John 2:11
New International Version
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

New Living Translation
This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

English Standard Version
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

Berean Literal Bible
This was the beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and He revealed His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.

King James Bible
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

New King James Version
This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

New American Standard Bible
This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

NASB 1995
This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

NASB 1977
This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Jesus did this in Cana of Galilee as the beginning of His signs, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

Amplified Bible
This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him].

Christian Standard Bible
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jesus performed this first sign in Cana of Galilee. He displayed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

American Standard Version
This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Contemporary English Version
This was Jesus' first miracle, and he did it in the village of Cana in Galilee. There Jesus showed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

English Revised Version
This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Cana in Galilee was the place where Jesus began to perform miracles. He made his glory public there, and his disciples believed in him.

Good News Translation
Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

International Standard Version
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

Majority Standard Bible
Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

NET Bible
Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

New Heart English Bible
This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Webster's Bible Translation
This beginning of miracles Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Weymouth New Testament
This, the first of His miracles, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee, and thus displayed His glorious power; and His disciples believed in Him.

World English Bible
This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
This [is the] beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him;

Berean Literal Bible
This was the beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and He revealed His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.

Young's Literal Translation
This beginning of the signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him;

Smith's Literal Translation
This beginning of signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee; and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
This was the beginning of the signs that Jesus accomplished in Cana of Galilee, and it manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

New American Bible
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

New Revised Standard Version
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
This is the first miracle which Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee, and he showed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
This first miracle Yeshua did in Qatna of Galilee and he manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
This beginning of signs Jesus made in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Godbey New Testament
Jesus did this, the beginning of miracles, in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed on Him.

Haweis New Testament
This beginning of miracles Jesus wrought in Cana of Galilee, and displayed his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Mace New Testament
thus was the first miracle of Jesus wrought at Cana in Galilee, by which he displayed his power; and his disciples believed on him.

Weymouth New Testament
This, the first of His miracles, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee, and thus displayed His glorious power; and His disciples believed in Him.

Worrell New Testament
This beginning of His signs Jesus wrought in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed on Him.

Worsley New Testament
This beginning of his miracles Jesus wrought at Cana of Galilee, and made manifest his glory: and his disciples believed on Him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Wedding at Cana
10and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!” 11Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. 12After this, He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples, and they stayed there a few days.…

Cross References
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:17-18
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. / No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

John 20:30-31
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. / But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

John 11:40
Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

John 12:37
Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.

John 5:36
But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.

John 10:25
“I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify on My behalf.

John 14:11
Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves.

John 17:6
I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

John 21:25
There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written.

Matthew 11:4-5
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: / The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Luke 4:36-37
All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” / And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding region.

Luke 5:26
Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Acts 2:22
Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.

Acts 10:38
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.


Treasury of Scripture

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

beginning.

John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Exodus 4:9
And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

Exodus 7:19-21
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone…

did.

John 1:50
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

John 3:2
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 4:46
So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

manifested.

John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 5:23
That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

John 12:41
These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

and his.

John 11:15
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

John 20:30,31
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: …

1 John 5:13
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Jump to Previous
Beginning Believed Cana Disciples Displayed First Forth Galilee Glorious Glory Jesus Manifested Miracles Miraculous Openly Performed Power Revealed Signs
Jump to Next
Beginning Believed Cana Disciples Displayed First Forth Galilee Glorious Glory Jesus Manifested Miracles Miraculous Openly Performed Power Revealed Signs
John 2
1. Jesus turns water into wine;
12. departs into Capernaum,
13. and to Jerusalem,
14. where he purges the temple of buyers and sellers.
18. He foretells his death and resurrection.
23. Many believe because of his miracles, but he will not trust himself with them.














Jesus performed this, the first of His signs,
This phrase marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry through miraculous signs. The term "signs" is significant as it indicates miracles with a purpose beyond the act itself, pointing to Jesus' divine authority and identity. This first sign, turning water into wine, sets the stage for the subsequent miracles that reveal His power and mission. The concept of "first" also implies a new beginning, echoing the creation narrative where God first revealed His power.

at Cana in Galilee.
Cana is a small village in Galilee, a region in northern Israel. This location is significant as it highlights Jesus' ministry beginning in a humble, rural setting rather than in the religious center of Jerusalem. Galilee was a diverse area, often looked down upon by Judeans, which underscores the inclusive nature of Jesus' mission. Archaeological evidence suggests Cana was a modest town, aligning with the biblical narrative of Jesus' preference for the humble and lowly.

He thus revealed His glory,
The revelation of Jesus' glory through this miracle is a key theme in the Gospel of John. Glory in this context refers to the divine nature and majesty of Jesus, which is made manifest through His actions. This revelation is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies that spoke of the coming Messiah who would display God's glory (e.g., Isaiah 40:5). The miracle at Cana is a foretaste of the ultimate revelation of glory through Jesus' death and resurrection.

and His disciples believed in Him.
The belief of the disciples is a central theme in John's Gospel, where faith is often a response to witnessing Jesus' signs. This belief is not merely intellectual assent but a deep trust and commitment to Jesus as the Messiah. The disciples' faith here is the beginning of their journey with Jesus, which will be tested and deepened throughout His ministry. This moment also reflects the purpose of John's Gospel, as stated in John 20:31, to inspire belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure of the New Testament, the Son of God, who performs His first miracle in this passage.

2. Cana in Galilee
A small town in Galilee where Jesus performed His first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding feast.

3. Disciples
The followers of Jesus who witnessed the miracle and whose faith in Him was strengthened as a result.

4. Wedding Feast
The event where Jesus performed His first miracle, symbolizing joy and celebration.

5. Miracle (Sign)
The transformation of water into wine, which served as a sign revealing Jesus' divine glory.
Teaching Points
Revelation of Glory
Jesus' miracles are not just acts of compassion but revelations of His divine nature and authority. Believers are called to recognize and respond to His glory in their lives.

Faith and Belief
The disciples' belief was strengthened by witnessing Jesus' miracle. Our faith can grow as we witness God's work in our lives and the lives of others.

Symbolism of Wine
Wine in the Bible often symbolizes joy, abundance, and the new covenant. Jesus' miracle at Cana points to the joy and abundance found in Him.

Obedience and Trust
The servants at the wedding obeyed Jesus' instructions without fully understanding the outcome. Believers are encouraged to trust and obey God's guidance even when the path is unclear.

Transformation
Just as Jesus transformed water into wine, He can transform our lives. We are called to allow His transformative power to work within us.(11) This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, or, more exactly, This did Jesus in Cana of Galilee as the beginning of His signs. The form of the sentence makes it certain that it is the absolutely first and not the first in Cana which is meant.

It is important to note here that St. John uses only once, and that in our Lord's test of the courtier, and connected with "sign" (John 4:48), the word which represents "miracle," "wonder," "portent," and that he nowhere uses the word which represents "powers" or "mighty works." For him they are simply "works," and these "works" are "signs." He thinks of our Lord as the agent in all creation, and the source of all life (John 1:2-3); but this being so, no display of power impresses him, and no wonder startles him. All is the natural "work" of the divine worker; but like Himself, every work is also a word. It speaks to him who hath ears to hear. It is a "sign" to him who can spiritually interpret. That at His will water became wine, is as natural as that, by that will, the rain passing through earth and vine and grape should become wine. From his point of view both are equally explicable; from any other, both are in ultimate analysis equally inexplicable. "Voici le vin qui tombe du ciel!" is the French peasant's expression for the one (comp. Trench's note).

"The conscious water saw its God, and blushed,"

["Nympha pudica Deum vidit, et erubuit"]

is the English poet's expression for the other.

This gives the key, then, to the selection of "miracles" by St. John, and to their interpretation. He gives those which mark stages of fuller teaching. They are "signs" of a new revelation, and lead to a higher faith. What was the fuller teaching in this first sign? The heart must seek to read it. Words can only seek to guide. Would not those Jews remember the first miracle of Moses, and later, if not then, see here the contrast between the Law which came by Moses, and the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)? Would not those exact observers of traditional rites see a living principle growing out of the rite practised at every meal (comp. Mark 7:3, Note), and feel that it is the letter which killeth, it is the Spirit which giveth life? Would not those who thought of Him as the Messianic King of Israel read in His presence at the festal tide of family life the meaning of the claim to be Son of Humanity? Would not the followers of the hermit John learn that Christianity's message is not for the wilderness, but for the hearts of men; and that its life is not one of seclusion from the world, but of moral power in it (John 17:15)? Would not those who had heard the Baptist's record, and had felt and uttered their own convictions, hear now the secret voice of Nature joining in the witness? Some such thoughts as these came to them in a fulness of power they had not known before. It was to them as a new manifestation of His glory, and the disciples again believed. . . .

Verse 11. - Jesus made this beginning of signs in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory. The beginning, the earliest of the tokens which he gave of his higher nature and lofty claims and faculties. The word σημεῖα, corresponding with the Hebrew אות, is generally, in the Acts as well as in the LXX., associated with τέρατα, or "portents;" when it occurs in the synoptists it is translated "signs." The word by itself does not connote miraculous energies, but any event, natural or human, which becomes a token or witness to unseen or Divine energies. When Christ's wonderful actions (often called δυνάμεις by the synoptists) are referred to by John, he calls them simply ἔργα; so that operations which, if wrought by other persons, might have been portents, miracles, or marvels, are to him perfectly normal, and are called simply "works." Weiss leaves the question of the manner in which this supply of wine was provided entirely unsettled, but declares that, whether by some fortunate providential opportunity, by the forecast of the mother, or by concealed methods of meeting the exigency, this great gift was brought about by the Son of Mary, the effect was the same as if it had been wrought by the Creator's hand. The glory of his power and love and sympathy was manifested. This appears to us utterly inconsistent with the intention or idea of tim evangelist. The impression previously made upon John the Baptist was of his supreme submission to the Divine will, his sacrificial yielding to that will for the taking away of sin; further, that in some sense he was Son of God, and Minister and Organ for the dispensation of the Spirit of God. The few disciples admitted that, by his penetration of their character and hidden inner life, his wisdom was of a different kind from that of men. Now, however, they see a manifestation of his glory as power. He has unlimited resources at his disposal, and his disciples believed on him to that extent. This expression asserts the truth of the selective and discriminating force of the mission of Christ, and the negative fact that the company assembled received no religious impression beyond the most superficial one. "The disciples" who came with him "believed" more than they had done before. It may be that they, especially John and Nathanael of Cana, were among the honorary διάκονοι who were alone fully conscious of what happened on the occasion. They apprehend the "glory," and entirely trust themselves εἰς αὐτόν, to him, and follow him with an added momentum. There are new and wonderful suggestions made in this passage which unveil the glory of the Divine love and power now wrought in man. A point of connection with the synoptic Gospels is that they too record Christ's own description of the contrast between the austere prophet and the Son of man (Matthew 11:18, 19) in terms almost taken from this very scene. Compare also the mode in which Christ vindicated his own social freedom from Pharisaic exclusiveness, and the conduct of his own disciples from that of John the Baptist's disciples in the matter of ceremonial purifications, by his parable of the old wine skins bursting with the new and potent fluid put into them (Matthew 9:14-17 and parallel passages). John gives here a deeper apprehension of the mystery, a keynote to a whole cycle of instructions, on the "glory" of his love. By manifesting his Divine sympathy with marriage, with human life and fellowship, with innocent gladness, he proves himself to be the same Christ of whom the synoptic tradition speaks, the same Jesus who took the children to his arms, and constituted a "marriage supper" the great type of the eternal union between God and man in the gospel of his love (cf. Matthew 22:2, etc.). But this same evangelist is filled with the same imagery dating back to experiences of Cana, when he describes the final victory of the "Lamb of God" (Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:2).

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.

performed
ἐποίησεν (epoiēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

this,
Ταύτην (Tautēn)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

the first
ἀρχὴν (archēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 746: From archomai; a commencement, or chief.

of His
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

signs,
σημείων (sēmeiōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 4592: Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of semaino; an indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally.

at
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

Cana
Κανὰ (Kana)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2580: Cana, a town in Galilee. Of Hebrew origin; Cana, a place in Palestine.

in Galilee.
Γαλιλαίας (Galilaias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1056: Of Hebrew origin; Galiloea, a region of Palestine.

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

revealed
ἐφανέρωσεν (ephanerōsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5319: To make clear (visible, manifest), make known. From phaneros; to render apparent.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 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.

glory,
δόξαν (doxan)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1391: From the base of dokeo; glory, in a wide application.

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

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 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.

disciples
μαθηταὶ (mathētai)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3101: A learner, disciple, pupil. From manthano; a learner, i.e. Pupil.

believed
ἐπίστευσαν (episteusan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

in
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

Him.
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 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.


Links
John 2:11 NIV
John 2:11 NLT
John 2:11 ESV
John 2:11 NASB
John 2:11 KJV

John 2:11 BibleApps.com
John 2:11 Biblia Paralela
John 2:11 Chinese Bible
John 2:11 French Bible
John 2:11 Catholic Bible

NT Gospels: John 2:11 This beginning of his signs Jesus did (Jhn Jo Jn)
John 2:10
Top of Page
Top of Page