Charles Ellicott Commentary John 6:27

"Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the Father, even God, hath sealed." — John 6:27 (ASV)

Labour not for the meat which perishes.—This is one of the instances in which the reader of the English Bible has in the margin a much better rendering than in the text. Work not shows the verbal connection with John 6:28-30, which is wholly lost in “labour not.” It will be instructive to compare the other passages in this Gospel where the word occurs: John 3:21 (wrought in God); John 5:17; John 9:4.

Work not is better than “work not for,” by which the words have been sometimes rendered. The sense is, “Work not out—let it not be the result of your constant working—to have food which perishes; but let your work be one worthy of your endeavour, food which endures to eternal life, which food the Son of Man will give to you.”

For him has God the Father sealed.—The emphasis of the original is seen better by preserving the order of the words, for Him has the Father sealed, even God. (Compare to the note on John 3:33.)