John 1:38
New International Version
Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

New Living Translation
Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

English Standard Version
Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”

Berean Literal Bible
Then Jesus having turned and having beheld them following, says to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to Him, "Rabbi" (which being translated is to say Teacher), "where are You staying?"

King James Bible
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

New King James Version
Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

New American Standard Bible
And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you seeking?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”

NASB 1995
And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”

NASB 1977
And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And when Jesus turned and noticed them following, He said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”

Amplified Bible
And Jesus turned and saw them following Him, and asked them, “What do you want?” They answered Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”

Christian Standard Bible
When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for? ” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When Jesus turned and noticed them following Him, He asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are You staying?”

American Standard Version
And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), where abidest thou?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Yeshua turned and he saw them coming after him and he said: “What are you seeking?”, and they said, “Our Master, where are you staying?”

Contemporary English Version
When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, "What do you want?" They answered, "Rabbi, where do you live?" The Hebrew word "Rabbi" means "Teacher."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jesus turning, and seeing them following him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

English Revised Version
And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), where abidest thou?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus turned around and saw them following him. He asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which means "teacher"), "where are you staying?"

Good News Translation
Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, "What are you looking for?" They answered, "Where do you live, Rabbi?" (This word means "Teacher.")

International Standard Version
But when Jesus turned around and saw them following, he asked them, "What are you looking for?" They asked him, "Rabbi," (which is translated "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

Literal Standard Version
And Jesus having turned, and having beheld them following, says to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is, being interpreted, Teacher), “where do You remain?”

Majority Standard Bible
Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”

New American Bible
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

NET Bible
Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, "What do you want?" So they said to him, "Rabbi" (which is translated Teacher), "where are you staying?"

New Revised Standard Version
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

New Heart English Bible
And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith to them, What seek ye? They said to him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master) where dwellest thou?

Weymouth New Testament
Then Jesus turned round, and seeing them following He asked them, "What is your wish?" "Rabbi," they replied--'Rabbi' means 'Teacher' --"where are you staying?"

World English Bible
Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”

Young's Literal Translation
And Jesus having turned, and having beheld them following, saith to them, 'What seek ye?' and they said to them, 'Rabbi, (which is, being interpreted, Teacher,) where remainest thou?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The First Disciples
37And when the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39“Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour.…

Cross References
Lamentations 5:19
You, O LORD, reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generation.

Matthew 23:7
the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of 'Rabbi' by which they are addressed.

Matthew 23:8
But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

John 1:37
And when the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

John 1:39
"Come and see," He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour.

John 1:49
"Rabbi," Nathanael answered, "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

John 4:31
Meanwhile the disciples urged Him, "Rabbi, eat something."


Treasury of Scripture

Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, What seek you? They said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwell you?

turned.

Luke 14:25
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

Luke 15:20
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Luke 19:5
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

What.

John 18:4,7
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? …

John 20:15,16
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away…

Luke 7:24-27
And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? …

Rabbi.

John 1:49
Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

John 3:2,26
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him…

John 6:25
And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

where.

John 12:21
The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

Ruth 1:16
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

1 Kings 10:8
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

dwellest.

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Abidest Abideth Beheld Dwellest Following Interpreted Jesus Looking Master Means Rabbi Remainest Round Seek Staying Teacher Translated Turned Turning Wish
John 1
1. The divinity, humanity, office, and incarnation of Jesus Christ.
15. The testimony of John.
39. The calling of Simon and Andrew, Philip and Nathanael














(38) Jesus turned, and saw them following.--They follow wishing, and yet not daring, to question Him. He sees this, and seeks to draw them forth by Himself asking the first question. They are not prepared for this question, and wish for more than a passing interview. They inquire, "Where dost thou sojourn?" "Where are you staying for the night?" They will visit Him and ask the many things they seek. They address Him as "Rabbi," placing themselves in the position of His scholars; but they have not yet learnt all that John had taught them of His office. The title is natural from them, for it was the then current title of a revered teacher, and one that John's disciples applied to him (John 3:26); but the writer remembers it was a modern word (comp. Matthew 23:7-8), known to Jews only since the days of Hillel (president of the Sanhedrin about B.C. 30), not likely to be known to Greeks at all, and he therefore translates it, as he does Messias and Cephas in this same section.

Verse 38. - Then Jesus turned - hearing their footfall, he welcomed their sincere approach, attentive as he ever was to the faintest indication of genuine faith and desire for his best gifts - and beheld them following (θεαόμαι is used of intense gaze at that which is august and wonderful, vers. 14, 32; 1 John 1:1; but used also of special and interested contemplation, Matthew 6:1; John 6:5), and he saith to them, What seek ye? The first words of Jesus, as recorded in this Gospel, reveal the incarnate Logos, anointed of the Holy Spirit, beginning to search the heart and anticipate the unuttered questions of humanity. He assumes their desire for that which he alone can supply. They, on seeing their Christ, the Son of God, all humanly before them, do not fall at his feet, but approach him as a human teacher, and give him the ordinary honorific title of a wise, competent instructor. They said unto him, Rabbi (which is, being interpreted, Teacher). The parenthetic clause reveals the fact that the Gospel was written for Gentile readers. The title "Rabbi" was a modern one, only dating from the days of Hillel, about B.C. 30, and therefore needing interpretation. Where abidest thou? Renan founds on this phrase "Rabbi" the supposition that, when John and Jesus meet, they are both surrounded by groups of followers. The narrative is written to convey a precisely opposite conception. Christ did not refuse this "courtesy title" (Matthew 23:8; John 13:13), and we can gather nothing else from the narrative. The question itself reveals the mind of the evangelist. In the opinion of all writers (favourable and hostile), the writer, according to a deliberate method adopted by him, wished to imply that he was one of the two disciples who first left the Baptist to attach themselves to Jesus. The very form of the question adds to the probability. It is a characteristic longing of the disciple, whom Jesus loved so well, to be near and with his Master. He craved no laconic phrase, no solitary word, but some more prolonged fellowship, some undisturbed communion and instruction. The varied emotions of that day, moreover, were conspicuously reproduced in the solemn title which the son of Zebedee most persistently applied to his glorified Lord in the Apocalypse. More than thirty times he refers to him as "the Lamb."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

turned
Στραφεὶς (Strapheis)
Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4762: Strengthened from the base of trope; to twist, i.e. Turn quite around or reverse.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

saw
θεασάμενος (theasamenos)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2300: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to look closely at, i.e. perceive; by extension to visit.

them
αὐτοὺς (autous)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

following.
ἀκολουθοῦντας (akolouthountas)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 190: To accompany, attend, follow. Properly, to be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany.

“What
Τί (Ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

do you want?”
ζητεῖτε (zēteite)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2212: To seek, search for, desire, require, demand. Of uncertain affinity; to seek; specially, to worship, or to plot.

He asked.
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

They said
εἶπαν (eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to Him,
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

“Rabbi”
Ῥαββί (Rhabbi)
Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4461: Of Hebrew origin; my master, i.e Rabbi, as an official title of honor.

(which
(ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

means
μεθερμηνευόμενον (methermēneuomenon)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3177: To translate (from one language into another), interpret. From meta and hermeneuo; to explain over, i.e. Translate.

Teacher),
Διδάσκαλε (Didaskale)
Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1320: A teacher, master. From didasko; an instructor.

“where
Ποῦ (Pou)
Adverb
Strong's 4226: Genitive case of an interrogative pronoun pos otherwise obsolete; as adverb of place; at what locality.

are You staying?”
μένεις (meneis)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 3306: To remain, abide, stay, wait; with acc: I wait for, await. A primary verb; to stay.


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NT Gospels: John 1:38 Jesus turned and saw them following (Jhn Jo Jn)
John 1:37
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