John 19 28

John 19:28 kjv

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

John 19:28 nkjv

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"

John 19:28 niv

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

John 19:28 esv

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst."

John 19:28 nlt

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, "I am thirsty."

John 19 verses

John 19 28 Meaning

John 19:28 presents Jesus, even in the midst of extreme suffering on the cross, demonstrating complete awareness and divine control over His mission. It reveals that He knew all prophetic requirements leading to His death were met, and with purpose, spoke His human longing "I thirst" to specifically fulfill a particular Old Testament scripture. This statement underscores both His full humanity in experiencing pain and His unwavering divine purpose in accomplishing salvation according to God's plan.

John 19 28 Context

John 19 describes the climactic moments of Jesus' crucifixion. Leading up to verse 28, Jesus has already been scourged, mocked as "King of the Jews," condemned by Pilate, and nailed to the cross between two criminals. His mother and other women, along with the disciple John, are present. Key events like the soldiers casting lots for His garments (fulfilling Psa 22:18) and Jesus entrusting His mother to John have occurred. The scene is one of intense suffering, public humiliation, and profound spiritual significance. Verse 28 follows three hours of darkness (Mk 15:33) and precedes Jesus' declaration "It is finished" (Jn 19:30) and His subsequent death. The immediate historical context is the Roman crucifixion of a condemned man, yet for Jesus, it is undergirded by divine prophecy and purpose.

John 19 28 Word analysis

• After this (meta touto / μετα τουτο): A simple temporal marker, indicating progression. It subtly highlights that this statement follows other significant events on the cross and is not a sudden, uninformed outburst. It's a deliberate, timed utterance.
• Jesus knowing (ho Iēsous eidōs / ο Ιησους ειδως): "Knowing" is from eidōs, the perfect participle of oida. This Greek word implies a deep, settled, and complete knowledge, not merely a sudden realization. It emphasizes Jesus' divine omniscience and His active, conscious awareness of God's redemptive plan unfolding. He isn't merely reacting; He's operating with full insight.
• that all things were now accomplished (hoti panta ēdē tetelestai / οτι παντα ηδη τετελεσται):
  • all things (panta / παντα): Refers to all the events, prophecies, and aspects of the Old Testament foretold concerning the Messiah's suffering and death that were necessary for salvation. This is comprehensive, leaving nothing undone.
  • now (ēdē / ηδη): An adverb indicating that this completion is at this very moment, imminent.
  • were accomplished (tetelestai / τετελεσται): This is a crucial verb, the perfect passive indicative of teleō, meaning "to bring to an end," "to complete," "to finish." The perfect tense denotes an action completed in the past with ongoing, present results. Here, it signifies that all that needed to be fulfilled was already, or on the verge of being, perfectly carried out. This verb strongly echoes the later, ultimate cry "It is finished" (tetelestai) in verse 30. It shows Jesus is in full control, systematically bringing prophecy to perfect completion.
• that the scripture might be fulfilled (hina teleiōthē hē graphē / ινα τελειωθη η γραφη):
  • that (hina / ινα): A conjunction introducing a purpose clause. It indicates that Jesus' subsequent action ("I thirst") is undertaken for the specific purpose of fulfilling prophecy. It's not a mere coincidence or passive observation; it's an active intention.
  • might be fulfilled (teleiōthē / τελειωθη): The aorist passive subjunctive of teleō. Similar to tetelestai but used here in the passive to emphasize that scripture would be brought to its appointed completion, underscoring the divine agency at work through Jesus' act. The passive voice also indicates that Scripture itself was completed or perfected by these actions.
  • the scripture (hē graphē / η γραφη): Refers collectively to the Old Testament. While often used generally, here it points to a very specific passage: Psalm 69:21 ("for my thirst they gave me vinegar").
• saith (legei / λεγει): Present tense, indicating immediate action, as if spoken directly from the cross in that moment.
• I thirst (dipsō / διψω): From dipsaō. This expresses a profound physical human need and suffering. Crucifixion causes extreme dehydration due to blood loss, fever, and exposure. It connects directly to prophecies like Psalm 69:21 and Psalm 22:15. While a genuine physical cry, it's uttered with divine knowledge and purpose. It reveals the full humanity of Christ, enduring immense agony, yet it is spoken deliberately as an act of obedience to God's preordained plan, a final requirement before His death.

John 19 28 Bonus section

This verse subtly showcases a polemic against common human understandings of suffering and power. In a culture where suffering could imply divine disfavor, Jesus' deliberate engagement with it, even to the point of crying "I thirst" because it was prophesied, turns the notion on its head. His suffering isn't a sign of weakness or abandonment, but the ultimate expression of His power to fulfill divine will and conquer sin through perfect obedience. The specific action of drinking sour wine (vinegar) in response to His thirst fulfilled an additional prophecy (Psa 69:21) which the original Jewish audience, familiar with these texts, would have understood as compelling evidence of His Messiahship. The narrative emphasizes divine control and meticulous precision over all events surrounding the crucifixion.

John 19 28 Commentary

John 19:28 offers a profound glimpse into the final moments of Jesus on the cross, demonstrating His deliberate and complete mastery over the divine plan. Far from being a random or panicked cry of agony, Jesus' statement, "I thirst," is presented as a conscious action driven by His deep, comprehensive knowledge that virtually all prophetic requirements regarding His redemptive work had been accomplished. The Greek word tetelestai ("were accomplished"), a perfect tense verb, powerfully conveys the idea of an action perfectly brought to completion with enduring results. This signifies that Jesus, in His suffering, remained fully aware and intentional, systematically ticking off the final requirements of scripture to ensure salvation was achieved according to God’s immutable counsel. His cry of thirst was a genuine expression of human suffering under torture, validating His true humanity (He felt pain, like us, yet without sin), but it was also a targeted action to fulfill specific prophecies, notably Psalm 69:21. This singular cry therefore bridges Jesus' humanity with His divine mission, confirming that His sacrifice was neither accidental nor a surrender to circumstances, but a purposeful, sovereign act of fulfillment, leading directly to the final "It is finished" and the glorious completion of redemption.