So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”
Parallel translations
- WEB The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
- KJV The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
- NKJV The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
- NASB So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
- NLT They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
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
Thomas refuses to believe without seeing and touching Jesus' wounds. His demand voices honest, stubborn doubt.
Overview
Thomas insists on tangible proof, the nail marks and pierced side, before he will believe. His skepticism is not unique; the others also doubted until they saw. Far from embarrassing the church, Thomas's demand shows that the disciples were not gullible, and it sets up Jesus' gracious answer to honest doubt.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 20
- John 6:30So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do?
- Mark 16:11And when they heard that Jesus was alive and she had seen Him, they did not believe it.
- Heb 3:18And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
- Ps 78:32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
- Heb 3:12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
- Ps 95:8–10do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,
- Ps 78:11–22They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
- Ps 106:21–24They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,
- John 20:14–20When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not recognize that it was Jesus.
- Acts 10:40–41God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen—
- Luke 24:34–41and saying, “The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon!”
- Job 9:16If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
- Matt 16:1–4Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
- Heb 10:38–39But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”
- John 21:7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea.
- Luke 24:25Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
- Matt 27:42“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
- John 1:41He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).
- Acts 5:30–32The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.
- 1 Cor 15:5–8and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
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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.
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Original language
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