When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”
Parallel translations
- KJV When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
- BSB After Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
- NKJV When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
- NASB When Jesus had said these things, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.”
- NLT Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Deeply troubled, Jesus solemnly declares that one of them will betray Him. It reveals His genuine grief over the betrayal even as He moves toward the cross.
Overview
Jesus is troubled in spirit, showing His real human emotion in the face of treachery. His direct announcement of the betrayal heightens the drama of the upper room. The verse displays Christ's full humanity and the deep cost of being handed over by one of His own.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- John 13:18I don’t speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’
- Matt 26:21As they were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”
- Mark 14:18As they sat and were eating, Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, one of you will betray me — he who eats with me.”
- 2 Cor 2:12–13Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,
- John 12:27“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But for this cause I came to this time.
- Acts 1:16–17“Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus.
- Luke 22:21–22But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.
- Matt 26:38Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.”
- John 11:33When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
- John 13:2During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
- 1 Jn 2:19They went out from us, but they didn’t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.
- John 11:35Jesus wept.
- Rom 9:2–3that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.
- John 11:38Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
- Mark 3:5When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other.
- Acts 17:16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 13:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.