Bible Strands
John 4:33
So the disciples asked one another, “Could someone have brought Him food?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The disciples speak to one another after Jesus declares He has a food they do not know about. This exchange occurs during the conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.
The words — The Greek phrase μὴ τις (mē tis) translates literally as “Could someone” or “Surely not one,” framing the disciples’ literal question about physical provision. It captures their immediate, uncomprehending reaction to Jesus’ previous statement.
The thread — This moment of physical misunderstanding parallels the disciples’ repeated failure to grasp Jesus’ spiritual teaching in Matthew 16:6 and Luke 9:45.
Why it lands — The text records the disciples’ literal interpretation before Jesus corrects it in John 4:34. It requires the reader to recognize when spiritual language is being read through a purely physical lens.
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
Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Cross-references
- Matthew 16:6 “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
- Luke 9:45 But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.