“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
- KJV Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
- NKJV Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
- NASB Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!”
- NLT Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just 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, now eager, asks Jesus to wash his hands and head too. It shows his impulsive zeal once he grasps that the washing means union with Christ.
Overview
Peter swings from refusal to excess, wanting a full washing. His response, though earnest, still misunderstands the nature of Christ's cleansing. Jesus' reply will clarify that those cleansed by Him are wholly clean and need only ongoing cleansing from the defilements of daily life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 51:2Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
- Ps 51:7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
- 1 Pet 3:21And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
- Ps 26:6I wash my hands in innocence that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,
- Heb 10:22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Matt 27:24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
- Jer 4:14Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
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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 13:9 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.