John 21:22

John 21:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

Context of John 21:22

20Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” 24This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

John 21:22 word by word

λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ; σύ μοι ἀκολούθει.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Jesusὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• I will thatθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• tarryμένωmenō · to stayG3306
• tillἕωςheōs · untilG2193
• I comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• toπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• theeσύsu · youG4771
• followἀκολουθέωakoloutheō · to followG190
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for John 21:22

• Matthew 16:27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
• Matthew 24:3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
• Matthew 25:31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
• Mark 9:1And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
• 1 Corinthians 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
• 1 Corinthians 11:26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
• Revelation 1:7“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.
• Revelation 2:25except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
• Revelation 3:11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
• Revelation 22:7“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
• John 21:19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Commentaries on John 21:22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22If I will that he tarry till I come - There are several opinions concerning this: the following are the principal. Some have concluded from these words that John should never die. Many eminent men, ancients and moderns, have been and are of this opinion. Others thought that our Lord intimated that John should live till Christ came to judge and destroy Jerusalem. On this opinion it is observed that Peter, who was the oldest of the apostles, died in the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22That he tarry - That he live. The same word is used to express life in Philemon 1:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:6. Till I come - Some have supposed this to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem; others to the day of judgment; others to signify that he would not die a violent death; but the plain meaning is, “If I will that he should not die at all, it is nothing to thee.” In this way the apostles evidently understood it, and hence raised a report that he would…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-24Verses 20-24 Sufferings, pains, and death, will appear formidable even to the experienced Christian; but in the hope to glorify God, to leave a sinful world, and to be present with his Lord, he becomes ready to obey the Redeemer's call, and to follow Him through death to glory. It is the will of Christ that his disciples should mind their own duty, and not be curious about future events, either as to themselves or others. Many things we are apt to be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-22“Lord, what about him?”: Peter wanted to know if John would also face death for his faith. Jesus said it was not Peter’s concern to know how or when John would die. Peter’s job was to follow Jesus, just as John already was. This event shows John’s idea of being a disciple: What matters most for the disciple of Jesus is to follow him and do his will, no matter what happens.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2322-23. Jesus saith to him, If I will that he tarry fill I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me--From the fact that John alone of the Twelve survived the destruction of Jerusalem, and so witnessed the commencement of that series of events which belongs to "the last days," many good interpreters think that this is a virtual prediction of fact, and not a mere supposition. But this is very doubtful, and it seems more natural to consider our Lord as…Read the comment

Topics related to John 21:22

• Curiosity
• Jesus Continued
• Peter
• Presumption

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Dare
• Galilee, Sea of
• Christ, the Exaltation of
• Chronology of the New Testament
• Jesus Christ
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Peter, Simon
• John, Gospel of

Commentaries on John 21

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings