John 6:27

Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses the crowd that crossed the sea after the feeding of the five thousand, redirecting their motivation from physical hunger to spiritual purpose (John 6:26).

The words — ἀπολλυμένην (apollumenēn), "perishing," is the present passive participle of ἀπολύω, carrying the sense of active destruction rather than mere fading. ἐργάζεσθε (ergazesthe), present imperative, implies sustained, ongoing labor rather than a single act.

The thread — Isaiah 55:2 frames the same contrast: spending on what does not satisfy versus listening to God. Colossians 3:2 and John 6:54 extend the "above vs. below" axis into the mind and into the Eucharistic act.

Why it lands — It places the reader's labor under a binary—perishable or enduring—and names the source of the enduring as the Son of Man. The demand is a reorientation of effort, not a change in intensity.

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

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Cross-references

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Isaiah 55:2 Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.
John 6:54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
Matthew 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
John 6:40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 6:51 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.”
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
Proverbs 2:2 if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,