Luke 24 39

Luke 24:39 kjv

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Luke 24:39 nkjv

Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

Luke 24:39 niv

Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

Luke 24:39 esv

See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

Luke 24:39 nlt

Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do."

Luke 24 verses

Luke 24 39 Meaning

Luke 24:39 is Jesus' direct invitation to His disciples to physically examine Him after His resurrection, proving that He is not a disembodied spirit but possesses a tangible, material body. It counters their initial fear and belief that they were seeing a ghost by highlighting the physical characteristics unique to a bodily form – "flesh and bones." This verse establishes the reality of Jesus' physical, bodily resurrection as a cornerstone truth.

Luke 24 39 Context

Luke 24:39 occurs on the evening of Resurrection Sunday. Prior to this, the disciples have heard reports from the women at the tomb (Lk 24:1-12) and from Peter (Lk 24:12), as well as the powerful testimony of Cleopas and his companion from the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35). However, when Jesus suddenly appears among the gathered disciples (Lk 24:36), their immediate reaction is terror. They are convinced they are seeing a pneuma (Lk 24:37), an apparition or ghost, a belief common in their cultural context. Jesus' words and actions in verse 39 are a direct and immediate response to dispel this specific fear and to provide irrefutable, tangible proof of His bodily resurrection. It addresses their doubt through an invitation to direct, personal observation and physical touch, firmly grounding the resurrection in physical reality rather than spiritual experience alone. This event sets the stage for His further teaching (Lk 24:44-49) and ultimate ascension (Lk 24:50-51).

Luke 24 39 Word analysis

• See (ἴδετε - idete): An imperative verb, "Look!" or "Behold!" It is a command for direct, visual observation. Jesus is calling for an immediate, empirical examination. It emphasizes active, sensory engagement rather than passive reception.
• My hands and my feet: Specific anatomical references. The hands and feet would prominently bear the marks of the crucifixion nails (Jn 20:25), serving as undeniable identifying features of the one they knew as Jesus. This specific mention directs their gaze to the wounds.
• that it is I myself: (αὐτὸς ἐγώ εἰμι - autos egō eimi). Autos emphasizes personal identity ("I myself," "He Himself"), reinforcing the singular, non-duplicated reality. Egō eimi is "I am," a powerful declaration often linked with divine self-identification (Ex 3:14, Jn 8:58). Here, it is used in a declarative sense of unique personal identity, explicitly confirming it is the same Jesus, not another. It removes any ambiguity about a doppleganger or a transformed entity.
• Handle me (ψηλαφήσατε - psēlaphēsate): Another imperative, meaning "feel me," "touch me," "examine me by touch." It pushes beyond visual confirmation to tactile proof. This goes against the common perception of ghosts being untouchable. The word implies a thorough physical investigation.
• and see (καὶ ἴδετε - kai idete): A repetition of the imperative "see," reinforcing the dual nature of proof required: both touch and sight confirm the reality. It’s a call to observe the results of their tactile examination.
• for a spirit (πνεῦμα - pneuma): The term the disciples used for what they feared they were seeing – a ghost, an apparition, an incorporeal being without physical substance. Jesus directly addresses and refutes this belief.
• hath not flesh and bones: This phrase precisely defines the nature of a spirit (lack of physical body) in contrast to His own resurrected state. It highlights tangibility, density, and structure. It counters common spiritual beliefs about the insubstantiality of spirits, which cannot be felt or grasped. "Flesh and bones" (σάρκα καὶ ὀστέα - sarka kai ostea) refers to a living, structured physical body, distinguished from merely ethereal "flesh and blood" which might imply mortal fragility, but here stresses the solid, physical composition.
• as ye see me have: Direct, comparative statement, grounding His claims in their immediate, shared sensory experience. It implies that their own senses provide the evidence. They can verify what He states by using their own eyes and hands.

Words-group analysis:

• "See My hands and My feet... Handle Me and see": This group of commands emphasizes sensory verification: look and touch. It's a comprehensive appeal to empiricism. The multiple references to direct sight and touch demand full engagement of their senses, leaving no room for doubt about the tangibility of His presence. The specific mention of "hands and feet" points to the scars of the crucifixion, connecting the risen Lord directly to the crucified Christ.
• "that it is I myself": This assertion of identity is crucial. It’s not merely a physical body, but His specific, recognizable physical body. This continuity of personhood, despite the change in state (resurrected vs. mortal), is a central point.
• "for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have": This contrasts the disciples' mistaken belief with the observable reality. It articulates the fundamental difference between an incorporeal spirit and Jesus' embodied resurrection, affirming His solid, physical existence. The statement is a logical rebuttal based on the empirical evidence they are invited to obtain.

Luke 24 39 Bonus section

The nature of Jesus' resurrected body as "flesh and bones" provides a unique perspective. In biblical idiom, "flesh and blood" (e.g., Matt 16:17, 1 Cor 15:50) often denotes mortal human beings or earthly existence, implying weakness or natural lineage. By stating "flesh and bones," Jesus emphasizes the structural integrity, solidity, and tangible nature of His body, which is glorified and immortal but retains its physical form. This suggests that while transformed, His body is not ethereal or spiritual in the sense of being insubstantial, but is an enduring, perfected physical form that transcends mortal limitations, yet remains undeniably material. This precise phrasing directly addresses the specific fear of the disciples—that they were seeing a pneuma, which lacks the solid structure of "flesh and bones." This also carries a powerful anti-Docetic polemic, long before Docetism fully emerged as a named heresy; it ensures the historicity and bodily reality of the risen Christ against any inclination to spiritualize or deny His material form.

Luke 24 39 Commentary

Luke 24:39 is a pivotal verse because it definitively refutes any notion that Jesus' resurrection was merely spiritual or visionary. The disciples' fear of a "spirit" highlights a common ancient worldview where apparitions of the dead were feared, yet understood as incorporeal. Jesus’ emphatic invitation to "see My hands and My feet" and "handle Me and see" provides an unparalleled, direct sensory demonstration of His physical body. The presence of crucifixion wounds, though not explicitly stated as seen in this verse, is implicit in the instruction to see His hands and feet, later shown (Lk 24:40), connecting the Risen Lord undeniably to the suffering Messiah. His statement, "a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have," clarifies the tangible, substantial, and non-phantom nature of His resurrected body. This body is real, observable, and touchable, distinct from the incorporeal. While glorified and able to appear and disappear, it retained physical attributes, establishing the material reality of the resurrection – not just an empty tomb, but an embodied Christ. This provides foundational truth for the Christian doctrine of future bodily resurrection for believers, underscoring God's full redemption of humanity, spirit, soul, and body. It combats the early theological errors (later known as Docetism) that denied the true humanity and physicality of Christ.