John 13 · Verse 9

John 13:9

Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

John 13:9, King James Version

John 13:9 in other translations

BSB	“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
WEB	Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
ASV	Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
YLT	Simon Peter saith to him, ‘Sir, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.'
DARBY	Simon Peter says to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
BBE	Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and my head.
Webster	Simon Peter saith to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

What does John 13:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 13:6-11

6-11. Peter saith ... Lord, dost thou wash my feet?--Our language cannot bring out the intensely vivid contrast between the "Thou" and the "my," which, by bringing them together, the original expresses, for it is not good English to say, "Lord, Thou my feet dost wash?" But every word of this question is emphatic. Thus far, and in the question itself, there was nothing but the most profound and beautiful astonishment…

Read the full comment on John 13:6-11 →

Barnes' Notes

Verse 9. Not my feet only, &c. Peter, with characteristic readiness and ardour, saw now that everything depended on this. His whole salvation, the entire question of his attachment to his Master, was involved. If to refuse to have his feet washed was to be regarded as evidence that he had no part with Jesus, he was not only willing, but desirous that it should be done; not only anxious that his feet should be cleansed, but his hands and his head--that is, that he should be cleansed entirely, thoroughly. Perhaps he saw the spiritual meaning of the Saviour, and expressed his ardent wish that his whole soul might be made pure by the work of Christ. A true Christian is desirous of being cleansed from all sin. He has no reserve. He wishes not merely that one evil propensity should be removed, but all; that every thought should be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2Cor 10:5); and that his whole body, soul, and spirit should be sanctified wholly and be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, 1Thes 5:23. His intellect, his will, his affections, his fancy, memory, judgment, he desires should be all brought under the influence of the gospel, and every power of the body and mind be consecrated unto God.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 9 Lord, not my feet only, etc. - It appears that Peter entered into our Lord's meaning, and saw that this was emblematical of a spiritual cleansing: therefore he wishes to be completely washed.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 13:1-17

Our Lord Jesus has a people in the world that are his own; he has purchased them, and paid dear for them, and he has set them apart for himself; they devote themselves to him as a peculiar people. Those whom Christ loves, he loves to the end. Nothing can separate a true believer from the love of Christ. We know not when our hour will come, therefore what we have to do in constant preparation for it, ought never to…

Read the full comment on John 13:1-17 →

John 13:9 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

λέγειlegeiSaysG3004

αὐτῷautōto HimG846

ΣίμωνSimōnSimonG4613

Πέτρος·PetrosPeter;G4074

κύριε,kurieLord,G2962

μὴmēnotG3361

τοὺςtoustheG3588

πόδαςpodasfeetG4228

μουmouof meG3165

μόνονmonononlyG3441

ἀλλὰallabutG235

καὶkaialsoG2532

τὰςtastheG3588

χεῖραςcheirashandsG5495

καὶkaiandG2532

τὴνtēntheG3588

κεφαλήν.¶kephalēnhead.G2776

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 13:9

Psalms 51:2
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalms 51:7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalms 26:6
I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:
1 Peter 3:21
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Jeremiah 4:14
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
Matthew 27:24
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

not.
Ps 26:6; 51:2,7; Jer 4:14; Mt 27:24; Heb 10:22; 1Pe 3:21

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

John 13:8
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
John 13:9
Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
John 13:10
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

Read all of John 13

John 13:9 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Dícele Simón Pedro: Señor, no sólo mis pies, mas aun las manos y la cabeza.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Simon Pierre lui dit: Seigneur, non pas mes pieds seulement, mais aussi mes mains et ma tête.
German Elberfelder 1871	Simon Petrus spricht zu ihm: Herr, nicht meine Füße allein, sondern auch die Hände und das Haupt.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Dicit ei Simon Petrus: Domine, non tantum pedes meos, sed et manus, et caput.