Quotes & Notes on:     John 1:39   

• John Wesley's Notes:
  (No comment on this verse).
  
   

• Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

  * Come. Joh 1:46; 6:37; 14:22,23; Pr 8:17; Mt 11:28-30
  * abode. Joh 4:40; Ac 28:30,31; Re 3:20
  * about.
  "That was two hours before night."
  
   

• Adam Clarke's Commentary:

   Come and see.] If those who know not the salvation of God would come at the command of Christ, they should soon see that with him is the fountain of life, and in his light they should see light. Reader, if thou art seriously inquiring where Christ dwelleth, take the following for answer: He dwells not in the tumult of worldly affairs, nor in profane assemblies, nor in worldly pleasures, nor in the place where drunkards proclaim their shame, nor in carelessness and indolence. But he is found in his temple, wherever two or three are gathered together in his name, in secret prayer, in self-denial, in fasting, in self-examination. He also dwells in the humble, contrite spirit, in the spirit of faith, of love, of forgiveness, of universal obedience; in a word, he dwells in the heaven of heavens, whither he graciously purposes to bring thee, if thou wilt come and learn of him, and receive the salvation which he has bought for thee by his own blood.
  
  The tenth hour] Generally supposed to be about what we call four o'clock in the afternoon. According to Joh 11:9, the Jews reckoned twelve hours in the day; and of course each hour of the day, thus reckoned, must have been something longer or shorter, according to the different times of the year in that climate. The sixth hour with them answered to our twelve o'clock, as appears from what Josephus says in his life, chap. liv. That on the Sabbath day it was the rule for the Jews to go to dinner at the sixth hour, (ekth wra.) The Romans had the same way of reckoning twelve hours in each of their days. Hence what we meet with in Hor. lib. ii. sat. vi. l. 34: ante secundam signifies, as we should express it, before eight o'clock. And when, in lib. i. sat. vi. l. 122, he says, ad quartam jaceo, he means that he lay in bed till ten o'clock. See Bishop Pearce on this place. Dr. Macknight, however, is of opinion that the evangelist is to be understood as speaking of the Roman hour, which was ten o'clock in the morning; and as the evangelist remarks, they abode with him that day, it implies that there was a considerable portion of time spent with our Lord, in which, by his conversation, he removed all their scruples, and convinced them that he was the Messiah. But, had it been the Jewish tenth hour, it would have been useless to remark their abiding with him that day, as there were only two hours of it still remaining. Harmony, vol. i. p. 52.
   

• Family Bible Notes:

  The tenth hour; four in the afternoon.
   

• 1599 Geneva Bible Notes:
   It was getting later in the night.
   

• People's New Testament Commentary:

      Counting from six o'clock, the first hour among the Jews, the tenth hour would be four P. M.
   

• Robertson's Word Pictures:
   Come and ye shall see (erchesthe kai opsesthe). Polite invitation and definite promise (future middle indicative opsesthe from horaô, correct text, not imperative idete). Where he abode (pou menei). Indirect question preserving the present active indicative after secondary tense (eidan, saw) according to regular Greek idiom. Same verb menô as in Joh 1:38. With him (par' autôi). "By his side," "beside him." That day (tên hêmeran ekeinên). Accusative of extent of time, all during that day. About the tenth hour (hôra hôs dekatê). Roman time and so ten o'clock in the morning. John in Ephesus at the close of the century naturally uses Roman time. See Joh 20:19 "evening on that day," clearly Roman time. Thus also Joh 19:14 (sixth hour, morning) and Mr 15:25 (third hour, nine A.M.) suit. To his latest day John never forgot the hour when first he met Jesus.
   

• Albert Barnes' Commentary:

  Come and see. This was a kind and gracious answer. He did not put them off to some future period. Then, as now, he was willing that they should come at once and enjoy the full opportunity which they desired of his conversation. Jesus is ever ready to admit those who seek him to his presence and favour.
  
  Abode with him. Remained with him. This was probably the dwelling of some friend of Jesus. His usual home was at Nazareth.
  
  The tenth hour. The Jews divided their day into twelve equal parts, beginning at sun-rise. If John used their mode of computation, this was about four o'clock P.M. The Romans divided time as we do, beginning at midnight. If John used their mode, it was about ten o'clock in the forenoon. It is not certain which he used.
  
  {5} "tenth hour" or, "That was about two hours before night"
  
   

• Jamieson-Faussett Brown:

  Come and see--His second utterance, more winning still.
  
  tenth hour--not ten A.M. (as some), according to Roman, but four P.M., according to Jewish reckoning, which John follows. The hour is mentioned to show why they stayed out the day with him--because little of it remained.
   

• Spurgeon Commentary:

  (No comment on this verse).
   

• William Burkitt's Notes:

  (No comment on this verse).
   

• Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:

  (No comment on this verse).
   

• The Fourfold Gospel:

   Come, and ye shall see. The fitting invitation of him who says: "Seek, and ye shall find" (Mt 7:7; Lu 11:9).
  
  It was about the tenth hour. It being a crisis in his life, John remembered the very hour. If John reckoned time according to the Jewish method, it was about 4 P.M. If according to the Roman method, it was 10 A.M. We are inclined to accept the latter as correct.