Bible Strands
John 20:5
He bent down and looked in at the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative describes the unnamed disciple reaching the tomb before Peter and stopping at the entrance. He observes the burial wrappings without crossing the threshold while Peter prepares to enter.
The words — παρακὺψας (parakupsas) translates to "having stooped down," and ὀθόνια (othonia) means "linen cloths." The text records his physical posture of looking into the tomb at the specific burial materials.
The thread — The same burial wrappings appear in John 19:40 when Jesus is laid in the tomb, and a similar bending posture occurs in John 20:11 when Mary looks into the tomb. The empty linen cloths are also noted when Peter enters in John 20:6.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to note the deliberate hesitation at the threshold and the preserved state of the burial cloths. It establishes the factual basis for the empty tomb narrative before the resurrection appearance is revealed.
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 he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
Cross-references
- John 19:40 So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.
- John 11:44 The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.
- John 20:11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb,