John 20:22

THE MESSAGE

Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

King James Version (1611)
And when he had said this, hee breathed on them, and saith vnto them, Receiue ye the holy Ghost.

King James Version
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

English Standard Version
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

New American Standard Bible
And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

New Century Version
After he said this, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Amplified Bible
And when He said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Legacy Standard Bible
And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Berean Standard Bible
When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Contemporary English Version
Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Complete Jewish Bible
Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Ruach HaKodesh!

Darby Translation
And having said this, he breathed into [them], and says to them, Receive [the] Holy Spirit:

Easy-to-Read Version
Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when he had saide that, he breathed on them, and saide vnto them, Receiue the holy Ghost.

George Lamsa Translation
And when he had said these things, he gave them courage and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.

Good News Translation
Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Lexham English Bible
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Literal Translation
And saying this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.

American Standard Version
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit:

Bible in Basic English
And when he had said this, breathing on them, he said to them, Let the Holy Spirit come on you:

Hebrew Names Version
When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Ruach HaKodesh!

International Standard Version
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Etheridge Translation
And when he had said these, he breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Spirit of Holiness: [fn]

Murdock Translation
And as he said these things, he breathed on them, and said to them: Receive ye the Holy Spirit.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when he had saide those wordes, he breathed on them, & saith vnto them: Receaue ye the holy ghost.

English Revised Version
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

World English Bible
When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit!

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And having said this, he breathed on them, and saith to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

Weymouth's New Testament
Having said this He breathed upon them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whanne he had seid this, he blewe on hem, and seide, Take ye the Hooli Goost;

Update Bible Version
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit:

Webster's Bible Translation
And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith to them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.

New English Translation
And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

New King James Version
And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

New Living Translation
Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

New Life Bible
When Jesus had said this, He breathed on them. He said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

New Revised Standard
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, this, saying, he breathed strongly, and saith unto them - Receive ye Holy Spirit: -

Douay-Rheims Bible
When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

Revised Standard Version
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And when he had sayde that he brethed on them and sayde vnto the: Receave ye holy goost.

Young's Literal Translation
and this having said, he breathed on [them], and saith to them, `Receive the Holy Spirit;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan he had sayde yt, he brethed vpo the, and sayde vnto the: Receaue the holy goost.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "receive ye the holy spirit.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Then he breathed the Holy Spirit, the Trail Guide, into them saying,

Contextual Overview

¹⁹Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he showed them his hands and side. The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you." Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?" But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master." But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it." Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he focused his attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe." Thomas said, "My Master! My God!" Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing." Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it. ²¹Resurrection! Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him." Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home. But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?" "They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him. Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?" She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him." Jesus said, "Mary." Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!" Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her. Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he showed them his hands and side. The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you." ²²Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?" ²⁴But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master." But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he breathed: Genesis 2:7, Job 33:4, Psalms 33:6, Ezekiel 37:9

Receive: John 14:16, John 15:26, John 16:7, Acts 2:4, Acts 2:38, Acts 4:8, Acts 8:15, Acts 10:47, Acts 19:2, Galatians 3:2

Reciprocal: Isaiah 48:16 - the Lord God Ezekiel 2:3 - I send Ezekiel 37:5 - I will Malachi 2:15 - the spirit Luke 5:24 - power John 14:26 - Holy Ghost Acts 1:4 - the promise Revelation 3:1 - he that

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when he had said this,.... That is, declared he sent them forth in like manner as his Father sent him:

he breathed on them; in allusion to God's breathing the breath of life into man, at his creation; or rather, to the Spirit himself, who is the breath of God, and proceeds from him, as from the Father; and who breathes both upon persons in regeneration, and in qualifying for ministerial service, at the instance and influence of Christ: and such an opinion the Jews have of the Spirit of the Messiah, who say p, that

"the Spirit went from between the wings of the cherubim,

ונשביה, "and breathed upon him" (Menasseh) by the decree, or order of the word of the Lord.''

And saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost; meaning not the grace of the Holy Ghost in regeneration, which they had received already; but the gifts of the Spirit, to qualify them for the work he now sent them to do, and which were not now actually bestowed; but this breathing on them, and the words that attended it, were a symbol, pledge, and confirmation, of what they were to receive on the day of Pentecost: hence it appears, that it is the Spirit of God, who, by his gifts and grace, makes and qualifies men to be ministers of the Gospel; and our Lord by this action, and these words, gives a very considerable proof of his deity: the Papists show their impudence and wickedness, in imitating Christ by their insufflations, or breathing on men; pretending thereby to convey the Holy Spirit to them.

p Targum in 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He breathed on them - It was customary for the prophets to use some significant act to represent the nature of their message. See Jeremiah 13:0; Jeremiah 18:0, etc. In this case the act of breathing was used to represent the nature of the influence that would come upon them, and the source of that influence. When man was created, God breathed into him the breath of life, 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 Spirit. Compare Acts 1:4; John 2:0.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. He 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 (רוח אלהים ruach Elohim) being the grand principle and cause of his spiritual and Divine life.

Receive ye the Holy Ghost — From this act of our Lord, the influences of the Holy Spirit on the souls of men have been termed his inspiration; from in, into, and spiro, I breathe. Every word of Christ which is received in the heart by faith comes accompanied by this Divine breathing; and, without this, there is neither light nor life. Just as Adam was before God breathed the quickening spirit into him, so is every human soul till it receives this inspiration. Nothing is seen, known, discerned, or felt of God, but through this. To every private Christian this is essentially requisite; and no man ever did or ever can preach the Gospel of God, so as to convince and convert sinners, without it. "There are many (says pious Quesnel) who extol the dignity of the apostolic mission, and compare that of bishops and pastors with that of Christ; but with what shame and fear ought they to be filled, if they do but compare the life and deportment of Christ with the lives and conversation of those who glory in being made partakers of his mission. They may depend on it that, if sent at all, they are only sent on the same conditions, and for the same end, namely-to preach the truth, and to establish the kingdom of God, by opposing the corruption of the world; and by acting and suffering to the end, for the advancement of the glory of God. That person is no other than a monster in the Church who, by his sacred office, should be a dispenser of the Spirit, and who, by the corruption of his own heart, and by a disorderly, worldly, voluptuous, and scandalous life, is, at the same time, a member and instrument of the devil."