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And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
John 2:13 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
  • BSB When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
  • NKJV Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
  • NASB The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
  • NLT It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem.

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

As Passover approached, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He observes the appointed feast and enters the city where He will confront the temple's corruption.

Overview

John notes the first of several Passovers in his Gospel, framing Jesus' ministry around Israel's redemptive festivals. Going 'up' to Jerusalem and its temple, Jesus comes to the heart of Jewish worship. The mention of Passover, the feast of redemption, fittingly precedes acts that point to the redemption Jesus Himself will accomplish.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • Luke 2:41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
  • John 11:55And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
  • John 2:23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
  • Exod 12:6–14And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
  • Deut 16:1–8Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
  • John 5:1After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
  • John 6:4And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
  • Num 28:16–25And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
  • Deut 16:16Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

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 2:13YouTube · 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 2:13 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.