John 20:5

Last updated
John 20:5
  20:4
20:6  
Disciples running by EB.jpg
The disciples Peter and John running to the tomb on the morning of the resurrection. Painting by Eugène Burnand (1898)
Book Gospel of John
Christian Bible part New Testament

John 20:5 is the fifth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. The Beloved Disciple and Peter have travelled to the tomb of Jesus to investigate Mary Magdalene's report that the body of Jesus had disappeared. In this verse the Beloved Disciple arrives at the tomb and while he looks in, he does not enter it.

Contents

Content

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

And he stooping down, and looking
in, saw the linen clothes
lying; yet went he not in.

The English Standard Version translates the passage as:

And stooping to look in,
he saw the linen cloths lying there,
but he did not go in.

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub John 20:5

Analysis

Barrett reports that the term that is translated as stooping/bending over is one that is most often used to refer to looking down from a height. This would imply that Jesus' tomb is a vertical shaft like grave. The rest of the passage verse indicates a tomb that is more like a cave. However, the word can also refer to any looking that requires the head to be bent. Tombs of this period generally had an entrance that was less than a meter high, which would thus require some contortion to peer in. The word that describes John looking at the grave clothes implies a more short glance rather than a detailed examination. [1]

The main unanswered question about this passage is why the Beloved Disciple pauses outside the tomb. One theory is that he is deferring to Peter, as the junior disciple the Beloved Disciple pauses to allow Peter to be the first into the tomb. Another notion is that the Beloved Disciple paused because entering a tomb at this point would be a violation of ritual. Perhaps his concern was with respecting the burial place of his lord. Most scholars believe the first explanation is the most likely as the Beloved Disciple does enter the tomb soon after in John 20:8. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:17</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:17 is the 17th verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It contains Jesus' response to Mary Magdalene just after he meets her outside his tomb after his resurrection. According to the longer ending of Mark's Gospel Mary Magdalene is the first person to whom Jesus shows himself alive after his resurrection.

John 20 is the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It relates the story of Jesus' resurrection. It relates how Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus and found it empty. Jesus appears to her and speaks of his resurrection and dispatches Mary to tell the news to the disciples. Jesus then appears to his disciples. The events related in John 20 are described somewhat differently in Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:12</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:12 is the twelfth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Mary Magdalene is peering into the empty tomb of Jesus and sees two angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:11</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:11 is the eleventh verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:10</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:10 is the tenth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John. Peter and the Beloved Disciple have just finished examining the empty tomb of Jesus, and in this verse they return home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:9</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:9 is the ninth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. Peter and the Beloved Disciple have been examining Jesus' empty tomb and the arrangement of the grave clothes. John 20:8 states that the Beloved Disciple looked in the tomb and believed, though there is conflict on what exactly he believed. John 20:9 seems to modify this statement but its exact meaning is also unclear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:8</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:8 is the eighth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Peter and the Beloved Disciple are examining Jesus's empty tomb. Peter has been inside the tomb since John 20:6, while the Beloved Disciple had been examining it from outside. In this verse the Beloved Disciple enters the tomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:7</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:7 is the seventh verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. In this verse, Peter is standing in Jesus' empty tomb. The Beloved Disciple and perhaps Mary Magdalene are outside. This verse describes the arrangement of the grave clothes they see.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:16</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:16 is the sixteenth verse in the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible. The verse describes the moment that Mary Magdalene realizes that Jesus has returned from the dead, when she recognizes his voice calling her name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:6</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:6 is the sixth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. Peter and the Beloved Disciple have just arrived at the empty tomb of Jesus. The Beloved Disciple, who arrived slightly ahead of Peter, paused outside the empty tomb. In the verse, Peter enters the tomb upon his arrival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:2</span> Second verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John

John 20:2 is the second verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Mary Magdalene has just discovered that the tomb of Jesus has been opened. In this verse she seeks out and tells this news to Peter and the "disciple whom Jesus loved".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:3–4</span> Bible passage

John 20:3–4 are the third and fourth verses of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Peter and the Beloved Disciple have been informed by Mary Magdalene that Jesus' tomb has been opened and in these verses they depart for the tomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 20:1</span> Verse of the Bible

John 20:1 is the first verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. John 20 covers the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. In this verse Mary Magdalene visits Jesus' tomb and finds it opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 1</span> Chapter of the New Testament

John 1 is the first chapter in the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke 24</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Luke 24 is the twenty-fourth and final chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles. This chapter records the discovery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his appearances to his disciples and his ascension into heaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 27</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Matthew 27 is the 27th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, part of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. This chapter contains Matthew's record of the day of the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Scottish theologian William Robertson Nicoll notes that "the record of this single day is very nearly one-ninth of the whole book".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 6</span> Chapter of the New Testament

John 6 is the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records Jesus' miracles of feeding the five thousand and walking on water, the Bread of Life Discourse, popular rejection of his teaching, and Peter's confession of faith. The final verses anticipate Jesus' betrayal by Judas Iscariot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John 13</span> Chapter of the New Testament

John 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The "latter half", "second book", or "closing part" of John's Gospel commences with this chapter. The nineteenth-century biblical commentator Alexander Maclaren calls it "the Holy of Holies of the New Testament" and the "most sacred part of the New Testament", as it begins John's record of the events on the last night before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, emphasising Jesus' love for His disciples, demonstrated in the service of washing their feet, and His commandment that they love one another in the same way. The author of the book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that John composed this Gospel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 27:57</span> Verse of the Bible

Matthew 27:57 is the fifty-seventh verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse begins a discussion of the burial of Jesus and introduces Joseph of Arimathea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrrhbearers</span> Women with myrrh who came to the tomb of Christ

In Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition the Myrrhbearers are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection of Jesus. The term traditionally refers to the women who came with myrrh to the tomb of Christ early in the morning to find it empty. Also included are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who took the body of Jesus down from the cross, anointed it with myrrh and aloes, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in a new tomb. In Western Christianity, the women at the tomb, the Three Marys or other variants are the terms normally used.

References

  1. Barrett, C.K. The Gospel According to John, 2nd Edition. London:SPCK, 1978.
  2. Brown, Raymond E. "The Gospel According to John: XIII-XI" The Anchor Bible Series Volume 29A. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1970.

Bibliography

Preceded by
John 20:4
Gospel of John
Chapter 20
Succeeded by
John 20:6