Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Parallel translations
- WEB Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
- BSB “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
- ESV Simon Peter said to 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 quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
- Ps 51:7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
- 1 Pet 3:21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
- Ps 26:6I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
- Heb 10:22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Matt 27:24When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
- Jer 4:14O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
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 13:9 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.