It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

JOHN 6:45KJV
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John 6:45 (KJV)

What does John 6:45 mean?

John 6:45 says that everyone who truly listens to and learns from God will come to Jesus. The verse points out that being taught by God is what leads a person to recognize and follow Jesus.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to a crowd, explaining why some people believe in him and others do not. He quotes from the prophets to show that God’s teaching draws people in, and that those who are open to God’s guidance will naturally come to Jesus. This connects Jesus’ mission with the promises found in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The Greek behind John 6:45

  • διδακτοί (didaktoi, "taught"): This word means being directly instructed or taught, often with the sense of a personal, inward teaching. Here, it highlights that God is the one doing the teaching, not just human teachers.
  • ἀκούσας (akousas, "heard") and μαθών (mathōn, "learned"): These words emphasize both hearing and truly taking in what is taught. The verse suggests that it’s not enough to just hear God’s message; a person must also learn from it.
  • προφήταις (prophētais, "prophets"): Jesus refers to the writings of the prophets, showing that this idea of being taught by God is rooted in the Jewish Scriptures, giving his statement authority and continuity with the past.

Why John 6:45 matters

  • John 6:45 clarifies that coming to Jesus is not just about human effort or persuasion, but about being receptive to God’s teaching.
  • The verse connects Jesus’ message to the Hebrew prophets, showing that his arrival and people’s response to him are part of a larger story.
  • It helps explain why some people respond to Jesus and others do not: the difference is whether they have truly listened to and learned from God.

Where else these words appear

“taught” Greek G1318 · used in 2 verses

  • 1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

“learned” Greek G3129 · used in 24 verses

  • Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
  • 1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
  • 1 Timothy 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

“prophets” Greek G4396 · used in 143 verses

  • Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
  • Luke 4:27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
  • Acts 7:42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?