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John 19:28-30, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
John 19:28-30
Jesus Completes the Work and Gives Up His Spirit
He thirsts, receives sour wine, and finishes the work by dying.
Knowing that all is now accomplished, Jesus says 'I thirst,' that the Scripture might be finished. A jar of sour wine is there. They put a sponge on hyssop and hold it to his mouth. When he has received it, he says 'It is finished,' bows his head, and gives up the spirit.
KJV 'vinegar' is sour wine, the cheap drink of soldiers and laborers, not household vinegar. 'It is finished' announces completed mission. It does not mean grief, justice, discipleship, or care for suffering people is finished, and it does not close salvation history as if nothing remains to be lived. 'Gave up the ghost' means he died, yielding his spirit; the phrase is not paranormal language. His willing death does not make execution or suicide morally good.
How this should shape us
Receive Jesus' completed self-giving without denying thirst, pain, or the work that still belongs to the living. After 'it is finished,' keep visiting the sick, telling the truth, and burying the dead. Do not quote the cry as a reason to stop justice, and do not treat his yielding of life as a script for self-destruction.
Teach it back
Explain John 19:28-30 in your own words. Include its place in John's movement, the decisive claim or action, one sourced uncertainty, and one use the passage does not authorize.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
John 19:28-30, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.
Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 19:28-30
Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.
STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 19:28-30
Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.
NET Bible John PDF, John 19:28-30 and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.
Enter the Bible John course, Passion, Resurrection, and Beloved Disciple materials; applied to 19:28-30
Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.
Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Passion study guide; applied to 19:28-30
Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.
Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 19:28-30
Supports: Passover chronology, Roman and priestly power, cross, glory, testimony, and anti-blame preaching controls.
Working Preacher, “Commentary on John 18:1–19:42,” and linked John 19 studies; section covering 19:28-30
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
Exact location: John 19:28-30, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 19:28-30
Open the John Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 19:28-30
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible John PDF, John 19:28-30 and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET John PDF ↗modern scholarly book introduction
John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Craig R. Koester; revised by Karoline M. Lewis
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2024 revision; current course inspected 2026
Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.
Exact location: Enter the Bible John course, Passion, Resurrection, and Beloved Disciple materials; applied to 19:28-30
Open the Enter the Bible John course ↗modern scholarly narrative and theological course
The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides
Harold W. Attridge and Michal Beth Dinkler
Yale Bible Study, Yale Divinity School, Current online edition inspected 2026
Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.
Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Passion study guide; applied to 19:28-30
Open the Yale Gospel of John course ↗modern open confessional commentary
John
Andreas J. Köstenberger
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, Current online edition inspected 2026
Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.
Exact location: Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 19:28-30
Open Köstenberger's John commentary ↗modern scholarly pastoral passage commentary
Commentary on John 18:1–19:42
Robert Hoch
Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, 2024
Supports: Passover chronology, Roman and priestly power, cross, glory, testimony, and anti-blame preaching controls.
Exact location: Working Preacher, “Commentary on John 18:1–19:42,” and linked John 19 studies; section covering 19:28-30
Open Hoch's Johannine Passion commentary ↗