John 20 · Verse 22

John 20:22

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

John 20:22, King James Version

John 20:22 in other translations

BSB	When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
WEB	When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit!
ASV	And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit:
YLT	and this having said, he breathed on them, and saith to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit;
DARBY	And having said this, he breathed into them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit:
BBE	And when he had said this, breathing on them, he said to them, Let the Holy Spirit come on you:
Webster	And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith to them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.

What does John 20:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 20:19-23

Joh 20:19-23. Jesus Appears to the Assembled Disciples. 19-23. 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…

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Barnes' Notes

Verse 22. He breathed on them. It was customary for the prophets to use some significant act to represent the nature of their message. See Jeremiah chapters 13 and 18, 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, Gen 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, Jn 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. Comp. Acts 1:4, John chapter 2.

(y) "Receive ye" Acts 2:4,33

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

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."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 20:19-25

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…

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John 20:22 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.

καὶkaiAndG2532

τοῦτοtoutothisG3778

εἰπὼνeipōnhaving saidG2036

ἐνεφύσησενenephusēsenHe breathed on [them]G1720

καὶkaiandG2532

λέγειlegeiHe saysG3004

αὐτοῖς·autoisto them;G846

λάβετεlabetedo receiveG2983

πνεῦμαpneuma[the] SpiritG4151

ἅγιον.hagionHoly.G40

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

Cross references for John 20:22

Job 33:4
The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
John 7:39
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 19:2
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Psalms 33:6
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
Acts 8:15
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
Ezekiel 37:9
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
Acts 4:8
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
John 14:16
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Galatians 3:2
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

he breathed.
Ge 2:7; Job 33:4; Ps 33:6; Eze 37:9
Receive.
14:16; 15:26; 16:7; Ac 2:4,38; 4:8; 8:15; 10:47; 19:2; Ga 3:2

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

Context

John 20:21
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
John 20:22
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
John 20:23
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Read all of John 20

John 20:22 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y como hubo dicho esto, sopló, y díjoles: Tomad el Espíritu Santo:
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et ayant dit cela, il souffla en eux, et leur dit: Recevez l’Esprit Saint.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und als er dies gesagt hatte, hauchte er in sie und spricht zu ihnen: Empfanget den Heiligen Geist!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Hæc cum dixisset, insufflavit, et dixit eis: Accipite Spiritum Sanctum: