28After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had now been accomplished, said — so that the Scripture might be fulfilled — 'I thirst.' [19:29] A vessel full of sour wine was set there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop stalk and brought it to his mouth. [19:30] When Jesus received the sour wine, he said, 'It has been accomplished.' And having bowed his head, he yielded up the spirit.
JHN 19:28-30
The Death of Jesus
In the world it was spoken into
In the Roman world, crucifixion was a public spectacle designed to humiliate and deter rebellion. The sour wine offered to Jesus was a cheap, diluted vinegar drink commonly consumed by soldiers and laborers, not the fine wine of banquets. Its use here underscores the indignity of the moment. The hyssop stalk would have been a practical tool to lift the sponge to Jesus’ lips, but it also carried symbolic weight for Jewish listeners, as hyssop was used in purification rituals (Exodus 12:22, Leviticus 14:4). Jesus’ declaration 'It is finished' would have resonated with Roman listeners as a formal conclusion to a task or duty, while Jewish listeners might have heard echoes of Psalm 22:31, signaling the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. The act of 'yielding up' his spirit could evoke both the voluntary nature of Jesus’ death and the broader theme of divine deliverance.
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How other translations render this
JHN 19:28
- KJV
- After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
- BSB
- After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
- Koinōnos
- After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had now been accomplished, said — so that the Scripture might be fulfilled — 'I thirst.
JHN 19:29
- KJV
- Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
- BSB
- A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.
- Koinōnos
- A vessel full of sour wine was set there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop stalk and brought it to his mouth.
JHN 19:30
- KJV
- When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
- BSB
- When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
- Koinōnos
- When Jesus received the sour wine, he said, 'It has been accomplished.' And having bowed his head, he yielded up the spirit.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
JHN 19:28
- has been accomplished,:The word translated 'has been accomplished' carries the sense of bringing something to a successful and intended end, not merely finishing a task but completing it perfectly.
JHN 19:29
- was set [there]:The term used here for 'sour wine' refers to a common, inexpensive, and often diluted wine, frequently consumed by laborers and soldiers, rather than a high-quality vintage.
- sour wine:The word translated 'hyssop' refers to a plant with small, flexible branches, often used in ancient rituals for sprinkling or reaching, which explains its use here to offer the drink.
JHN 19:30
- He yielded up:The phrase 'He yielded up' uses a word that often implies a deliberate act of handing over or delivering, suggesting an intentional surrender rather than a passive giving up of life.