John 1:44

44 Philip was from Beit-Tzaidah, the town where Andrew and Kefa lived.

John 1:44 Meaning and Commentary

John 1:44

Now Philip was of Bethsaida
A town on the lake of Gennesaret, afterwards made a city by Philip the tetrarch, and called Julias, after the name of Caesar's daughter ^F13: it was a fishing town, and had its name from thence; and the disciples that were of it, were of this business:

the city of Andrew and Peter;
or "Simon", as read the Syriac and Persic versions: three apostles were called out of this place, as mean, and wicked, as it was; see ( Matthew 11:21 ) ; which was no small honour to it: it is a saying of the Jews ^F14, that

``a man's place (his native place) does not honour him, but a man honours his place.''

This was the case here.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Joseph. Antiqu. l. 18. c. 3.
F14 T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 21. 2.

John 1:44 In-Context

42 He took him to Yeshua. Looking at him, Yeshua said, "You are Shim`on Bar-Yochanan; you will be known as Kefa." (The name means "rock.")

43 The next day, having decided to leave for the Galil, Yeshua found Philip and said, "Follow me!"

44 Philip was from Beit-Tzaidah, the town where Andrew and Kefa lived.

45 Philip found Natan'el and told him, "We've found the one that Moshe wrote about in the Torah, also the Prophets -- it's Yeshua Ben-Yosef from Natzeret!"

46 Natan'el answered him, "Natzeret? Can anything good come from there?" "Come and see," Philip said to him.