John 6:52

52 So the Jews began to quarrel {among themselves}, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

John 6:52 Meaning and Commentary

John 6:52

The Jews therefore strove among themselves
Fell to cavilling and disputing one among another; some understanding Christ, and others not; some being for him, and vindicated what he said; and others being against him, and who were the majority, objected,

saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat?
which is to be understood, not physically, but as morally impossible and unlawful; since, with the Jews, it was not lawful to eat the flesh of any creature alive, and much less the flesh of man; for the Jews understood Christ of a corporeal eating of his flesh, being strangers to a figurative or spiritual eating of it by faith, in which sense he meant it.

John 6:52 In-Context

50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that someone may eat from it and not die.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread, he will live {forever}. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

52 So the Jews began to quarrel {among themselves}, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

53 Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves!

54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Footnotes

• [a]. *The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here ("began to quarrel")
• [b]. Literally "with one another"