John 20:21

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

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

The account of Jesus' first appearance in the Gospel of John (20:19-23; 21:13) shows similarity to the account in the Gospel of Luke (24:36–49), that it happened in Jerusalem in the evening of his resurrection from the dead.^[2]

The words Peace be with you (Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, Eirēnē hymin^[1]) is a common traditional Jewish greeting^[3] still in use today (shalom alekemorשלום לכם shalom lekom;^[1] cf. 1 Samuel 25:6^[4]),^[5] also spoken by JesusinJohn 20:19 and 26.^[4]

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.^[6] The repetition of the words of peace gives the emphasis on the importance of this commission.^[7] Each gospel records a commission from Jesus after resurrection.^[5]

• Guthrie, Donald (1994). "John". In Carson, D. A.; France, R. T.; Motyer, J. A.; Wenham, G. J. (eds.). New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (4, illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). Inter-Varsity Press. pp. 1021–1065. ISBN 9780851106489.
• Kieffer, René (2007). "60. John". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 960–1000. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

• Jesus Appears to His Disciples