John 1:46
New International Version
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

New Living Translation
“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

English Standard Version
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

Berean Literal Bible
And Nathanael said to him, "Is any good thing able to be out of Nazareth?" Philip says to him, "Come and see."

King James Bible
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

New King James Version
And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

New American Standard Bible
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

NASB 1995
Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

NASB 1977
And Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Amplified Bible
Nathanael answered him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.”

Christian Standard Bible
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth? ” Nathanael asked him. “Come and see,” Philip answered.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.” Come and see,” Philip answered.

American Standard Version
And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Contemporary English Version
Nathanael asked, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip answered, "Come and see."

English Revised Version
And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Nathanael said to Philip, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip told him, "Come and see!"

Good News Translation
"Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," answered Philip.

International Standard Version
Nathaniel asked him, "From Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?" Philip told him, "Come and see!"

Majority Standard Bible
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

NET Bible
Nathanael replied, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip replied, "Come and see."

New Heart English Bible
And Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Nathanael said to him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith to him, Come and see.

Weymouth New Testament
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" replied Nathanael. "Come and see," said Philip.

World English Bible
Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Nathanael said to him, “Is any good thing able to be out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Berean Literal Bible
And Nathanael said to him, "Is any good thing able to be out of Nazareth?" Philip says to him, "Come and see."

Young's Literal Translation
and Nathanael said to him, 'Out of Nazareth is any good thing able to be?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Nathanael said to him, Can any good be from Nazareth? Philip says to him, Come and see.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

New American Bible
But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

New Revised Standard Version
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and you will see.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Nathaniel said to him: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”Phillipus said to him, “come and see”.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Philip found Nathaniel, and said to him: We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Godbey New Testament
Nathanael said to him, Is any good thing able to come out of Nazareth? Philip says to him, Come and see.

Haweis New Testament
And Nathaniel said to him, Can any thing good come out of Nazareth? Philip saith to him, Come and see.

Mace New Testament
but Nathanael said to him, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? come and see, said Philip.

Weymouth New Testament
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" replied Nathanael. "Come and see," said Philip.

Worrell New Testament
And Nathanael said to him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip says to him, "Come and see."

Worsley New Testament
And Nathaniel said unto him, Can any thing good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”…

Cross References
John 7:41-42
Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? / Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”

John 7:52
“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”

Matthew 2:23
and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Luke 4:16
Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,

Isaiah 53:2-3
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. / He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

Matthew 13:54-57
Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked. / “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? / Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?” ...

Mark 6:3
Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.

Luke 2:4
So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.

Acts 24:5
We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

John 7:27
But we know where this man is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.”

John 6:42
They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”

Matthew 21:11
The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

John 4:29
“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

John 9:29
We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”


Treasury of Scripture

And Nathanael said to him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.

Can.

John 7:41,42,52
Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? …

Luke 4:28,29
And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, …

Come.

John 4:29
Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Luke 12:57
Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

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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














Can anything good come from Nazareth?
This phrase is spoken by Nathanael in response to Philip's announcement that they have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, Jesus of Nazareth. The question reflects a common skepticism of the time regarding Nazareth, a small and seemingly insignificant town in Galilee. Historically, Nazareth was not mentioned in the Old Testament, nor was it a place of great renown or influence. The Greek word for "good" here is "agathos," which implies something beneficial or morally excellent. Nathanael's question underscores a prevalent bias and doubt about the potential for greatness to emerge from such an unremarkable place. This skepticism sets the stage for the revelation of Jesus' divine nature, challenging preconceived notions and inviting believers to see beyond appearances.

Come and see
Philip's response to Nathanael's skepticism is an invitation to experience and witness firsthand. The Greek word for "come" is "erchou," which is an imperative, suggesting urgency and importance. "See" is translated from "ide," another imperative, emphasizing the need for personal encounter and discovery. This phrase is a call to action, encouraging Nathanael—and by extension, all readers—to move beyond doubt and to seek the truth through personal experience. It reflects a fundamental Christian principle: faith is not merely about hearing or knowing, but about encountering and experiencing the living Christ. This invitation to "come and see" is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of personal engagement with Jesus.

(46) The question is not, "Can the Messiah come out of Nazareth," but "Can there any good thing come?" The question is asked by an inhabitant of a neighbouring village who looks upon the familiar town with something of local jealousy and scorn; but the form of the question would seem to point to an ill repute in reference to its people. The place is unknown to earlier history, and is not mentioned even in Josephus; but what we find in Mark 6:6 and Luke 4:29 agrees with Nathanael's opinion. (For account of the town, comp. Note on Luke 1:26.)

Come and see expresses the fulness of his own conviction. An interview had brought certainty to his own mind. It would do so likewise to that of his friend.

Verses 46-49. -

(c) The Son of God and King of Israel. Verse 46. - And Nathanael said to him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? The ordinary interpretations of the meaning of this question are not satisfactory.

(1) The prejudice against Nazareth as being a Galilean town cannot have weighed with Nathanael of Cana in Galilee (John 21:2), even though he may have shared the ignorant opinion that "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet" (John 7:52). He might have known that Jonah, Hosea, Nahum, probably Elijah, Elisha, and Amos, were Galileans.

(2) That Nazareth was a secluded and contemptible village seems disproved by the interesting papers of Dr. Selah Merrill, on "Galilee in the Time of our Lord," Amer. Bibl. Sacra., January and April, 1874. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Can
δύναταί (dynatai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1410: (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.

anything good
ἀγαθὸν (agathon)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 18: A primary word; 'good'.

come
εἶναι (einai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

from
Ἐκ (Ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

Nazareth?”
Ναζαρὲτ (Nazaret)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3478: Or Nazaret nad-zar-et'; of uncertain derivation; Nazareth or Nazaret, a place in Palestine.

Nathanael
Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaēl)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3482: Of Hebrew origin; Nathanael, an Israelite and Christian.

asked.
εἶπεν (eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“Come
Ἔρχου (Erchou)
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

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

see,”
ἴδε (ide)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2400: See! Lo! Behold! Look! Second person singular imperative middle voice of eido; used as imperative lo!

said
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.

Philip.
Φίλιππος (Philippos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5376: From philos and hippos; fond of horses; Philippus, the name of four Israelites.


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