John 14:9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Original Language Analysis
λέγεις
saith
G3004
λέγεις
saith
Strong's:
G3004
Word #:
1 of 28
properly, to "lay" forth, i.e., (figuratively) relate (in words (usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas g2036 and g5346 generally refer to an
αὐτῷ
unto him
G846
αὐτῷ
unto him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
2 of 28
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
ὁ
G3588
ὁ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
3 of 28
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Ἰησοῦς
Jesus
G2424
Ἰησοῦς
Jesus
Strong's:
G2424
Word #:
4 of 28
jesus (i.e., jehoshua), the name of our lord and two (three) other israelites
τοσοῦτον
so long
G5118
τοσοῦτον
so long
Strong's:
G5118
Word #:
5 of 28
apparently from g3588 and g3739) and g3778 (including its variations); so vast as this, i.e., such (in quantity, amount, number of space)
χρόνον
time
G5550
χρόνον
time
Strong's:
G5550
Word #:
6 of 28
a space of time (in general, and thus properly distinguished from g2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; and from g0165, which denotes a
μεθ'
with
G3326
μεθ'
with
Strong's:
G3326
Word #:
7 of 28
properly, denoting accompaniment; "amid" (local or causal); modified variously according to the case (genitive association, or accusative succession)
καὶ
and
G2532
καὶ
and
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
10 of 28
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
ἔγνωκάς
hast thou
G1097
ἔγνωκάς
hast thou
Strong's:
G1097
Word #:
12 of 28
to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)
Φίλιππε
Philip
G5376
Φίλιππε
Philip
Strong's:
G5376
Word #:
14 of 28
fond of horses; philippus, the name of four israelites
ὁ
G3588
ὁ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
15 of 28
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
ἑώρακεν
hath seen
G3708
ἑώρακεν
hath seen
Strong's:
G3708
Word #:
16 of 28
by extension, to attend to; by hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear
ἑώρακεν
hath seen
G3708
ἑώρακεν
hath seen
Strong's:
G3708
Word #:
18 of 28
by extension, to attend to; by hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear
τὸν
G3588
τὸν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
19 of 28
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
πατέρα
the Father
G3962
πατέρα
the Father
Strong's:
G3962
Word #:
20 of 28
a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote)
καὶ
and
G2532
καὶ
and
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
21 of 28
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
πῶς
how
G4459
πῶς
how
Strong's:
G4459
Word #:
22 of 28
an interrogative particle of manner; in what way? (sometimes the question is indirect, how?); also as exclamation, how much!
λέγεις
saith
G3004
λέγεις
saith
Strong's:
G3004
Word #:
24 of 28
properly, to "lay" forth, i.e., (figuratively) relate (in words (usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas g2036 and g5346 generally refer to an
Cross References
Colossians 1:15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:John 12:45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.Hebrews 1:3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;John 14:7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.John 10:30I and my Father are one.John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John 14:20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.Philippians 2:6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Historical Context
This exchange occurred in the Upper Room on Passover night (AD 33), hours before Jesus's crucifixion. Philip, one of Jesus's first disciples (John 1:43), had witnessed the feeding of the 5,000, the transfiguration, and countless divine works. Yet his request "Show us the Father" (v. 8) reveals the disciples' incomplete understanding of Jesus's identity before Pentecost. The Jewish expectation of seeing God's glory (as Moses sought in Exodus 33:18) is fulfilled not through theophany but through Christophany.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Jesus's claim to reveal the Father challenge modern attempts to separate Jesus the moral teacher from Jesus the divine Son?
- What does Philip's confusion after three years with Jesus teach about the difference between observing Christ and truly knowing Him?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? (Ἐγνωκάς με, egnōkas me) uses the perfect tense of γινώσκω (ginōskō)—not mere intellectual awareness but experiential, relational knowledge. After three years of witnessing Jesus's miracles, teachings, and divine claims, Philip still failed to grasp the Incarnation's profound reality.
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα) is Christianity's most explicit statement of Christ's deity. Jesus doesn't say "I will show you the Father" or "I represent the Father"—He claims to be the perfect, visible revelation of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3). This is the doctrine of perichoresis—the mutual indwelling of Father and Son—making Christ the imago Dei perfectly realized.