They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
Parallel translations
- WEB They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first.
- KJV So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
- BSB The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
- NKJV So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.
- NASB The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first;
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
Both disciples run, and the other disciple reaches the tomb first. The vivid detail marks an eyewitness memory.
Overview
The race to the tomb, with John outrunning Peter, is the kind of personal detail an eyewitness recalls. It conveys the disciples' eager urgency to learn the truth. John's modest self-reference ('the other disciple') and the specific memory add authenticity to the narrative.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 2 Sam 18:23“But come what may,” he said, “I will run.” He said to him, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.
- 1 Cor 9:24Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.
- 2 Cor 8:12For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don’t have.
- Lev 13:30then the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is an itch, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.
How John 20:4 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.