Bible Strands
John 6:28
Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The crowd addresses Jesus in John 6 immediately after He warns them against laboring for perishable food and points to Him as the source of eternal life. They ask Him what actions they must take to accomplish divine labor.
The words — The phrase ποιῶμεν (poiōmen) means "shall we do," and ἐργαζώμεθα (ergazōmetha) translates literally to "we may be working," framing the question around continuous human effort.
The thread — Similar inquiries about required human action appear in Matthew 19:16, Luke 10:25, and Acts 16:30, where individuals ask Jesus or the apostles what they must do to obtain salvation or eternal life.
Why it lands — The verse records a demand for human works to achieve divine approval, which Jesus immediately answers in John 6:29 by identifying belief in the sent One as the only work God requires.
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
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Cross-references
- Acts 16:30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
- Matthew 19:16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”
- Luke 10:25 One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
- Acts 9:6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
- Deuteronomy 5:27 Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
- Acts 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
- Micah 6:7 Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
- Jeremiah 42:3 Pray that the LORD your God will tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.”
- Jeremiah 42:20 For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’