What Does John 21:1 Mean in the King James?

After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

John 21:1 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

The repeated “shewed” makes Jesus’ renewed self-disclosure the event at the center of the verse.

THE MEANING

Jesus makes himself visible again to the people named as his learners. The repeated verb presents this as active, renewed disclosure, and the verse places it at a particular shore while leaving the manner open.

THE ROOT

ἐφανέρωσεν

ephanerōsen

GROWS FROM

φανερ-

The Greek stem carries the sense of manifesting or bringing into view.

“shewed himself” in this verse is ephanerōsen. The Greek verb is repeated in the verse, making the act of manifestation its center. The word holds together what English can leave as a simple report of seeing: Jesus makes himself visible.

ALSO GROWS

phanerós: manifest, visible

φανερός

This adjective shares the ⁨φανερ-⁩ stem and describes the quality of what has been brought into view.

phanérōsis: manifestation, disclosure

φανέρωσις

This noun shares the same stem and names the disclosure itself, echoing the verse’s repeated act of showing.

μαθηταῖς

mathētais

GROWS FROM

μαθητ-

Learner; one formed through learning.

“disciples” in this verse is mathētais. The people receiving this disclosure are named by their relation to learning. The scene joins seeing Jesus with an ongoing posture of learning from him.

ALSO GROWS

mathētēs: learner, disciple

μαθητής

This noun shares the ⁨μαθητ-⁩ stem and names a person as a learner.

mathēteuō: make a disciple, train as a learner

μαθητεύω

This verb shares the stem and describes the process of forming learners.

יֵשׁוּעַ

Yēshūaʿ

GROWS FROM

ישע

Deliver; bring out of constriction into room to move.

“Jesus” in this verse is Yēshūaʿ. The name carries the nature of deliverance. The one who makes himself visible is named with the movement from narrowness toward spaciousness already held in that root.

ALSO GROWS

yashaʿ: deliver, bring out

יָשַׁע

This verb shares the ⁨ישע⁩ consonants and expresses the action carried in the name.

yeshuah: deliverance

יְשׁוּעָה

This noun shares the same root and names the movement that the name compresses.

THE PATTERN

God’s self-disclosure takes the form of visible encounter in particular scenes.

And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Genesis 12:7 · KJVThe LORD’s appearance makes the encounter visible and gives it a concrete place.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Exodus 3:2 · KJVDisclosure arrives in a visible scene that draws attention to what is present.

Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

Luke 24:34 · KJVThe report names a renewed appearance as an encounter with the living Lord.

THE THREAD

This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

John 21:14 · KJV

The same ⁨φανερ-⁩ word family links the repeated showing in verse 1 with this later count of Jesus’ appearances. The word “again” opens into a pattern of renewed disclosure among his disciples.

This reading is from Selah Verse.

You can read any verse this way in the app, keep it as a card, and send it on.

Get Selah Verse

A Bible app where you send verses from your keyboard and in Messages, and every verse has a Deep Dive.

Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us