John 20:21 Explained

John 20:21 is the twenty-first verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It records Jesus' commission to the disciples during his first appearance after the resurrection.

Content

The original Koine Greek, according to the Textus Receptus, reads:^[1]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς πάλιν Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν· καθὼς ἀπέσταλκέν με ὁ πατήρ κἀγὼ πέμπω ὑμᾶς

In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

The modern World English Bible translates the passage as:

Jesus therefore said to them again, "Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub John 20:21

Analysis

The account of Jesus' first appearance in the Gospel of John (20:19-23; KJV) shows similarity to the account in the Gospel of Luke (KJV), that it happened in Jerusalem in the evening of his resurrection from the dead.

The words Peace be with you (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, ^[1]) is a common traditional Jewish greeting^[2] still in use today (shalom alekem or Hebrew: שלום לכם shalom lekom;^[1] cf. 25:6 KJV), also spoken by Jesus in and 26.^[3]

The statement "as the Father has sent me, even so I send you" indicates that the missionary work of the disciples is dependent on the mission of Jesus, the Son of God. The repetition of the words of peace gives the emphasis on the importance of this commission. Each gospel records a commission from Jesus after resurrection.^[4]

Sources

• Book: Guthrie, Donald . Donald Guthrie (theologian)

. Donald Guthrie (theologian) . John. Carson . D. A. . New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. D. A. Carson. France . R. T. . R. T. France . J. A. . Motyer . J. Alec Motyer. G. J. . Wenham . Gordon Wenham. 4, illustrated, reprint, revised. Inter-Varsity Press . 1994. 9780851106489 . 1021–1065.

• Book: Kieffer, René . 60. John . The Oxford Bible Commentary . John. Barton . John Barton (theologian) . John. Muddiman . John Muddiman . Oxford University Press . first (paperback) . 2007 . 960–1000 . 978-0199277186 . February 6, 2019.

External links

• Jesus Appears to His Disciples

Notes and References

1. https://biblehub.com/text/john/20-21.htm Greek Text Analysis: John 20:21
2. Book: Coogan, Michael David. Michael D. Coogan

   . Michael D. Coogan . The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 . Coogan . Michael David . Marc Zvi . Brettler . Carol Ann . Newsom . Pheme . Perkins . Augmented 3rd . Oxford University Press . 2007 . 9780195288810 . 180 New Testament.

3. Book: Köstenberger, Andreas J.. John. 4 . Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament . illustrated. Baker Academic. 2004. 9780801026447. 572.
4. Book: Carson, D. A.. D. A. Carson

   . The Gospel According to John . Pillar New Testament commentary . D. A. Carson . reprint. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing . 1991 . 9780851117492 . 647.