John 1:48

48 Nathanael said to him, "From where do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, [when you]^[a] were under the fig tree, I saw you."

John 1:48 In-Context

46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see!"

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Look! {A true Israelite} in whom is no deceit!"

48 Nathanael said to him, "From where do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, [when you] were under the fig tree, I saw you."

49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!"

50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater [things] than these!"

Footnotes

• [a] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("were") which is understood as temporal