6:51a

I am the living bread that came down from heaven: This sentence indicates that Jesus explicitly said that he was the bread that God gave. The Greek text emphasizes the word I.

Here are other ways to translate this sentence:

I am that bread from heaven! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I am that food which gives life, which came from heaven.

living bread: The word living indicates that Jesus did not talk about ordinary bread. Instead, he talked about spiritual bread, bread that has life in it and can give life to others. It means about the same as “bread of life” in 6:35a and 6:48. See the note at 6:35a and how you translated the word bread there. Compare the phrase living bread to the phrase “living water” in 4:10d, and see the note there.

6:51b

If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek expression literally as If anyone eats of this bread.

Here are another way to translate this clause:

Everyone who eats it will live forever (Contemporary English Version)

In this clause, Jesus continued to speak using metaphors. He was this bread that he spoke about. And many say that to eat of this bread means to believe or receive Jesus. Others say that this expression refers to communion. However, it is necessary to translate this clause using the metaphors. That way, the Jews’ confusion in verse 52 will make sense. They would not be confused if Jesus did not speak using metaphors.

6:51c

And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh: This clause continues the metaphor of bread. Jesus said that he would give his flesh so that people might live. He would do that on the cross, but he did not explain that.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

The bread that I shall give is my own flesh, given for the life of the world. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give for the people of the world. (Contemporary English Version)

for the life of the world: This phrase means “in order that the people of the world might live (spiritually).” Here is another way to translate this phrase:

so that the people of the world may have life (New Century Version)

My flesh: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as My flesh refers to Jesus’ physical body. Here Jesus explained further the metaphor of “the bread.”

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