John 20:26 is the twenty-sixth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It records Jesus' reappearance to the disciples, including Thomas, eight days after his resurrection.

Content

The original Koine Greek, according to the Textus Receptus, reads:

Καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ πάλιν ἦσαν ἔσω οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Θωμᾶς μετ' αὐτῶν ἔρχεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον καὶ εἶπεν Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν[1]

In the King James Version of the Bible, this verse is translated as:

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.[2]

The modern World English Bible (WEB) translates this verse as:

After eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace be to you."[3]

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub John 20:26.

Analysis

"After eight days" brings the chronology to the Sunday after Easter.[4] This week may correspond to the cumulative first week recorded in , and to the last week before his death in , which begins "six days before the Passover".[5][6]

The doors were again "closed" or "locked",[a] as they had been in John 20:19, because of the disciples' continued fear "of the Jews",[4] but Jesus could enter and be in their midst.[6][b]

The phrase "Peace be with you"[c] is a common traditional Jewish greeting,[7] still in use today (shalom aleichem or שלום לכם shalom lekom: cf. ).[8][9] The same words were spoken by Jesus in verse 19 and "again" in verse 21.[8] Jesus' words of "peace" at this time can be seen as offering reassurance for the disciples.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ Greek perfect verb: κεκλεισμένων, '
  2. ^ Broadly the English language versions which have the doors "locked" in verse 19 use the same term in verse 26, as do those who used the words "closed" or "shut".[10]
  3. ^ Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν,[1]

References

  1. ^ : Textus Receptus
  2. ^ : KJV
  3. ^ : WEB
  4. ^ Guthrie 1994, p. 1064.
  5. ^ : English Standard Version
  6. ^ Kieffer 2007, p. 998.
  7. ^ Coogan, Michael David (2007). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48. Augmented 3rd ed. Coogan, Michael David; Brettler, Marc Zvi; Newsom, Carol Ann; Perkins, Pheme (eds.). Oxford University Press. p. 180 New Testament. ISBN 9780195288810.
  8. ^ Köstenberger, Andreas J. (2004). John. Vol. 4. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. illustrated ed. Baker Academic. p. 572. ISBN 9780801026447.
  9. ^ Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel According to John. Pillar New Testament commentary. reprint ed. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 646. ISBN 9780851117492.
  10. ^ BibleGateway.com, John 20:26 in multiple English versions, HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., accessed on 11 November 2025

Sources

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