SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:46
Y le dijo Natanael: ¿De Nazaret puede haber algo bueno? Le dice Felipe: Ven y ve.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 1:46
Verse 46. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?] Bp. Pearce supposes that the ti agaqon of the evangelist has some particular force in it: for, in Jer. xxxiii. 14, God says, I will perform that good thing which I promised, &c.; and this, in Jer. xxxiii. 15; is explained to mean, his causing the branch of righteousness (i.e. the Messiah) to grow up unto David, from whom Jesus was descended: in this view, Nathanael's question seems to imply, that not Nazareth, but Bethlehem, was to be the birth-place of the Messiah, according to what the chief priests and scribes had determined, Matt. ii. 4-6. If this conjecture be not thought solid, we may suppose that Nazareth, at this time, was become so abandoned that no good could be expected from any of those who dwelt in it, and that its wickedness had passed into a proverb: Can any thing good be found in Nazareth? Or, that the question is illiberal, and full of national prejudice. Come and see.] He who candidly examines the evidences of the religion of Christ will infallibly become a believer. No history ever published among men has so many external and internal proofs of authenticity as this has. A man should judge of nothing by first appearances, or human prejudices. Who are they who cry out, The Bible is a fable? Those who have never read it, or read it only with the fixed purpose to gainsay it. I once met with a person who professed to disbelieve every tittle of the New Testament, a chapter of which, he acknowledged, he had never read. I asked him, had he ever read the Old? He answered, No! And yet this man had the assurance to reject the whole as an imposture! God has mercy on those whose ignorance leads them to form prejudices against the truth; but he confounds those who take them up through envy and malice, and endeavour to communicate them to others.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 46. And Nathanael said unto him , etc.] Taking notice of, and laying hold on what Philip said, that he was of Nazareth, which at once stumbled, and prejudiced him against Jesus being the Messiah; knowing very well that Bethlehem was to be the place of his birth: can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ? The whole country of Galilee was had in contempt with the Jews; but Nazareth was so mean a place, that it seems it was even despised by its neighbours, by the Galilaeans themselves; for Nathanael was a Galilean, that said these words.
It was so miserable a place that he could hardly think that any sort of good thing, even any worldly good thing, could come from thence; and it was so wicked, as appears from their murderous designs upon our Lord, that he thought no good man could arise from hence; and still less, any prophet, any person of great note; and still least of all, that that good thing, or person, the Messiah, should spring from it: so that his objection, and prejudice, proceeded not only upon the oracle in ( Micah 5:2), which points out Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah; but upon the wickedness, and meanness, and obscurity of Nazareth. Philip saith unto him, come and see ; who though he might not be master of this point, and knew not how to solve this difficulty, and remove this prejudice from Nathanaels mind, yet persuades him to go with him to Jesus; who, he doubted not, would give him full satisfaction in this, and all other points; and then it would most clearly appear to him, as it had done to him, that he was the true Messiah. The phrase, yzj at , come, see, is often used in the book of Zohar f63 : so it is, and likewise, harw ab , come and see, in the Talmudic writings f64 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 43-51 - See the nature of true Christianity, it is following Jesus; devotin ourselves to him, and treading in his steps. Observe the objectio Nathanael made. All who desire to profit by the word of God, mus beware of prejudices against places, or denominations of men. The should examine for themselves, and they will sometimes find good wher they looked for none. Many people are kept from the ways of religion by the unreasonable prejudices they conceive. The best way to remove fals notions of religion, is to make trial of it. In Nathanael there was n guile. His profession was not hypocritical. He was not a dissembler nor dishonest; he was a sound character, a really upright, godly man Christ knows what men are indeed. Does He know us? Let us desire to know him. Let us seek and pray to be Israelites indeed, in whom is n guile; truly Christians, approved of Christ himself. Some things weak imperfect, and sinful, are found in all, but hypocrisy belongs not to believer's character. Jesus witnessed what passed when Nathanael wa under the fig-tree. Probably he was then in fervent prayer, seeking direction as to the Hope and Consolation of Israel, where no human ey observed him. This showed him that our Lord knew the secrets of his heart. Through Christ we commune with, and benefit by the holy angels and things in heaven and things on earth are reconciled and unite together __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ειπεν 2036 5627 V-2AAI-3S αυτω 846 P-DSM ναθαναηλ 3482 N-PRI εκ 1537 PREP {VAR1: ναζαρετ 3478 N-PRI } {VAR2: ναζαρεθ 3478 N-PRI } δυναται 1410 5736 V-PNI-3S τι 5101 I-NSN αγαθον 18 A-NSN ειναι 1511 5750 V-PXN λεγει 3004 5719 V-PAI-3S αυτω 846 P-DSM φιλιππος 5376 N-NSM ερχου 2064 5736 V-PNI-2S και 2532 CONJ ιδε 1492 5657 V-AAM-2S
