Bible Strands
John 20:22
When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to a group of disciples immediately after declaring, “Peace be with you,” and stating that as the Father sent Him, He is sending them. This occurs right before He addresses their authority to forgive or withhold forgiveness.
The words — The text records Jesus breathing on them (ἐνεφύσησεν, enephusēsen, “He breathed on”) and commanding, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (λάβετε, labete, “do receive”). The grammatical structure places the physical act of breathing directly before the verbal command.
The thread — The breath action connects to Genesis 2:7, where God breathes life into humanity, and Job 33:4, which identifies the Spirit of God as the source of life. John 7:39 clarifies that this event initiates the broader promise that believers would later receive the Spirit.
Why it lands — The text ties the reception of the Holy Spirit directly to Jesus’ commissioning of His followers and their subsequent authority over forgiveness. It requires readers to acknowledge the Spirit as the immediate empowerment for the mission just assigned.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Cross-references
- Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
- Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
- John 7:39 He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
- Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Psalms 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
- Ezekiel 37:9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”
- Acts 8:15 On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 19:2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
- Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people!
- John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—