John 7 · a question people ask

Some said, "Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" (7:42). Does John's Gospel say where Jesus was born?

In the text

No. John's Gospel names Bethlehem only here, in the words of those who ask it (7:41-42), and it names no place where Jesus was born. In it Philip calls him "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (1:45), and in this chapter some ask, "What, does the Christ come out of Galilee?" (7:41). Matthew says, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod" (Matthew 2:1), and Luke tells that Joseph went up "to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David" (Luke 2:4), and of the birth there (Luke 2:6-7). Favor's chapter on Matthew 2 holds the promise pair from Micah 5:2 to Matthew 2:5-6, where the chief priests and scribes tell Herod the Christ would be born "In Bethlehem of Judea" (Matthew 2:5). Those speaking in 7:42 name no passage, and these notes don't name one for them. John's Gospel doesn't say whether they knew where Jesus was born, and these notes don't either.

The verses

“Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee? Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?””
John 7:41-42 · World English Bible
“Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.””
John 1:45 · World English Bible
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,”
Matthew 2:1 · World English Bible
“They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet, ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’””
Matthew 2:5-6 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of John 7

John 7: If anyone is thirsty

Every seek, seeks and sought in John 7 is one Greek verb: "the Jews sought to kill him" (7:1), and Jesus says, "You will seek me and won’t find me" (7:34). And John's Gospel itself says what the "rivers of living water" (7:38) are about: "he said this about the Spirit" (7:39).

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Last reviewed October 1, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions