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When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
John 20:19 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
  • BSB It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.
  • NKJV Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
  • NASB Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were together due to fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and *said to them, “Peace be to you.”
  • NLT That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.

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

That evening the risen Jesus appears among the fearful disciples and says, 'Peace be to you.' He brings real peace through his resurrection.

Overview

Despite locked doors, Jesus stands among them, demonstrating the reality and freedom of his risen body. His greeting 'Peace be to you' is more than a customary blessing; it is the peace secured by his finished work on the cross (cf. Romans 5:1). His presence turns fear into the beginning of joy and assurance.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 22

  • John 20:26After eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the middle, and said, “Peace be to you.”
  • John 14:27Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
  • Luke 24:36–49As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
  • John 20:21Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
  • Eph 2:14For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,
  • John 7:13Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.
  • 2 Th 3:16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.
  • Mark 16:14Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
  • John 16:33I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”
  • Ps 85:8–10I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, his saints; but let them not turn again to folly.
  • Rev 1:4John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
  • 1 Cor 15:5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
  • Rom 15:33Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
  • Isa 57:18–19I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.
  • John 16:22Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
  • Matt 10:13If the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn’t worthy, let your peace return to you.
  • John 14:19–23Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.
  • Eph 6:23Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Heb 7:2to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, “king of righteousness”, and then also “king of Salem”, which means “king of peace”;
  • Phil 1:2Grace to you, and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Matt 18:20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”
  • Neh 6:10–11I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home; and he said, “Let us meet together in God’s house, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they will come to kill you. Yes, in the night will they come to kill you.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 20:19YouTube · 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 20:19 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.