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John 20:5
ESV And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
NIV He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
NASB and he stooped to look in, and *saw the linen wrappings lying there; however he did not go in.
CSB Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
NLT He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in.
KJV And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
NKJV And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.

What does John 20:5 mean?

John has rushed to Jesus' grave (John 20:1–4). He has come thanks to Mary Magdalene's report that the tomb has been opened and the body is no longer there. Along with Peter, he arrives at the grave site, though John is faster and gets there first. John does not include details about the Roman security team (Matthew 27:62–66), but the men might already be gone (Matthew 28:11).

Rather than going in, John crouches down to look inside. Whether this is out of fear, or respect, we're not sure. What he sees inside will not make sense at first. From outside, John can see the strips of linen which were used to wrap Jesus' body (John 19:40). This is likely a confusing sight: John would likely wonder why the grave clothes were left behind, but the body taken away. It won't be until John notices another detail, described in the next verse, that his mind snaps to the truth: Jesus is alive (John 20:7–8).
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