Bible Strands
John 10:40
Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus withdraws from a hostile crowd in Judea that has just attempted to seize Him, moving to the eastern bank of the Jordan River. This retreat occurs immediately after John 10:39 and precedes the gathering of people in John 10:41.
The words — The Greek verb ἀπῆλθεν (apēlthen) literally means "He departed," combined with πάλιν (palin) "again" and πέραν (peran) "beyond" to denote a deliberate return to a previous location. The phrasing records a physical relocation rather than a symbolic act.
The thread — This movement recalls John 1:28, which identifies Bethany beyond the Jordan as John’s original baptism site, and John 3:26, which references Jesus ministering in that same region. It also aligns with John 7:1, where Jesus avoids Judea due to active hostility.
Why it lands — The text demands the reader observe Jesus’ tactical withdrawal from premature conflict to a place of established witness. It frames His ministry as a deliberate choice to remain where His identity can be recognized rather than where it is actively rejected.
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
And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
Cross-references
- John 1:28 All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
- John 3:26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”
- John 7:1 After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.
- John 11:54 As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.