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So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed.
John 20:8 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
  • BSB Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed.
  • NKJV Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.
  • NASB So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb also entered then, and he saw and believed.
  • NLT Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—

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 other disciple enters, sees, and believes. The empty tomb and grave clothes lead him to faith in the risen Christ.

Overview

Confronted with the evidence, the beloved disciple becomes the first to believe Jesus has risen, though full understanding is still forming. His faith rests on what he sees, the empty tomb and undisturbed cloths. This moment models the move from evidence to belief that John hopes his readers will share.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • John 20:25The 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.”
  • John 1:50Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”
  • John 20:4They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first.
  • John 20:29Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.”

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 20:8YouTube · 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 20:8 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.