19It being evening, therefore, on that day — the first of the week — and the doors having been locked where the disciples were, out of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them: 'Peace to you.' [20:20] And having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced, therefore, having seen the Lord. [20:21] Jesus said to them again: 'Peace to you. As the Father has commissioned me forth, so I also commission you.' [20:22] And having said this, he breathed on them and said: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. [20:23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.'
JHN 20:19-23
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
In the world it was spoken into
In the first-century Jewish context, the disciples' fear of 'the Jews' reflects the tension between Jesus' followers and the Jewish authorities, particularly after Jesus' crucifixion. The 'first day of the week' marks the day after the Sabbath, a time when Jewish law permitted movement and activity. The locked doors signify both physical security and the disciples' emotional state—fearful and uncertain. Jesus' greeting of 'Peace' was a common Jewish salutation but here carries deeper resonance, signaling divine reconciliation and the fulfillment of His earlier promises. The showing of His wounds (hands and side) serves as proof of His resurrection, a critical validation for the disciples. The act of breathing on them evokes Genesis 2:7, where God breathes life into Adam, suggesting a new creation and the imparting of the Holy Spirit. The commissioning mirrors Jewish prophetic traditions, where God sends messengers with divine authority.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
JHN 20:19
- KJV
- Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
- BSB
- It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.
- Koinōnos
- It being evening, therefore, on that day — the first of the week — and the doors having been locked where the disciples were, out of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them: 'Peace to you.
JHN 20:20
- KJV
- And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.
- BSB
- After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
- Koinōnos
- And having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced, therefore, having seen the Lord.
JHN 20:21
- KJV
- Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
- BSB
- Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said to them again: 'Peace to you. As the Father has commissioned me forth, so I also commission you.
JHN 20:22
- KJV
- And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
- BSB
- When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Koinōnos
- And having said this, he breathed on them and said: 'Receive the Holy Spirit.
JHN 20:23
- KJV
- Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
- BSB
- If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
- Koinōnos
- If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.3.3
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.3.3
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.3.3
“And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, 9 those that loved him at the first did not forsake him”
Cited to ground: Jesus' crucifixion
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.3.3
“for he appeared to them alive again the third day; 10 as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.”
Cited to ground: proof of His resurrection
Translator's notes
JHN 20:19
- <the>:The word translated 'Sabbath' here refers to the Jewish day of rest, observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, a time when normal activities ceased.
- fear:The term used here for 'Jews' often refers to the Jewish authorities or those who opposed Jesus, rather than the entire Jewish population.
JHN 20:21
- has has sent forth:The word translated 'sent forth' implies a commissioning with authority and a specific purpose, much like an ambassador is sent with a mission.
JHN 20:22
- He breathed on [them]:The action of 'breathed on them' echoes the creation account in Genesis, where God breathed life into humanity, suggesting a new act of spiritual creation or empowerment.