What Does John 2:12 Mean in the King James?
After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse’s brief stay in Capernaum carries the same Greek root John later uses for “abide”: ordinary lodging already holds the language of dwelling.
THE MEANING
The verse places presence in ordinary movement: Jesus travels with his mother, brothers, and disciples, and they stay together in Capernaum for a short time. The stay is brief, but the verb carries the language of remaining and dwelling. Shared presence takes shape in people moving together and sharing a place for a time.
THE ROOT
ἔμειναν
emeinan
GROWS FROM
μένω
menō
To remain, stay, or abide.
The KJV “continued” translates ἔμειναν (emeinan, “they remained”), from μένω (menō, “remain, stay, abide”). Its word family connects a short physical stay with the language of dwelling, a connection English can make less visible when it renders the same root as both “continued” and “abode.”
ALSO GROWS
monē: Dwelling or abode.
μονή
This noun from the same word family appears in John’s language of making an abode, linking remaining with a place of dwelling.
epimenō: To remain, continue, or persist.
ἐπιμένω
This compound keeps μένω (menō, “remain”) within the sense of continuing, showing how the root holds both staying and duration.
THE PATTERN
A shared dwelling takes shape through presence, whether for a day, a short stay, or across generations.
A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.THE THREAD
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.The “continued” of John 2:12 and the “abide” of John 15:4 come from μένω (menō, “remain, stay, abide”). The same word can describe a brief stay in a town and an ongoing life of remaining with Jesus.
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