Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

John 13:21
ESV After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
NIV After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me."
NASB When Jesus had said these things, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, 'Truly, truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.'
CSB When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in his spirit and testified, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."
NLT Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, 'I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!'
KJV When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
NKJV When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

What does John 13:21 mean?

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus commented about the difference between someone who was "bathed," and needed only minor washing, versus those who were unclean (John 13:10–12). He hinted that not all of those present were clean—an allusion to Judas, who has already planned to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14–16). That impending treachery was also mentioned in reference to Psalm 41:9 and the idea of someone sharing bread, but being traitorous (John 13:18). Jesus mentioned this so that the remaining disciples would not lose all hope when they saw what was to come (John 13:19). Here, Jesus makes that prediction explicit.

Jesus is described using similar terms to His reaction at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:33). The Greek root word translated as troubled in the ESV refers to something turbulent and disturbed. Speaking of what is about to happen causes Jesus emotional pain. Not only is Judas choosing treachery, he's opting for damnation (Mark 14:18–21). That's heartbreaking on many levels. Speaking these words also brings Jesus' human nature face-to-face with all the pain and misery about to come His way.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit