John 20:25

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The other disciples address Thomas, reporting that they have seen the risen Jesus. This conversation occurs after the group’s first encounter with the resurrected Lord and before His second appearance eight days later when Thomas is present.

The words — ἑωράκαμεν (heōrakamen) translates literally as “we have seen,” marking a completed visual encounter. οὖν (oun) means “therefore” or “so,” structurally connecting the disciples’ report to Thomas’s stated condition for belief.

The thread — The insistence on visible proof runs parallel to the demand in John 6:30 and the disbelief recorded in Mark 16:11. The warning against unbelief aligns with the exclusion described in Hebrews 3:18.

Why it lands — The text presents Thomas’s requirement for tactile verification before accepting the resurrection claim. It asks the reader to decide whether faith requires physical evidence or rests on witnessed testimony.

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

ἔλεγονelegonWere saying οὖνountherefore αὐτῷautōto him οἱhoithe ἄλλοιalloiother μαθηταί·mathētaidisciples;ἑωράκαμενhe'ōrakamenWe have seen τὸνtonthe κύριον.kurionLord.ὁho<the>δὲdeBut εἶπενeipenhe said αὐτοῖς·autoisto them;ἐὰνeanOnly μὴmēunless ἴδωidōI shall see ἐνenin ταῖςtaisthe χερσὶνchersinhands αὐτοῦautouof Him τὸνtonthe τύπονtuponmark τῶνtōnof the ἥλωνhēlōnnails καὶkaiand βάλωbalōshall put τὸνtonthe δάκτυλόνdaktulonfinger μουmouof mine εἰςeisinto τὸνtonthe τύπονtuponmark τῶνtōnof the ἥλωνhēlōnnails καὶkaiand βάλωbalōshall put μουmoumy τὴνtēn<the>χεῖραcheirahand εἰςeisinto τὴνtēnthe πλευρὰνpleuranside αὐτοῦ,autouof Him,οὐoucertainly μὴmēnot πιστεύσω.¶pisteusōshall I believe.

King James Version

The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

Cross-references

John 6:30 So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do?
Mark 16:11 And when they heard that Jesus was alive and she had seen Him, they did not believe it.
Hebrews 3:18 And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
Psalms 78:32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
Job 9:16 If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
Psalms 78:11 They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
Psalms 95:8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,
Psalms 106:21 They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,
Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.