John 12:14 kjv
And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
John 12:14 nkjv
Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
John 12:14 niv
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
John 12:14 esv
And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
John 12:14 nlt
Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
John 12 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Zech 9:9 | Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!... Behold, your King is coming to you; ... lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. | Direct prophecy fulfilled by Jesus' action. |
| Matt 21:1-5 | When they drew near to Jerusalem... saying to them, "Go into the village... and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her... Say to them that the Lord has need of them..." | Synoptic parallel detailing the specific instructions to find the donkey. |
| Mark 11:1-7 | When they came near to Jerusalem... he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the village... you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat..." | Synoptic parallel emphasizing the untouched colt and its readiness for the Lord. |
| Luke 19:29-35 | As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany... "Go into the village... you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat..." | Synoptic parallel highlighting Jesus' foreknowledge and divine arrangement. |
| Isa 62:11 | Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.' | Prophetic announcement of salvation coming to Zion, echoing the joy of the entry. |
| Matt 21:7-8 | They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees... | Immediate context: People spreading cloaks and branches, a royal procession custom. |
| Psa 118:26 | Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. | Fulfilled by the crowd's acclamation of Jesus in John 12:13 ("Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"). |
| Deut 17:16 | "Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’" | Contrast: Kings in Israel were commanded not to accumulate warhorses, indicating a different kind of kingship than that based on military power. |
| Phil 2:6-8 | Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant... and being found in human form, he humbled himself... | Highlights Jesus' humility, a theme evident in His choice to ride a humble donkey rather than a warhorse. |
| Matt 11:29 | "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." | Jesus' self-description as "lowly in heart" aligns with the humility shown by riding the donkey. |
| Isa 9:6-7 | For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end... | Messianic prophecy of a king whose reign is one of peace, consistent with riding a donkey of peace. |
| Rev 19:11-16 | Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war... He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. | Future context: Jesus' glorious return, now riding a warhorse, signifying righteous judgment and ultimate victory, contrasting His first humble entry. |
| Dan 7:13-14 | "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him..." | Prophecy of the "Son of Man" receiving an eternal kingdom, highlighting Jesus' true royal status. |
| 1 Pet 2:21 | For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. | Jesus' actions, including His humble entry, serve as an example for believers to follow His humility and trust in God's plan. |
| John 1:49 | Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" | Early recognition of Jesus' royal status, which culminates publicly in the Triumphal Entry. |
| Luke 1:32-33 | He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. | Gabriel's prophecy about Jesus' eternal Davidic kingship. |
| John 12:16 | His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. | This verse immediately follows, highlighting the disciples' retrospective understanding of prophecy. |
| Isa 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. | Foreshadowing the ultimate rejection, even amidst a brief moment of public acclamation. |
| Heb 12:2 | looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. | The humble entry on a donkey sets the stage for the path of suffering Jesus willingly took for a greater joy. |
| Eph 2:14-16 | For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. | Jesus as the "Prince of Peace" on a donkey underscores His mission to bring reconciliation and peace through Himself. |
John 12 verses
John 12 14 Meaning
John 12:14 describes a pivotal moment in Jesus' public ministry: His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The verse states that Jesus intentionally found a young donkey, upon which He sat, thereby fulfilling ancient prophecy. This act presented Jesus as a humble yet legitimate king, distinctly different from the conquering leaders of the world, whose kingship was rooted in divine ordination and prophecy, not military might.
John 12 14 Context
John 12:14 is part of the narrative of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which takes place shortly before the Passover feast and His crucifixion. Chapter 12 opens with Jesus being anointed by Mary in Bethany, followed by the Triumphal Entry itself (vv. 12-19). This event directly follows the miraculous raising of Lazarus (John 11), which drew significant attention to Jesus and caused many to believe, but also intensified the resolve of the Jewish religious leaders to kill Him.
Historically and culturally, the Jewish people were living under Roman occupation and eagerly awaited the Messiah. Their expectation was often for a military or political liberator who would overthrow Roman rule and restore the Davidic kingdom to its former glory. This would involve a triumphant king arriving, likely on a warhorse. However, Jesus deliberately chose a donkey, a symbol of peace and humility, yet also a traditional mount for kings in the Ancient Near East, especially within a Hebrew context, fulfilling prophecy. This act was a deliberate statement about the nature of His kingship: not of earthly dominion through force, but of spiritual salvation through humility and sacrifice. The "as it is written" underscores that Jesus was not acting on a whim, but intentionally fulfilling divine pre-ordained Scripture, testifying to His Messianic identity according to God's plan, not human expectation.
John 12 14 Word analysis
- And Jesus: Indicates continuity with the preceding narrative, focusing on the central figure and subject of the action.
- when he had found (εὑρών - eurōn): This Greek word for "having found" implies purposeful discovery or providential arrangement, rather than a mere chance encounter. Unlike the Synoptic Gospels, John doesn't detail Jesus sending disciples to fetch the donkey; rather, John presents Jesus as directly having access to it, implying His sovereign control and foreknowledge of the Messianic details. This highlights Jesus' divine initiative in fulfilling prophecy.
- a young ass (ὀνάριον - onarion): Refers specifically to a "little donkey" or a "donkey's colt." This term is precise and directly corresponds to the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, which mentions "a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." The choice of a donkey, especially a young one, symbolized humility, peace, and domestic utility, rather than the military power associated with a horse, often ridden by conquering kings. It underscores that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world or established by human might.
- sat thereon (ἐκάθισεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτό - ekathisen ep' auto): "He sat upon it." This is an active and deliberate action. Sitting on the donkey signifies taking possession and asserting royal authority in a manner that aligns with the prophesied king of Zion. It's a public and intentional act, a visual declaration of His royal identity.
- as it is written (καθὼς γέγραπται - kathōs gegraptai): This is a critical theological marker in the New Testament, used frequently by John. It explicitly points to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. It signals to the reader that Jesus' actions were not coincidental or arbitrary but were part of God's predetermined plan, revealed centuries earlier. This phrase solidifies Jesus' claim to be the promised Messiah and highlights the divine inspiration and coherence of Scripture.
Words-group analysis
- "And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon": This phrase concisely portrays Jesus' purposeful and active fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. It emphasizes Jesus' sovereignty over the events, as He "finds" the specific animal required, not by chance but by divine intention. His physical act of sitting on it is a public, symbolic enthronement, establishing His kingly claim.
- "as it is written": This concluding phrase links Jesus' action directly and indisputably to the divinely inspired prophecies of the Old Testament. It confirms that the entire event, from the choice of animal to Jesus' public entry, is the outworking of God's eternal plan, thereby validating Jesus' identity as the Christ. It serves as a hermeneutical key for understanding the significance of the entire scene.
John 12 14 Bonus section
The Triumphal Entry described in John 12:14 (and the surrounding verses) served a multifaceted purpose: it was a public claim to Messianic kingship by Jesus Himself; it was a clear and visible fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, crucial for proving Jesus' identity to a Jewish audience; and it presented a profound theological contrast to contemporary expectations of a military Messiah, signaling that Jesus' true triumph would come through sacrifice and spiritual deliverance. The disciples themselves did not fully grasp the prophetic fulfillment until after Jesus' glorification (John 12:16), indicating a retrospective divine illumination of Scripture's meaning in light of Christ's finished work. This event underscores the deep intentionality behind Jesus' earthly ministry, every action of which was part of God's pre-ordained plan.
John 12 14 Commentary
John 12:14 distills the profound theological significance of Jesus' Triumphal Entry. It highlights Jesus' deliberate action to find and ride a young donkey, explicitly fulfilling Zechariah 9:9. This was a clear, visual declaration of His Messianic kingship. By choosing a donkey rather than a warhorse, Jesus subtly yet powerfully redefined the nature of His kingdom: one of peace, humility, and salvation, rather than military conquest. The phrase "as it is written" serves as John's emphatic confirmation that this event was no mere historical happenstance but the precise unfolding of God's redemptive plan foretold in Scripture, validating Jesus as the true Messiah according to the divine blueprint. It emphasizes God's sovereign hand over history and prophecy.