Nathanael

Biblical Record

Nathanael appears only in the Gospel of John, where he is mentioned twice. His name means "God has given" in Hebrew.

• John 1:43-51: As Jesus is about to go into Galilee, He calls Philip, who then finds Nathanael and tells him that the one of whom Moses and the prophets wrote is Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael replies, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip answers, "Come and see." When Jesus sees him, He says, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" and tells him that He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. Nathanael confesses, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." Jesus tells him that he will see greater things, and that he will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
• John 21:2: When the risen Jesus appears to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, "Nathanael of Cana in Galilee" is named among the disciples present, along with Peter, Thomas, and the sons of Zebedee.

Significance in Scripture

Within the account of the calling of the disciples in John 1, Nathanael's confession stands as one of several declarations of faith that reveal who Jesus is. It is widely held that Jesus' closing words recall the dream Jacob had at Bethel (Genesis 28:12). On this interpretation, the place where heaven and earth meet, like Jacob's ladder, is now Jesus, the Son of Man. Along the same lines, some see the phrase "an Israelite in whom is no guile" as a contrast with Jacob, who had practiced deception and whose name was later changed to Israel.

Interpretations and Debated Questions

• Is he the same person as Bartholomew? Nathanael does not appear in the lists of the Twelve Apostles in the Synoptic Gospels, and Bartholomew does not appear in John. Because Bartholomew is paired with Philip in the Synoptic lists (Matthew 10:3, etc.), and because "Bartholomew" is understood as a patronymic (a designation derived from the father's name) meaning "son of Tolmai," which suggests he may have had another personal name, a tradition identifying the two as the same person became widespread from the Middle Ages onward. Scripture, however, does not state this directly. Other views identify Nathanael with a different disciple. Augustine is reported to have held that Nathanael was not one of the Twelve.
• Under the fig tree: The text does not say what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Suggestions that he was meditating on the Law or praying are the conjectures of later interpreters.
• Accounts of the missionary work and martyrdom of the apostle Bartholomew belong to extrabiblical tradition.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, Philip's "Come and see" is often held up as a model of evangelism. Sermons also frequently trace how Nathanael, despite his initial prejudice, met Jesus in person and came to confess Him. The expression "in whom is no guile" is cited to describe the character of an honest believer. In Sunday school, his story is taught as one of the accounts of Jesus calling His disciples.