He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelled, and stayed with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
Come.
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 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 14:22,23 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? …
abode.
John 4:40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Acts 28:30,31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, …
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
about.
Luke 24:29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
So they went and saw where He was staying,
The disciples' response to Jesus' invitation demonstrates their willingness to seek and learn from Him. This act of going and seeing is symbolic of the journey of faith, where one must take steps to follow Christ and learn from His teachings. The mention of "where He was staying" suggests a temporary dwelling, reflecting Jesus' itinerant lifestyle during His ministry. This aligns with the cultural context of the time, where rabbis often traveled and taught in various locations. The disciples' decision to follow Jesus and see where He was staying indicates their desire to be close to Him and learn from His example.
and spent that day with Him.
Spending the day with Jesus signifies the beginning of a deeper relationship and commitment to His teachings. In the Jewish context, spending time with a rabbi was a way for disciples to learn not just through words but through observing the rabbi's way of life. This time spent with Jesus would have allowed the disciples to ask questions, listen to His teachings, and witness His character. It underscores the importance of time and presence in building a relationship with Christ, a theme that is prevalent throughout the New Testament (e.g., Mary sitting at Jesus' feet in Luke 10:39).
It was about the tenth hour.
The mention of the "tenth hour" provides a specific time reference, which is significant for understanding the chronology of events. In Jewish timekeeping, the day began at sunrise, around 6 a.m., making the tenth hour approximately 4 p.m. This detail suggests that the disciples spent a significant portion of the day with Jesus, indicating the importance and impact of this initial encounter. The specificity of the time also lends historical credibility to the account, as it reflects the eyewitness nature of the Gospel of John. This detail may also symbolize the beginning of a new era or the "dawning" of understanding for the disciples as they begin their journey with Christ.
“Come and see,” Jesus replied (John 1:39).
• With two simple words the Lord offers an open invitation, not an argument. As in John 1:46, when Philip tells Nathanael “Come and see,” the focus is on personal encounter rather than second-hand reports.
• Scripture consistently pairs “come” with the promise of firsthand discovery—Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good,” John 4:29 “Come, see a Man…” and Revelation 22:17 “Let the one who is thirsty come.”
• The command underscores the certainty of truth: Jesus is confident that seeing Him will resolve every question (John 14:9).
“So they went and saw where He was staying…”
• Immediate obedience follows the invitation; like Peter, James, and John leaving their nets at once (Luke 5:11), these first disciples act without delay.
• The Lord’s dwelling is humble, yet it is where glory resides (John 1:14). Similarly, Zacchaeus is told, “I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5), showing that Christ’s presence, not the address, makes a place significant.
• Revelation 3:20 pictures Jesus still inviting, “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in,” reminding us that going to Him is always rewarded with His fellowship.
“…and spent that day with Him.”
• Discipleship begins with shared time. Mark 3:14 notes that Jesus appointed the Twelve “so that they might be with Him” before He sent them out.
• To “abide” (John 15:4) is not merely a concept but a calendar reality—hours given to listening, asking, and learning.
• The two on the Emmaus road urge, “Stay with us” (Luke 24:29), and find their hearts burning as He opens Scripture; the pattern repeats here.
• Psalm 27:4 captures the longing: “to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life… to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.”
“It was about the tenth hour.”
• John records the specific time (about 4 p.m. by Jewish reckoning), underscoring eyewitness accuracy (cf. John 4:6; 19:14).
• The detail signals that the entire remaining daylight belonged to conversation with Christ—unhurried, intentional, memorable.
• Even late in the day, new beginnings happen: “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). No hour is too late to follow Him.
John 1:39 captures invitation, response, relationship, and reliability. Jesus invites, “Come and see.” The disciples go immediately, experience shared life with Him, and the Gospel records the exact hour, assuring us the event is factual. Our takeaway is clear: answer His call without delay, dwell in His presence, and trust the precise, Spirit-given record that points us to the living Word.
(39) Come and see.--They think of a visit later, it may be, on the following day. He bids them come at once. We know not where. We have no hint of any words spoken. It was the sacred turning-point of the writer's own life, and its incidents are fixed in a depth of thought and feeling that no human eye may penetrate. But he remembers the very hour. It was as we should say four o'clock in the afternoon (see marg.), for there is no sufficient reason for thinking that the Babylonian method of counting the hours, usual at Ephesus as at Jerusalem, is departed from in this Gospel.Verse 39. - He saith to them, Come, and ye shall see. "A parable of the message of faith" (Westcott). Some have compared the expression with ἔρου καὶ βλέπε, thrice repeated (T.R.) in Revelation 6; but it is unnecessary to do so. Faith precedes revelation as well as follows it. They came, and saw where he was abiding. We cannot say where; it may have been some cave in the rocks, some humble shelter amid the hills, some chamber in a caravanserai; for he had not where to lay his head. He called no place his home. And they abode with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. The extreme difficulty of reconciling John's statement as to the time of the Crucifixion with that of Mark (see note on John 19:14) has led very able critics, like Townson, McLellan, Westcott, to argue that all John's notices of time are compatible with his having adopted the Roman method of measuring, i.e. from midnight to noon, and from noon to midnight. On that hypothesis the "tenth hour" would be ten a.m., and the two disciples would have remained with our Lord throughout the day. This is not necessarily involved by our present context, and we are not sure that a like supposition will free us from all difficulty in John 19:14. Meyer says that "the Jewish reckoning is involved necessarily in John 11:9; and in John 4:6, 52 it is not excluded." The ordinary New Testament measurement would make the hour four p.m., and on that understanding several hours might still be open for the sacred fellowship. The personal witness shows himself by this delicate hint of exact time, this special note of remembrance concerning the most critical epoch of his life.