For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
Parallel translations
- WEB For these things happened, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone of him will not be broken.”
- KJV For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
- BSB Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”
- NASB For these things took place so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.”
- NLT These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,”
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
The unbroken bones fulfill Scripture about the Passover lamb. Jesus is shown to be the Lamb God provided.
Overview
John cites the law that no bone of the Passover lamb was to be broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; cf. Psalm 34:20). By keeping Jesus' bones intact, God identifies him as the true and final Passover sacrifice. The fulfillment underscores that the whole sacrificial system pointed forward to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 34:20He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.
- Num 9:12They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break a bone of it. According to all the statute of the Passover they shall keep it.
- Exod 12:46It must be eaten In one house. You shall not carry any of the meat outside of the house. Do not break any of its bones.
- Ps 22:14I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.
- John 19:28After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.”
- Ps 35:10All my bones shall say, “Yahweh, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?”
- Matt 1:22Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
- John 19:24Then they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, “They parted my garments among them. For my cloak they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 19:36 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.