The 'King of Israel' in the Gospel of John

Abstract

The Gospel of John attributes the title ‘King of Israel’ to Jesus twice (John 1:49; 12:13). Both occurrences are unique to John’s Gospel and are placed at key points in the overall narrative. Although ‘King of Israel’ is a commonly used title in Israel’s Scriptures, designating Saul, David, Solomon, and kings of the Northern Kingdom, only twice does it identify YHWH as the true King of Israel, namely in Isaiah 44:6 and Zephaniah 3:15. This article argues that the references to Jesus as ‘King of Israel’ in John 1:49 and 12:13 allude to precisely these two texts, implying that this Johannine designation portrays Jesus as uniquely representing YHWH’s kingship on earth.