John 1:47 (DRB)

Passage

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.

Nearby Context

John 1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses, in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth.

John 1:46 And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see.

John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.

John 1:48 Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

John 1:49 Nathanael answered him and said: Rabbi: Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "nathanael", "coming", "saith", "behold", "israelite", "indeed", and "guile". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "nathanael", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "And Nathanael said to him Can any..." into verse 48's "Nathanael saith to him Whence knowest thou...", so "jesus" and "nathanael" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "nathanael" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.