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And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
John 19:17 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He went out, bearing his cross, to the place called “The Place of a Skull”, which is called in Hebrew, “Golgotha”,
  • KJV And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
  • BSB Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
  • NASB They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, carrying His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which in Hebrew is called, Golgotha.
  • NLT Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).

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

Jesus carries his own cross to Golgotha, the Place of a Skull. He goes to the place of execution as the sin-bearer.

Overview

Condemned criminals carried the crossbeam to the execution site outside the city. John notes Jesus bearing his own cross, emphasizing his willing obedience, though Simon of Cyrene later helps (Mark 15:21). Golgotha, outside the gate, fits Hebrews 13:12, where Jesus suffers 'outside the camp' to sanctify the people by his own blood.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • Luke 23:33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
  • Luke 14:27Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross, and come after me, can’t be my disciple.
  • Luke 23:26When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus.
  • Mark 15:32Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
  • Acts 7:58They threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
  • Heb 13:11–13For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the camp.
  • Mark 15:26The superscription of his accusation was written over him, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
  • Matt 10:38He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.
  • Matt 16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
  • Num 15:35–36Yahweh said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside of the camp.”
  • Mark 15:21–23They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross.
  • Luke 9:23He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
  • Lev 24:14“Bring out of the camp him who cursed; and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
  • 1 Kgs 21:13The two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him. The base fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones.
  • Matt 27:31–34When they had mocked him, they took the robe off of him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
  • Matt 27:37They set up over his head the accusation against him written, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
  • Lev 16:21–22Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.
  • Mark 8:34He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
  • Mark 10:21Jesus looking at him loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross.”
  • Luke 23:38An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 19:17YouTube · 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 19:17 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.