Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. New Living Translation Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. English Standard Version Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Berean Standard Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. Berean Literal Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. King James Bible Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. New King James Version Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. New American Standard Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. NASB 1995 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. NASB 1977 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Legacy Standard Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Amplified Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Christian Standard Bible Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Holman Christian Standard Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. American Standard Version Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Contemporary English Version Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. English Revised Version Your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they died. GOD'S WORD® Translation Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert and died. Good News Translation Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. International Standard Version Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and died. NET Bible Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. New Heart English Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Webster's Bible Translation Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. Weymouth New Testament Your forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, and they died. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleYour fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. World English Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionyour fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died; Berean Literal Bible Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. Young's Literal Translation your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they died; Smith's Literal Translation Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and died. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleYour fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. Catholic Public Domain Version Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and they died. New American Bible Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; New Revised Standard Version Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleYour forefathers ate manna in the wilderness, and yet they died. Aramaic Bible in Plain English “Your forefathers ate manna in the wilderness and they died.” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentYour fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died. Godbey New Testament Haweis New Testament Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and they are dead. Mace New Testament your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and there they died. Weymouth New Testament Your forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, and they died. Worrell New Testament Worsley New Testament but Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Jesus the Bread of Life…48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.… Cross References Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. Nehemiah 9:15 In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them. Psalm 78:24-25 He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven. / Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance. Numbers 11:7-9 Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. / The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. / When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it. Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 They all ate the same spiritual food / and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. John 6:31-32 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” / Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:41 At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John 6:48 I am the bread of life. John 6:50-51 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. / I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.” John 6:53-54 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. / Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:56-57 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. / Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Treasury of Scripture Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. fathers. John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. and are. Numbers 26:65 For the LORD had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. Zechariah 1:5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? 1 Corinthians 10:3-5 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; … Jump to Previous Ate Dead Desert Died Eat Fathers Forefathers Manna Waste WildernessJump to Next Ate Dead Desert Died Eat Fathers Forefathers Manna Waste WildernessJohn 6 1. Jesus feeds five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes.15. Thereupon the people would have made him king; 16. but withdrawing himself, he walks on the sea to his disciples; 26. reproves the people flocking after him, and all the fleshly hearers of his word; 32. declares himself to be the bread of life to believers. 66. Many disciples depart from him. 68. Peter confesses him. 70. Judas is a devil. Your fathers This phrase refers to the ancestors of the Jewish people, specifically the Israelites who were led by Moses out of Egypt. It highlights the continuity of God's relationship with His chosen people throughout generations. The term "fathers" is often used in Scripture to denote the patriarchs and those who came before, emphasizing a shared heritage and collective memory. ate the manna in the wilderness yet they died Persons / Places / Events 1. FathersRefers to the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. They were the ancestors of the Jewish people to whom Jesus was speaking. 2. Manna The miraculous bread from heaven that God provided for the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness. It was a temporary provision for their physical sustenance. 3. Wilderness The desert region where the Israelites wandered for 40 years due to their disobedience and lack of faith in God's promises. 4. Jesus The speaker of this verse, who is contrasting the temporary, physical sustenance of manna with the eternal, spiritual sustenance He offers as the Bread of Life. 5. Death The physical death that the Israelites experienced despite eating the manna, highlighting the insufficiency of physical sustenance alone for eternal life. Teaching Points Temporary vs. Eternal ProvisionManna was a temporary solution for physical hunger, but Jesus offers eternal satisfaction for spiritual hunger. Dependence on God Just as the Israelites depended on God for daily manna, we must depend on Christ daily for spiritual nourishment. The Bread of Life Jesus is the true Bread from Heaven, offering eternal life. Belief in Him is essential for spiritual sustenance. Physical vs. Spiritual Death While the Israelites experienced physical death despite eating manna, belief in Jesus promises eternal life beyond physical death. Faith and Obedience The Israelites' journey in the wilderness was marked by disobedience and lack of faith. In contrast, faith in Jesus leads to eternal life. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of John 6:49?2. How does John 6:49 emphasize the temporary nature of earthly sustenance? 3. What lessons can we learn from the Israelites' experience with manna in John 6:49? 4. How does John 6:49 connect to Jesus as the "bread of life"? 5. How can we prioritize spiritual nourishment over physical needs in our daily lives? 6. What does John 6:49 teach about relying on God for eternal sustenance? 7. What does John 6:49 reveal about the nature of spiritual sustenance versus physical sustenance? 8. How does John 6:49 connect to the concept of eternal life in Christian theology? 9. Why did the ancestors eat manna and still die, according to John 6:49? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from John 6? 11. What do Bible symbols mean and represent? 12. What did Jesus mean by "I am the Bread of Life"? 13. How could millions of people survive on a single type of food in the desert for forty years without other recorded health or logistical issues (Exodus 16:35)? 14. John 6:35: Does Jesus's claim to be the 'bread of life' conflict with other biblical teachings or Jewish beliefs about divine provision? What Does John 6:49 Mean Your fathers• Jesus speaks to a Jewish crowd that valued its heritage. By saying “your fathers,” He anchors the conversation in real history—those Israelites who left Egypt (Exodus 16:32; Psalm 78:12). • This phrase reminds listeners that God’s past works were witnessed by their own ancestors (Hebrews 3:9). • The mention of the forefathers also underscores accountability: if the previous generation responded imperfectly to God’s provision, the present one must not repeat that pattern (1 Corinthians 10:1–2). Ate the manna • Manna was literal bread from heaven: “The people of Israel ate the manna forty years” (Exodus 16:35). • Eating signals daily dependence—each sunrise brought a fresh need and fresh supply (Nehemiah 9:20). • The crowd has just asked Jesus for another sign like that earlier miracle (John 6:31). He affirms the event’s historicity yet steers them to its deeper meaning. • Even miraculous food, if only physical, cannot satisfy the soul. Psalm 78:24–25 records the wonder; John 6:32–33 reveals the greater wonder, the true Bread. In the wilderness • The setting accentuates need. The wilderness was barren, a place where human resources ran out (Deuteronomy 8:2–3). • God chose that backdrop to teach trust, showing He could spread a table in the desert (Psalm 78:19). • The desert years also exposed unbelief (Psalm 95:8). Hosea 13:5 echoes that God knew His people “in the wilderness, in the land of drought.” • Jesus’ listeners lived centuries later in fertile Galilee, yet their hearts could still be spiritually arid—another wilderness. Yet they died • Here is the punch line. Despite daily miracles, the entire Exodus generation except Joshua and Caleb perished before entering Canaan (1 Corinthians 10:5; Hebrews 3:17). • Physical bread sustains only temporarily; mortality still wins. “This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die” (John 6:50). • Jesus contrasts the limited, earthly provision with Himself: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51). • The verse warns against resting in past religious experiences. Only faith in Christ’s person and work grants eternal life (John 6:54). summary John 6:49 highlights the insufficiency of even God-given physical blessings to secure eternal life. The forefathers truly ate miraculous manna in a real wilderness, yet they still faced death. Jesus uses that history to point to Himself as the superior, life-giving Bread. Trusting Him, rather than relying on heritage or temporal provision, is the only path from mortality to everlasting life. (49) Your fathers . . . and are dead.--Better, . . . and died.--The manna which their fathers ate (John 6:31) seemed to them a greater work than this which He has done. Its true relation to Him is shown in the fact that those who ate it afterwards died; whereas He is the true spiritual food for the world, and those who feed upon Him shall not afterwards die. That was manna, special in time and circumstance; this is bread, the true sustenance for all times and all circumstances. That seemed to them to come from heaven, and this from earth; but this outer earth-born form of flesh contains the true life, in the only way in which humanity could receive it. The life itself cometh down from heaven.Verses 49, 50. - Your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they died. The Lord went back to the very words of the Jews in ver. 31. The Heaven-given manna by which Jehovah sustained the temporal life of the fathers in the wilderness did not convey the antidote to death. "The carcases [of these fathers] fell in the wilderness." He does not say, "perished out of God's sight forever," or were condemned, but that there was nothing in the eating of manna which arrested, or averted, or triumphed, over death; yet he added: This (Bread of life) is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, in order that any one (τὶς) may eat thereof, and may not die. The eating of the Bread of life (the life-giving Bread), which I myself am, the thorough assimilation, the entire acceptance of me as God's Gift of life to the world, confers the very principle of life; and, though a partaker may seem to perish, he does not die (cf. John 8:51-11:26, notes) - he will not "taste of death," "he will never die." The life will be stronger than death; it will survive apparent extinction. Meyer says that here Christ reserves to ver. 51 the positive offer "of his own concrete Personality, and is exhibiting the true Bread, according to its real nature." Still he has said, "I am the life-giving Bread," and is undoubtedly preparing for the following announcement, which adds a new and startling thought, calculated to sustain the former one.Parallel Commentaries ... Greek Yourὑμῶν (hymōn) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou. forefathers πατέρες (pateres) Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'. ate ἔφαγον (ephagon) Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 5315: A primary verb; to eat. the τὸ (to) Article - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. manna μάννα (manna) Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3131: Of Hebrew origin; manna, an edible gum. in 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. the τῇ (tē) Article - Dative Feminine Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. wilderness, ἐρήμῳ (erēmō) Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular Strong's 2048: Lonesome, i.e. waste. yet καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. they died. ἀπέθανον (apethanon) Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 599: To be dying, be about to die, wither, decay. From apo and thnesko; to die off. 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