John 20:22

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - John 20:22

He breathed on them - It was customary for the prophets to use some significant act to represent the nature of their message. See Jeremiah 13:0; Jeremiah 18:0, etc. In this case the act of breathing was used to represent the nature of the influence that would come upon them, and the source of that influence. When man was created, God breathed into him the breath of life, Genesis 2:7. The word rendered “spirit” in the Scriptures denotes wind, air, breath, as well as Spirit. Hence, the operations... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - John 20:21-23

John 20:21-23. Then said Jesus again, Peace be unto you This is the foundation of the mission of a true gospel minister; peace in his own soul, in consequence of his having received pardoning mercy from God through Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:1. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you Christ was the apostle of the Father, Hebrews 3:1: Peter and the rest the apostles of Christ. And when he had said this, he breathed on them In a solemn manner, communicating unto them new life and... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - John 20:19-23

163. Sunday night in Jerusalem (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-23)While the disciples were together discussing these miraculous appearances, Jesus suddenly appeared among them in the room, even though the doors were locked. This made them think they were seeing a ghost who could pass through walls, but Jesus calmed their fears by showing them his body of flesh and bones, complete with the scars of crucifixion. He also ate some fish, showing that his body had normal physical functions... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - John 20:22

breathed on . Greek. emphusao. Only here in N.T., but used in the Septuagint in Genesis 2:7 for the Hebrew word naphah, to breathe, or blow with force. The same Lord who, as Jehovah Elohim, breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life so that he became a living soul, here breathes upon the apostles that they may receive Divine power. Satan tries to parody the Lord's words and works. In the "Great" Magical Papyrus of about the third century A.D. occurs the following in a spell for driving... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 20:22

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.Jesus had promised the apostles that after he went away he would send the Spirit, hence his action here (John 16:7ff). Windisch said, "It is impossible to see in John 20:22ff the fulfillment of the Paraclete prophecies";[10] but, of course, it is impossible not to see it. Windisch's argument is that in the Paraclete sayings the Spirit was to be sent by the ascended one "from heaven" and not from on... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - John 20:22-23

John 20:22-23. When he had said this, he breathed on them,— St. Luke, Luk 24:35 informs us, that the disciples from Emmaus told their brethren on this occasion, what things were done in the way. Among the rest, no doubt, they repeated the interpretations which Jesus gave of the prophesies concerning his own sufferings and death; but such a sense of the scriptures being diametrically opposite to the notions which the Jews in general entertained, a peculiar illumination of the Spirit was... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - John 20:22

22. he breathed on them—a symbolical conveyance to them of the Spirit. and saith, Receive ye the Holy Ghost—an earnest and first-fruits of the more copious Pentecostal effusion. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 20:1-29

F. Jesus’ resurrection 20:1-29"If the Gospel of John were an ordinary biography, there would be no chapter 20. I am an incurable reader of biographies, and I notice that almost all of them conclude with the death and burial of the subject. I have yet to read one that describes the subject’s resurrection from the dead! The fact that John continued his account and shared the excitement of the Resurrection miracle is proof that Jesus Christ is not like any other man. He is, indeed, the Son of... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 20:19-23

3. The appearance to the Eleven minus Thomas on Easter evening 20:19-23 (cf. Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:36-43)This pericope contains another post-resurrection appearance of Jesus that bolstered the disciples’ faith. It also contains John’s account of the Great Commission. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 20:22

These disciples needed supernatural spiritual power to carry out such a task, but what did Jesus really do next? There are several views.One view is that Jesus gave these disciples a temporary infusion of His Spirit. [Note: Blum, p. 343; cf. Calvin, 2:205; Morris, pp. 747-48.] The act of breathing on them recalls the Creation in which God breathed His life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). Thus Jesus may have been suggesting that He was doing a new creative work by filling these men with His Spirit.... read more

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