John 20:22

The original Koine Greek, according to the Textus Receptus, reads:[1]

καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησεν καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον·

In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

The modern World English Bible translates the passage as:

When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit!"

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub John 20:22

The account of Jesus' first appearance in the Gospel of John (20:19-23; 21:13) shows similarity to the account in the Gospel of Luke (24:36–49), that it happened in Jerusalem in the evening of his resurrection from the dead.[2]

"He breathed on them" is from one Greek word ἐνεφύσησεν, enephysēsen[1] recalling Genesis 2:7.[3]

"Received the Holy Spirit" is to equip the disciples for their missionary work (which is dependent on the mission of the Son as stated in verse 21).[4] This represents a symbolic promise for the gift of the Spirit fifty days later at Pentecost (Acts 2).[5] John Calvin (2. 205) notes that here the disciples were sprinkled with the grace of the Spirit, but not yet saturated with the full enduement of power until Acts 2.[6] The giving of the Spirit at this time was linked with the forgiving on sins (verse 23).[7]

• Guthrie, Donald (1994). "John". In Carson, D. A.; France, R. T.; Motyer, J. A.; Wenham, G. J. (eds.). New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (4, illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). Inter-Varsity Press. pp. 1021–1065. ISBN 9780851106489.
• Kieffer, René (2007). "60. John". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 960–1000. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

• Jesus Appears to His Disciples