Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
Parallel translations
- KJV Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
- BSB He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?”
- NKJV Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
- NASB So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, You are washing my feet?”
- NLT When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
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
Peter protests, astonished that Jesus would wash his feet. It captures the disciples' shock at such role reversal.
Overview
Peter's question reflects a right sense of Jesus' greatness but a wrong resistance to His humble service. He cannot yet grasp that the Lord's stooping is essential to His mission. The exchange sets up Jesus' teaching that receiving His cleansing service is necessary to belong to Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- John 1:27He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.”
- Matt 3:11–14I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
- Luke 5:8But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 13:6 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.