John 6:66

Green's Literal Translation

From this time many of His disciples went away into the things behind, and no longer walked with Him.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
After Jesus said these things, many of his followers left and stopped following him.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
From that tyme many of his disciples wet backe and walked no moore with him.

Hebrew Names Version
At this, many of his talmidim went back, and walked no more with him.

International Standard Version
As a result,From this time">[fn] many of his disciples turned back and no longer associatedwalked">[fn] with him.John 6:60;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
As a result of this many of His disciples left, and would no longer walk with Him.

New Century Version
After Jesus said this, many of his followers left him and stopped following him.

Update Bible Version
On this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Webster's Bible Translation
From that [time] many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

English Standard Version
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

World English Bible
At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
From this time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

Weymouth's New Testament
Thereupon many of His disciples left Him and went away, and no longer associated with Him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Fro this tyme many of hise disciplis wenten abak, and wenten not now with hym.

English Revised Version
Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Berean Standard Bible
From that time on, many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.

Contemporary English Version
Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him.

Amplified Bible
As a result of this many of His disciples abandoned Him, and no longer walked with Him.

American Standard Version
Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Bible in Basic English
Because of what he said, a number of the disciples went back and would no longer go with him.

Complete Jewish Bible
From this time on, many of his talmidim turned back and no longer traveled around with him.

Darby Translation
From that [time] many of his disciples went away back and walked no more with him.

Etheridge Translation
On account of this word many of his disciples went back, and walked not with him.

Murdock Translation
On account of this speech, many of his disciples turned back, and walked not with him.

King James Version (1611)
From that time many of his disciples went backe, and walked no more with him.

New Living Translation
At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

New Life Bible
From that time on, many of His followers turned back to their old ways of living. They would not go along with Him after that.

New Revised Standard
Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
From that time, many of his disciples went backe, and walked no more with him.

George Lamsa Translation
Just because of this saying, a great many of his disciples turned away, and did not walk with him.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Because of this, many from among his disciples, went away back, and, no longer, with him, were walking.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(6-67) After this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

Revised Standard Version
After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
From that time, many of his disciples wet backe, & walked no more with him.

Good News Translation
Because of this, many of Jesus' followers turned back and would not go with him any more.

Christian Standard Bible®
From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him.

King James Version
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Lexham English Bible
For this reason many of his disciples drew back and were not walking with him any longer.

Young's Literal Translation
From this [time] many of his disciples went away backward, and were no more walking with him,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
From that tyme forth, many of his disciples wente backe, and walked nomore with him.

Mace New Testament (1729)
From that time many of his disciples withdrew, and associated no longer with him.

THE MESSAGE
After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?"

New English Translation
After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer.

New King James Version
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

Simplified Cowboy Version
When the words had come out of his mouth, many of the day workers who had been trying to get on with Jesus walked out.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Legacy Standard Bible
As a result of this many of His disciples went away and were not walking with Him anymore.

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 6:60, John 8:31, Zephaniah 1:6, Matthew 12:40-45, Matthew 13:20, Matthew 13:21, Matthew 19:22, Matthew 21:8-11, Matthew 27:20-25, Luke 9:62, 2 Timothy 1:15, 2 Timothy 4:10, Hebrews 10:38, 2 Peter 2:20-22, 1 John 2:19

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:29 - creeping things that creep Joshua 23:12 - go back Ruth 1:14 - but Ruth 2 Samuel 15:15 - Behold 2 Samuel 15:21 - surely 2 Samuel 20:2 - the men 2 Kings 5:11 - went away 2 Chronicles 10:16 - So all Israel Job 23:12 - Neither Psalms 80:18 - So will Isaiah 8:15 - stumble Isaiah 43:22 - thou hast been Ezekiel 18:24 - when Matthew 11:6 - whosoever Matthew 24:10 - shall many John 5:35 - and ye John 6:41 - murmured John 20:24 - was Romans 2:7 - patient

Gill's Notes on the Bible

From that [time] many of his disciples went back,.... Not any of the twelve apostles, for they are distinguished from these in the next verse; nor any of the seventy disciples, for their names were written in heaven, and could not apostatize totally and finally, as these did; but some of the multitude of the disciples, who followed Christ, heard him, and professed to believe in him, and were baptized in his name, but were not true disciples, only nominal ones: they had never heard and learned of the Father, otherwise they would have known what it was to come to Christ, as the Father's gift, and under the drawings of his grace; and would not have been offended at the words of our Lord, just now spoken by him, concerning that sort of coming to him: but from the time he spoke those words; "because of this word", as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions render it; they withdrew themselves from his ministry, they dropped their profession of faith in him, and relinquished him as a Saviour and Redeemer: for finding that he would not be made king, nor set up for a temporal redeemer; and talking of himself as the bread of life, and of coming to him, in a sense they did not understand; they turned their backs on him; and as the words may be literally read, "returned to the things that were behind"; to the world, and to their old companions, to Satan and their own hearts lusts; like the dog to its vomit, and the swine to its wallowing in the mire: their true picture is drawn, in the parable of the unclean spirit going out of the man, and returning,

Matthew 12:43. And they returned to their quondam teachers, the Scribes and Pharisees, and to the law of works, and to seek for righteousness by it; setting up their own righteousness, and not submitting to the righteousness of Christ; and thus to look back and draw back, is a sad case indeed:

and walked no more with him; never returned to him more, or went with him from place to place as before: never more attended on his ministry, or had any intimacy and fellowship with him: and so it commonly is with apostates from the profession of Christ; they seldom or ever return, or are recovered; it is difficult, if not impossible, which is sometimes the case, to renew them again to repentance.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Many of his disciples - Many who had followed him professedly as his disciples and as desirous of learning of him. See the notes at John 6:60.

Went back - Turned away from him and left him. From this we may learn,

1. Not to wonder at the apostasy of many who profess to be followers of Christ. Many are induced to become his professed followers by the prospect of some temporal benefit, or under some public excitement, as these were; and when that temporal benefit is not obtained, or that excitement is over, they fall away.
2. Many may be expected to be offended by the doctrines of the gospel. Having no spirituality of mind, and really understanding nothing of the gospel, they may be expected to take offence and turn back. The best way to understand the doctrines of the Bible is to be a sincere Christian, and aim to do the will of God, John 7:17.
3. We should examine ourselves. We should honestly inquire whether we have been led to make a profession of religion by the hope of any temporal advantage, by any selfish principle, or by mere excited animal feeling. If we have it will profit us nothing, and we shall either fall away of ourselves, or be cast away in the great day of judgment.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 66. Many of his disciples went back — They no longer associated with him, nor professed to acknowledge him as the Messiah. None of these were of the twelve. Christ had many others who generally attended his ministry, and acknowledged him for the Messiah.