John 13:21

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

21 When Jesus had said this, He ¹became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that ²one of you will betray Me."

John 13:21 Meaning and Commentary

John 13:21

When Jesus had thus said
Having spoken of the mission of his disciples by him, of their reception among men, and the notice that would be taken of it by him:

he was troubled in spirit;
in his soul, which shows him to be truly and really man, and to have an human soul, which some have denied; and that to be of like passions with ours, only without sin: he was troubled, not at what he had said, but at what he was about to say concerning the betrayer; and that not so much on his own account, because of the danger, the sorrows, and sufferings he should be exposed to, as on account of the horrible blackness of the crime, and the vengeance that would fall upon the criminal; and being thus inwardly distressed at this affair,

he testified and said:
he spake out openly and plainly, what he had before secretly intimated, and that with the greatest certainty:

verily, verily, I say unto you;
it is truth, it may be believed, however unexpected and strange it may seem to be:

that one of you shall betray me;
to the chief priests and elders, in order to be put to death.

John 13:21 In-Context

19 "From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.

20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."

21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me."

22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.

23 There was reclining on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Cross References

• 1. John 11:33
• 2. Matthew 26:21; Mark 14:18f; Luke 22:21f; John 13:18, 22, 26

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "hand Me over"