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Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
John 13:27 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
  • KJV And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
  • BSB And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
  • NASB After this, Satan then entered him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you are doing, do it quickly.”
  • NLT When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.”

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

After the morsel, Satan entered Judas, and Jesus told him to act quickly. It marks Judas's full surrender to evil and Jesus' sovereign control over the timing.

Overview

Judas's persistent refusal of grace opens him fully to Satan's possession. Yet Jesus remains in command, even directing the timing of His own betrayal. The verse soberly shows the end of hardened unbelief while affirming that the passion proceeds under Christ's authority, not Satan's.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Luke 22:3Satan entered into Judas, who was also called Iscariot, who was counted with the twelve.
  • John 13:2During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
  • Eccl 9:3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
  • Jas 1:13–15Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
  • Acts 5:3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
  • Matt 12:45Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation.”
  • Prov 1:16for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.
  • Dan 2:15he answered Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so urgent from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
  • Jer 2:24–25a wild donkey used to the wilderness, that sniffs the wind in her craving. When she is in heat, who can turn her away? All those who seek her will not weary themselves. In her month, they will find her.
  • Ps 109:6Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.
  • 1 Kgs 18:27At noon, Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud; for he is a god. Either he is deep in thought, or he has gone somewhere, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened.”
  • Mark 6:25She came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.”
  • Luke 8:32–33Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. He allowed them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 13:27YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 13:27 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.