Bible Strands
John 1:43
The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus initiates a journey toward Galilee and locates Philip to issue a direct command. This occurs immediately after Jesus renamed Simon Peter, as Philip joins the expanding group of disciples from Bethsaida.
The words — The Greek ἐπαύριον (epaurion) specifies the precise timeframe of “the next day,” while ἠθέλησεν (ēthelēsen) literally means “He desired” or “He willed,” marking Jesus’s deliberate choice to depart.
The thread — The imperative “Follow Me” matches Jesus’s summons to Matthew in Matthew 9:9 and reflects the broader biblical pattern of divine initiative reaching those who did not actively seek Him, as recorded in Isaiah 65:1.
Why it lands — The text requires Philip to abandon his current location and obey a direct command from Jesus. It demands immediate physical response rather than theological inquiry or prolonged deliberation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 65:1 “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
- Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
- John 14:8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
- Matthew 4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
- John 12:21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
- John 6:5 When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”
- Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
- 1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.
- Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
- Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”