John 20:22

John 20:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
• New International Version (NIV)And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Context of John 20:22

20And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” 24But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

John 20:22 word by word

καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησεν καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον.Read the interlinear

• And when He had saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• He breathedἐμφυσάωemphusaō · to breathe intoG1720
• them and saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• “Receiveλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• the Holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• Spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151

Cross-references for John 20:22

• Genesis 2:7Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person.
• Job 33:4The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
• Psalms 33:6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their lights.
• Ezekiel 37:9Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘The Lord God says this: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, so that they come to life.”’”
• John 14:16I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever;
• John 15:26“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me,
• John 16:7But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
• Acts 2:4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.
• Acts 4:8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people,
• Acts 8:15who came down and prayed for them that they would receive the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 10:47“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”
• Acts 19:2He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.”
• Galatians 3:2This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Commentaries on John 20:22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22He breathed on them - Intimating, by this, that they were to be made new men, in order to be properly qualified for the work to which he had called them; for in this breathing he evidently alluded to the first creation of man, when God breathed into him the breath of lives, and he became a living soul: the breath or Spirit of God (אלהים רוח ruach Elohim ) being the grand principle and cause of his spiritual and Divine life. Receive ye the Holy Ghost…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22He breathed on them - It was customary for the prophets to use some significant act to represent the nature of their message. See Genesis 2:7. The word rendered “spirit” in the Scriptures denotes wind, air, breath, as well as Spirit. Hence, the operations of the Holy Spirit are compared to the wind, John 3:8; Acts 2:2. Receive ye the Holy Ghost - His breathing on them was a certain sign or pledge that they would be endowed with the influences of the Holy…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-25Verses 19-25 This was the first day of the week, and this day is afterwards often mentioned by the sacred writers; for it was evidently set apart as the Christian sabbath, in remembrance of Christ's resurrection. The disciples had shut the doors for fear of the Jews; and when they had no such expectation, Jesus himself came and stood in the midst of them, having miraculously, though silently, opened the doors. It is a comfort to Christ's disciples, when…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22Jesus commissioned his disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given earlier, because Jesus had not yet been glorified (7:39). After his resurrection, the glorified Jesus gave the Spirit to his followers. This gift fulfilled many promises that the Spirit would be sent (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13). It also points ahead to the Spirit’s powerful coming at Pentecost (Acts 1:4–5; 2:1–47).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2319-23. the same day at evening, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus--plainly not by the ordinary way of entrance. and saith unto them Peace be unto you--not the mere wish that even His own exalted peace might be theirs (Joh 14:27), but conveying it into their hearts, even as He "opened their understandings to understand the scriptures" (Lu 24:45).Read the comment

Topics related to John 20:22

• Holy Spirit
• Jesus, the Christ
• Trinity

In the dictionaries

• Holy Ghost
• Reach
• Remit
• Sabbath
• Thrust
• Wrap
• Baptism of the Holy Spirit
• Body, Spiritual
• Breath; Breathe; Breathing
• Holy Spirit

Commentaries on John 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings