the he (she or it) · demonstrative pronoun — nominative plural masculine
came
προσῆλθονprosēlthon
G4334
to approach · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural
therefore
οὖνoun
G3767
(adverbially) certainly · conjunction
Philip
ΦιλίππῳPhilippō
G5376
fond of horses · noun — dative singular masculine, a proper name
of
ἀπὸapo
G575
"off · preposition
Bethsaida
ΒηθσαϊδὰBēthsaida
G966
fishing-house · noun — genitive singular feminine, a place
Galilee
ΓαλιλαίαςGalilaias
G1056
Galilæa (i.e. the heathen circle) · noun — genitive singular feminine, a place
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
desired
ἠρώτωνērōtōn
G2065
to interrogate · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural
him
αὐτὸνauton
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular masculine
saying
λέγοντες·legontes
G3004
properly · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
Sir
κύριε,kurie
G2962
supreme in authority · noun — vocative singular masculine
would
θέλομενthelomen
G2309
to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — present active indicative, 1st person plural
see
ἰδεῖν.idein
G1492
used only in certain past tenses · verb — second aorist active infinitive
Jesus
ἸησοῦνIēsoun
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — accusative singular masculine, a proper name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Luke 19:2-4 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will ra…
John 14:8-9 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Matthew 11:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they wo…
Matthew 15:22-28 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daug…
John 1:36-39 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
John 1:43-47 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on John 12:20-26
Honour is here paid to Christ by certain Greeks that enquired or him with respect. We are not told what day of Christ's last week this was, probably not the same day he rode into Jerusalem (for that day was taken up in public work), but a day or two after.
I. We are told who they were that paid this honour to our Lord Jesus: Certain Greeks among the people who came up to worship at the feast, Joh 12:20. Some think they were Jews of the dispersion, some of the twelve tribes that were scattered among the Gentiles, and were called Greeks, Hellenist Jews; but others think they were Gentiles, those whom they called proselytes of the gate, such as the eunuch and Cornelius. Pure natural religion me…
SOME GREEKS DESIRE TO SEE JESUS--THE DISCOURSE AND SCENE THEREUPON. (John 12:20-36)
Greeks--Not Grecian Jews, but Greek proselytes to the Jewish faith, who were wont to attend the annual festivals, particularly this primary one, the Passover.
The same came therefore to Philip . . . of Bethsaida--possibly as being from the same quarter.
saying, Sir, we would see Jesus--certainly in a far better sense than Zaccheus (Luk 19:3). Perhaps He was then in that part of the temple court to which Gentile proselytes had no access. "These men from the west represent, at the end of Christ's life, what the wise men from the east represented at its beginning; but those come to the cross of the King, ev…
The same came therefore to Philip - Some suppose that these Gentiles were of Phoenicia or Syria, or perhaps inhabitants of Decapolis, near to the lake of Gennesareth and Bethsaida; and therefore they addressed themselves to Philip, who was of the latter city, and probably known to them. The later Syriac calls them Arameans or Syrians. The Vulgate, and several copies of the Itala, call them Gentiles.
Sir, we would see Jesus - We have heard much concerning him, and we wish to see the person of whom we have heard such strange things. The final salvation of the soul often originates, under God, in a principle of simple curiosity. Many have only wished to se or hear a man who speaks much of Jesus…
The Church Fathers
(Hom. lxvi. 2) The time being now near, when they would be made proselytes. They hear Christ talked of, and wish to see Him: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
[The crowds] caused the Pharisees to turn away. They loathed the high priests. They lifted up in song their voices befitting to God. They caused creation to rejoice. They sanctified the air. They shook the dead beforehand. They opened heaven. They planted paradise. They stirred up the dead to the same zeal. For that reason some of the Greeks at that time were urged on toward that zeal for God, because of this utterance befitting to God; And having reached a turning about, they approached … one of the apostles by the name of Philip, saying to him: "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Behold the preaching of the crowd, And how they moved the Greeks to conversion.
Even though they knew it not, the Pharisees were telling the truth when they said: Behold, the whole world is gone after Him. For not Jews only, but Gentiles as well, were destined to accept the faith. Wherefore also the application of the Greeks happened at that time as a sort of firstfruits; and to Philip as being himself a Galilean, the Galilean Greeks came, asking him to shew them Jesus Whom they wished to see, as they were continually hearing Him well spoken of; that they might worship Him and attain the object of their desires. But Philip, remembering that the Lord said unto them: Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans, is afraid lest by any means he should seem to give offence by bringing to Christ those who had not believed, not knowing that it was of set purpose that the Lord had forbidden the disciples to approach the Gentiles until the Jews should first have rejected the grace given to them. And so Philip tells Andrew, he being more disposed for and accustomed to such things; and then, with his approval, they both carry the message to the Lord. And by his wise conduct Philip teaches us that it is not well to speak in a careless fashion to those who are above us, even though the matter seem to be a right and proper one, but rather to take counsel with wise friends as to what ought to be done.
Dictionary and topics
Bethsaida — House of fish. (1.) A town in Galilee, on the west side of the sea of Tiberias, in the “land of Gennesaret.” It was the native place of Peter, Andrew, and Philip, and was frequently resorted to by…
Philip — Lover of horses. (1.) One of the twelve apostles; a native of Bethsaida, “the city of Andrew and Peter” (John 1:44). He readily responded to the call of Jesus when first addressed to him (43), and…
Bethsaida · .The city of Philip, Andrew, and Peter — .The city of Philip, Andrew, and Peter
Curiosity · And to see Jesus — And to see Jesus
Desire · SPIRITUAL — SPIRITUAL
Excellency And Glory Of Christ, The · In the calling of the Gentiles — In the calling of the Gentiles
Greece · . — .
Philip · .Brings certain Greeks to Jesus who — .Brings certain Greeks to Jesus who
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
The same came therefore to Philip,.... Who might know him; they might have been some of his neighbours formerly, for that Philip's parents, though Jews, dwelt among Greeks, seems probable, from the name given to him, which is a Greek one; some have thought, that these Greeks were Syrophoenicians, who dwelt upon the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and were not far off from Galilee, and from Bethsaida, the native place of Philip, and is therefore mentioned as follows:
which was of Bethsaida of Galilee; See Gill on John 1:44. This place may be interpreted, "the house of hunting", or "of fishing"; for it is not easy to say which it has its name from, since "saida", signifies both hunting and fishin…
John 12:20-26
20. Low there were some Greeks among these who had come up to worship at the feast. 21. These therefore went to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. 22. Philip cometh and telleth, Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 23. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, when the Son of man must be glorified. 24. Verily, verily, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat, having fallen into the ground, die, it remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25. He who loveth his soul shall destroy it; and he who hateth his soul in this world shall keep it to eternal life. 26. If any man serves me, let hi…
