John 1:43-51
1:43 Galilee The northern region of Israel, along the Sea of Galilee. The towns of Bethsaida, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Tiberias are all in this region and feature prominently in Jesus’ ministry.
Philip The other Gospels mention Philip only in lists of the Twelve; John’s Gospel gives Philip a greater role (John 6:5–7; 12:20–26; 14:8–9).
1:43. Some radical Greek teachers were said to have called disciples to follow them (e.g., Socrates called Xenophon), but normally ancient students or their parents chose their own teachers. As often in Matthew and John, “following” could mean “becoming a disciple,” because disciples could show respect to masters of Torah (law) by walking behind them. In the Fourth Gospel, however, this term also has greater significance (see 10:4).
1:45 Nathanael Not mentioned as one of the Twelve in the Synoptic Gospels, but usually identified with Bartholomew (whom John never mentions by name). “Nathanael” means “God has given.
Jesus son of Joseph Unlike Matthew and Luke, John does not provide an elaborate genealogy for Jesus (Matt 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38). Here, He is identified in the traditional way with His earthly father’s name and hometown.
1:46. Nazareth seems to have been a very traditional, orthodox town; priests later considered it ritually clean enough to move there. But Nazareth was relatively small and obscure, with about sixteen hundred to two thousand inhabitants. It lay about four miles from the massive city of Sepphoris, which rivaled Tiberias (6:23) for its urban Greek character in Jewish Galilee.
1:47. Jesus here makes a wordplay on the Old Testament Jacob, or “Israel,” who was a man of guile (Gen 27:35; 31:26).
1:48. Teachers often taught disciples under trees, which were popular for this and other purposes because of their shade. But Jesus’ knowing which tree Nathanael had sat under is a demonstration of genuine supernatural knowledge (cf. Susanna 54, 58). On this knowledge see comment on 1:42 and 2:24–25.
