Naravist

Person in the New Testament

Nathanael

Nathanael: called from under the fig tree, later at the sea of Tiberias

Portrait of Nathanael. An AI-generated artistic interpretation, not a historical likeness.

Portrait: an AI-generated artistic interpretation, not evidence of how Nathanael looked.

Who Nathanael is

Philip finds Nathanael and tells him they have found the one of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathanael asks whether any good thing can come out of Nazareth, and Philip answers, Come and see. Jesus sees him coming and says of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael asks how he knows him, and Jesus says he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. Nathanael answers by calling him Rabbi, the Son of God and the King of Israel, and Jesus replies that he will see greater things than these, and speaks of heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. He appears once more at the end of the book, named among seven who are together at the sea of Tiberias when Jesus shows himself after he was risen; there the text calls him Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. He says nothing in that scene.

Cited passages: John 1:43, John 1:44, John 1:45, John 1:46, John 1:47, John 1:48, John 1:49, John 1:50, John 1:51, John 21:1, John 21:2, John 21:3, John 21:14

Historical setting

Both passages are in John, and no other book uses the name Nathanael. John never calls him one of the twelve, and the apostle lists in Matthew and Luke do not contain the name; those lists pair Philip with Bartholomew, and no text links that name to this one, so the two should be kept separate. His town appears only in the later passage, Cana in Galilee, which John elsewhere names as the place of the first miracle. Nothing is said about his family, his work or his age. The fig tree is mentioned only as where Jesus saw him, with no account of what he was doing there. His speech in the first chapter is all that is recorded from him; in the last chapter he is only listed among those present.

Cited passages: John 1:45, John 1:46, John 1:48, John 1:49, John 21:2, John 2:11, Matthew 10:2, Matthew 10:3, Matthew 10:4, Luke 6:14, Luke 6:15, Luke 6:16, John 1:51

How the story is told

Finding and seeing chain the scene together. Philip finds him and tells him to come and see; Jesus sees him coming and speaks about him before speaking to him; Nathanael asks how he is known and is told he had already been seen under the fig tree. His first line is a dismissal of Nazareth and his next speech is a threefold address, Rabbi, Son of God, King of Israel, so the reversal is complete inside four verses. Jesus answers that confession by promising more sight rather than more argument, heaven open and angels ascending and descending. At the close of the book he is one of seven who do not at first know that the man standing on the shore is Jesus, which sets a scene of failed recognition beside his early one.

Cited passages: John 1:45, John 1:46, John 1:47, John 1:48, John 1:49, John 1:50, John 1:51, John 21:2, John 21:4, John 21:7, John 21:12

Story moments

  1. Can any good thing come? (John 1:46). He dismisses Nazareth, and Philip answers, Come and see.
  2. An Israelite without guile (John 1:47). Jesus speaks about him as he approaches.
  3. I saw thee under the fig tree (John 1:48). Jesus says he saw him before Philip called him.
  4. Rabbi, thou art the Son of God (John 1:49). He answers with a threefold address.
  5. Greater things than these (John 1:50). Jesus promises he will see more than this.
  6. At the sea of Tiberias (John 21:2). He is named among seven disciples together after the resurrection.

Key passages

John 1:45

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

John 1:46

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

John 1:47

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

John 1:48

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

John 1:49

Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

John 21:2

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

King James Version. 6 indexed passages in total.

For reflection

Nathanael moves from asking whether any good thing can come out of Nazareth to calling Jesus the King of Israel, and the only thing recorded in between is a remark about a fig tree. What does the text leave out of that turn?

Books Nathanael appears in

Related people

Names and references are adapted from STEPBible TIPNR. A person listed with a verse is named or indexed there; it does not mean they wrote or spoke it.