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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comRobertson Word Pictures - John 1:45 - 1:45
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Philip findeth (heuriskei Philippos). Dramatic present again. Philip carries on the work. One wins one. If that glorious beginning had only kept on! Now it takes a hundred to win one.
Nathaniel (ton Nathanaēl). It is a Hebrew name meaning “God has given” like the Greek Theodore (Gift of God). He was from Cana of Galilee (Joh 21:2), not far from Bethsaida and so known to Philip. His name does not occur in the Synoptics while Bartholomew (a patronymic, Bar Tholmai) does not appear in John. They are almost certainly two names of the same man. Philip uses heurēkamen (Joh 1:41) also to Nathanael and so unites himself with the circle of believers, but instead of Messian describes him “of whom (hon accusative with egrapsen) Moses in the law (Deu 18:15) and the prophets (so the whole O.T. as in Luk 24:27, Luk 24:44) did write.”
Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph (Iēsoun huion tou Iōsēph ton apo Nazaret). More exactly, “Jesus, son of Joseph, the one from Nazareth.” Jesus passed as son (no article in the Greek) of Joseph, though John has just described him as “God-only Begotten” in Joh 1:18, but certainly Philip could not know this. Bernard terms this part “the irony of St. John” for he is sure that his readers will agree with him as to the real deity of Jesus Christ. These details were probably meant to interest Nathanael.