6:58a

This is the bread that came down from heaven: This clause is almost the same as 6:50a in the Greek, except for the verb tense. See the note on 6:50a. In this clause, Jesus was referring to himself. You may want to make this explicit. For example:

I am the true bread that came down from heaven. (New Living Translation (2004))

6:58b

Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died: Jesus was indicating that the bread that he gives is different from the manna that the Israelites ate. In some languages it may be natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:

This bread is not like the bread that your ancestors ate. They died….

Unlike: This phrase makes it explicit again that Jesus was not like the manna that the Jews’ ancestors ate. A few translations leave this phrase implicit, but they are in the Greek and nearly all English translations include them. It is recommended that you make this phrase explicit in some way. For example:

it is not like (Good News Translation)

your fathers: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek phrase literally as your fathers. However, most cultures do not talk about “the fathers/ancestors” because ancestors are related to a specific person or group. Here Jesus talked about the ancestors of the Jews.

Most English translations translate this phrase as “your ancestors.” However, a few translate it as “the fathers” (Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible) or (because Jesus was also a Jew) “our ancestors” (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). The phrase “our ancestors” is more friendly than “your ancestors,” but maybe Jesus was not gentle here. He used “your ancestors” in 6:49, so it would be suitable to use that phrase here. Translate this phrase in a way that is natural in your language.

and: Even though the Israelites ate the manna, they died. So it may be natural to say:

but (Good News Translation)

died: The Israelites did not die at once. They died later, some after many years. For example:

They later died (GNB)

General Comment on 6:58a–b

In some languages it may be natural to translate “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate” without saying “This is.” For example:

The bread that comes down from heaven isn’t like what your ancestors ate. They died…. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
This bread is not like the bread that your ancestors ate. They ⌊all later/eventually⌋ died

6:58c

the one who eats this bread will live forever: Jesus continued to refer to himself as bread and the source of life. The life that comes from him will last forever. That is different than the life that came from the manna that the people’s ancestors ate. It is recommended that you continue to translate with the metaphor, as do all the major English translations.

General Comment on 6:58b–c

There is implied information here. Even though the Israelites ate the manna, they died. You may want to make this information explicit:

Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever. (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 6:58a–c

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the information in 6:58a–c. For example:

58b I am not like the bread your ancestors ate. They ate that bread and still died. 58a I am the bread that came down from heaven, 58c and whoever eats this bread will live forever. (New Century Version)

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