John 19 32

John 19:32 kjv

Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

John 19:32 nkjv

Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.

John 19:32 niv

The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.

John 19:32 esv

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.

John 19:32 nlt

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus.

John 19 verses

John 19 32 Meaning

John 19:32 describes the Roman soldiers' act of crurifragium, breaking the legs of the two men crucified alongside Jesus. This brutal act was carried out to hasten their deaths, ensuring their bodies could be removed from the crosses before the Jewish Sabbath began at sunset, a Sabbath that was particularly sacred as it coincided with Passover. The detail highlights the desperate condition of the criminals still alive, and starkly contrasts with Jesus, who had already died by this point.

John 19 32 Context

John 19:32 occurs during Jesus' crucifixion, specifically on the "Preparation Day," which was the day before a high Sabbath (the Passover Sabbath). Jewish law (Dt 21:22-23) stipulated that executed bodies should not remain on a tree overnight, especially not desecrating a Sabbath. Therefore, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to hasten the deaths and remove the bodies. This request set in motion the events described in verse 32, where soldiers came to ensure the crucified individuals were dead before sunset, which often involved breaking the legs (crurifragium), leading to suffocation. This historical context underscores the urgency and the Romans' brutal methods of execution.

John 19 32 Word analysis

• "Then" (οὖν, oun): This Greek particle signals a logical consequence or transition. It shows the soldiers' action directly follows the Jewish leaders' request to Pilate (Jn 19:31) and Pilate's subsequent command.

• "the soldiers" (οἱ στρατιῶται, hoi stratiōtai): Refers to the Roman military executioners. They were professionals carrying out their orders.

• "came" (ἦλθον, ēlthon): Indicates a direct, purposeful movement. They were dispatched specifically for this task.

• "and broke" (καὶ κατέαξαν, kai kateaxan): From katagnyo, meaning "to break thoroughly" or "shatter." This term explicitly denotes crurifragium, the cruel practice of breaking the lower leg bones of crucified victims. This prevents them from pushing themselves up on the cross, making it impossible to breathe, leading to death by asphyxiation. It highlights the brutal efficiency and intent to hasten death.

• "the legs" (τὰ σκέλη, ta skelē): Specifically refers to the lower limbs, typically the shin bones (tibiae). These bones were crucial for the crucified to push against the cross, even slightly, to allow the diaphragm to expand and take a breath. Breaking them removed any possibility of breathing.

• "of the first man": Indicates one of the two criminals. The order here might suggest position on the crosses, perhaps to Jesus' left or right.

• "and of the other": Refers to the second criminal crucified with Jesus. Both criminals were apparently still alive, unlike Jesus.

• "who had been crucified with Jesus": This phrase serves to identify the two men without naming them, explicitly linking them to Jesus' crucifixion. This distinction is crucial as it sets the stage for the next verse, where Jesus' unique situation is revealed.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "Then the soldiers came and broke the legs": This phrase underscores the cold, procedural nature of Roman execution and the swift action taken following the command from Pilate. It conveys the violent and decisive measure applied to ensure death.
  • "of the first man and of the other who had been crucified with Jesus": This phrasing serves as a crucial contextual identifier. It clarifies who underwent this extreme procedure and simultaneously introduces the dramatic contrast that will be elaborated in the following verses: that these two men were still alive and subjected to this agony, whereas Jesus was already dead. It prepares the reader for the prophetic fulfillment related to Jesus' unbroken bones.

John 19 32 Bonus section

• The Greek verb katagnyo for "broke" suggests a forceful, decisive shattering, indicative of the severe and often final nature of the crurifragium. It was not a simple fracture but a thorough breaking to prevent any ability to push up for air.
• This detail about leg-breaking is unique to John's Gospel among the New Testament accounts of the crucifixion, reinforcing John's particular focus on theological significance and the precise fulfillment of prophecy, especially concerning Jesus' person and work.
• The fact that the Jewish leaders, despite their complicity in Jesus' crucifixion, were still meticulously observing the purity laws surrounding the Sabbath highlights their complex and often hypocritical piety as presented by John.
• The action described also implicitly speaks to the immense suffering endured on a cross; that after hours of agony, these two men were still alive enough to warrant such an extreme measure. This provides a sobering backdrop to the divine sovereignty Jesus exhibited in willingly giving up His spirit prior to such intervention.

John 19 32 Commentary

John 19:32 vividly recounts a gruesome but necessary action from the perspective of the Roman authorities and Jewish leaders. The act of crurifragium – the breaking of the victims' legs – was a well-documented Roman practice to expedite death on the cross, typically for pragmatic or legal reasons, as it caused rapid asphyxiation. In this specific instance, the urgency stemmed from the Jewish request to remove the bodies before the sunset arrival of the High Sabbath (Passover). The verse specifically notes that the legs of "the first man and of the other" (the two criminals crucified with Jesus) were broken. This detail serves a profound theological purpose in John's Gospel. By stating that the soldiers broke their legs, the stage is set for the critical revelation in the subsequent verses: that Jesus was already dead and, therefore, His legs were not broken. This stark contrast highlights Jesus' unique control over His own death, emphasizing His voluntary surrender of His spirit (Jn 19:30), not His inability to cling to life. More importantly, it directly foreshadows John's declaration that Jesus' unbroken bones fulfill Old Testament prophecy (Ps 34:20) and aligns Him typologically with the Passover Lamb, whose bones were forbidden to be broken (Ex 12:46). Thus, John 19:32 is not just a historical account of Roman brutality but a foundational detail in proving Jesus as the prophetic Messiah and the true Passover sacrifice.