Translation
And many of his disciples who heard said, A hard word is this: who can hear it ?

Murdock Translation
And many of his disciples who heard [fn] , said: This is a hard speech, who can hear it.

King James Version (1611)
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying, who can heare it?

New Living Translation
Many of his disciples said, "This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?"

New Life Bible
After hearing this, many of His followers said, "This teaching is too hard! Who can listen to it?"

New Revised Standard
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Many therefore of his disciples (when they heard this) sayde, This is an hard saying: who can heare it?

George Lamsa Translation
Many of his disciples who heard it said, This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Many, of his disciples, therefore, when they heard, said - Hard, is this discourse, - Who can, thereunto, hearken?

Douay-Rheims Bible
(6-61) Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard; and who can hear it?

Revised Standard Version
Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Many therfore of his disciples, when they had hearde this, saide: This is an harde saying, who can abyde the hearyng of it?

Good News Translation
Many of his followers heard this and said, "This teaching is too hard. Who can listen to it?"

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?”

King James Version
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

Lexham English Bible
Thus many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This saying is hard! Who can understand it?"

Young's Literal Translation
many, therefore, of his disciples having heard, said, `This word is hard; who is able to hear it?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Many now of his disciples that herde this, sayde: This is an harde sayenge, who maye abyde the hearynge of it?

Mace New Testament (1729)
when many of his disciples, who heard him, said, this is strange doctrine, who can hear it?

THE MESSAGE
Many among his disciples heard this and said, "This is tough teaching, too tough to swallow."

New English Translation
Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, said, "This is a difficult saying! Who can understand it?"

New King James Version
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
On hearing all of this, many of the day workers who followed him around said, "I quit. He's gone too far this time."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?"

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?"

Contextual Overview

⁶⁰ Then many of His disciples having heard, they said, This Word is hard; who is able to hear it? ⁶¹ But knowing in Himself that His disciples were murmuring about this, Jesus said to them, Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man going up where He was at first? ⁶³ It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh does not profit, nothing! The Words which I speak to you are spirit and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who are not believing. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were, the ones not believing, and who was the one betraying Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, Because of this, I have told you that no one is able to come to Me except it is given to him from My Father. ⁶⁶ From this time many of His disciples went away into the things behind, and no longer walked with Him. ⁶⁷ Therefore, Jesus said to the Twelve, Do you also wish to go? ⁶⁸ Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of everlasting life. ⁶⁹ And we have believed and have known that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

of his: John 6:66, John 8:31

This: John 6:41, John 6:42, John 8:43, Matthew 11:6, Hebrews 5:11, 2 Peter 3:16

Reciprocal: Matthew 24:10 - shall many Mark 6:3 - offended Mark 10:24 - astonished Luke 7:23 - General Luke 9:58 - Jesus John 3:4 - How John 3:9 - How John 7:36 - manner John 10:6 - they understood not John 14:22 - how Acts 17:20 - strange

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Many therefore of his disciples,.... Not of the twelve, nor of the seventy, but of the multitude of the disciples, who followed him from place to place, attended on his ministry, and might be baptized in his name; see John 4:1;

when they had heard [this]; that his flesh and blood were truly and really meat and drink, and that none had life in them, or should have eternal life, but such as eat and drink the same:

said, this is an hard saying; or it is to be objected to; so קשיא, "an hard thing", the word here used in the Syriac version, and עלי

קשה הוא, "it is to me a hard thing", are phrases used to express an objection in the Talmudic writings, where they are often met with: or it is difficult to be understood and received; so הדבר הקשה, "an hard saying", or "an hard cause", is a cause difficult to be tried and determined, Exodus 18:26, and is used of that which seems incredible and absurd, and is surprising and unaccountable: so it is said z, that

"it happened to a certain woman, that she came before R. Abika: she said to him, I have seen a spot; he said to her, perhaps there is a wound in thee; she answered him, yes, and it is healed; he replied, perhaps it may be opened, and the blood brought out; she answered him, yes; and he pronounced her clean. R. Abika saw his disciples look upon one another; and he said unto them, מה הדבר קשה, "is this an hard saying with you?"''

is it a difficult thing with you? does it seem absurd to you? or are you surprised at it? anything difficult, or which seems irreconcilable, is so called: so the slaying the passover between the two evenings is called by Aben Ezra, in Exodus 12:6, מלה קשה, "an hard saying". In like sense the phrase is used here; and the allusion may be to food that is hard of digestion, since Christ had been speaking of himself under the metaphors of bread and meat. As some of the doctrines of Christ are comparable to milk, which is easy of digestion; others are like to strong meat, which belongs to those of full age, and cannot be digested by children, by babes in Christ, and much less be received, ate, and digested, with ease and pleasure, by carnal minds; who therefore say, as these Capernaites did,

who can hear it? this saying, or doctrine, concerning eating the flesh, and drinking the blood of Christ; or "him" Christ, who delivered this doctrine: such preaching, and such a preacher, are intolerable; there is no hearing, nor bearing them: hence we afterwards read, that these withdrew from the ministry of Christ, John 6:66.

z Misn. Nidda, c. 8, sect. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Many of his disciples - The word “disciple” means “learner.” It was applied to the followers of Christ because they were taught by him. It does not imply, of necessity, that those to whom it was given were real Christians, but simply that they were under his teaching, and were professed learners in his school. See Matthew 17:16; Mark 2:18; John 9:28; Matthew 10:24. It is doubtless used in this sense here. It is, however, often applied to those who are real Christians.

This is an hard saying - The word “hard” here means “offensive, disagreeable” - that which they could not bear. Some have understood it to mean “difficult to be understood,” but this meaning does not suit the connection. The doctrine which he delivered was opposed to their prejudices; it seemed to be absurd, and they therefore rejected it.

Saying - Rather doctrine or speech - Greek, λόγος logos. It does not refer to any particular part of the discourse, but includes the whole.

Who can hear it? - That is, who can hear it patiently - who can stay and listen to such doctrine or believe it. The effect of this is stated in John 6:66. The doctrines which Jesus taught that were so offensive appear to have been:

1.That he was superior to Moses.

2.That God would save all that he had chosen and those only.

3.That he said he was the bread that came from heaven.

4.That it was necessary to partake of that; that it was necessary that an atonement should be made, and that they should be saved by that.

These doctrines have always been among the most offensive that men have been called on to believe, and many, rather than trust in them, have chosen to draw back to perdition.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 60. Many therefore of his disciples — So it appears that he had many more than the twelve, who constantly accompanied him.

This is a hard saying; who can hear it? — Who can digest such doctrine as this? It is intolerable: it is impracticable. There is a similar saving in Euripides, to the σκληρος λογος of the evangelist. Ποτερα θελεις σοι μαλθακα ψευδη λεγω, η σκληρ' αληθη, φραζε; Tell me whether thou wouldst that I should speak unto thee, a SOFT LIE, or the HARSH TRUTH? The wicked word of a lying world is in general better received than the holy word of the God of truth!