Section 98 of 10520:1-10John

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King James VersionJohn 20:1-10

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

John 20:1-10

Mary Finds the Open Tomb and Two Disciples Run

Mary finds the stone gone and reports; two men run into an orderly absence they do not yet understand.

On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene comes early, while it is still dark, and sees that the stone has been taken away. She runs to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and says they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and she does not know where they have laid him. The two run. The other disciple reaches the tomb first, stoops, and sees the linen cloths lying, but does not go in. Peter goes in and sees the cloths, and the face cloth rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple enters, sees, and believes. They do not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead, and the disciples return to their homes.

Mary's first conclusion is the sensible one for a missing body. It will be corrected by encounter, not mocked, and it does not make women unreliable witnesses. What the Beloved Disciple believes in verse 8 is debated—her report, the empty tomb, or the resurrection—because verse 9 says Scripture is not yet understood. The cloths support an orderly absence. They do not by themselves settle every historical or theological question, and they do not identify the Beloved Disciple.

How this should shape us

Respond to alarming evidence by going to look, and let understanding arrive in stages. Honor Mary's first report as indispensable. Do not use her initial grief-logic to sideline women, and do not pretend folded cloths are a complete apologetic. Partial seeing is still seeing; it is not yet the whole Gospel.

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Explain John 20:1-10 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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The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do responsible interpreters differ?

Best judgment: Mary's first inference is understandable and will be corrected by encounter, not mocked. What the Beloved Disciple believes at verse 8 is debated—Mary's report, empty tomb, or resurrection—because verse 9 says Scripture is not yet understood. The cloths support an orderly absence without by themselves proving every resurrection claim.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

John 20:1-10, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.

Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 20:1-10

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 20:1-10

NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes

Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.

NET Bible John PDF, John 20:1-10 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

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 20:1-10

The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides

Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.

Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Resurrection and Epilogue study guide; applied to 20:1-10

John

Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.

Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 20:1-10

The Beloved Disciple as Interpreter and Author of Scripture in the Gospel of John

Supports: Beloved Disciple as witness, interpreter, and purported author; literary authority and editorial limits.

Lindenlaub, Beloved Disciple thesis, introduction; Scripture-formula chapters; authorship and written-medium chapters; John 19:35, 20:30-31, and 21 discussion; applied to 20:1-10

Johannine resurrection and commissioning commentaries on John 20–21

Supports: Mary Magdalene, embodied resurrection, Thomas, Spirit, forgiveness, purpose, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple.

Working Preacher John 20–21 collection, commentary covering 20:1-10

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 20:1-10, 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, 20:1-10

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 20:1-10

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 20:1-10 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 20:1-10

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, Resurrection and Epilogue study guide; applied to 20:1-10

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 20:1-10

Open Köstenberger's John commentary ↗

modern open doctoral thesis

The Beloved Disciple as Interpreter and Author of Scripture in the Gospel of John

Julia Danielle Lindenlaub

University of Edinburgh Research Archive, 2021

Supports: Beloved Disciple as witness, interpreter, and purported author; literary authority and editorial limits.

Exact location: Lindenlaub, Beloved Disciple thesis, introduction; Scripture-formula chapters; authorship and written-medium chapters; John 19:35, 20:30-31, and 21 discussion; applied to 20:1-10

Open Lindenlaub's thesis record and PDF ↗

modern scholarly pastoral passage collection

Johannine resurrection and commissioning commentaries on John 20–21

Karoline M. Lewis and multiple Working Preacher contributors

Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, Current collection inspected 2026

Supports: Mary Magdalene, embodied resurrection, Thomas, Spirit, forgiveness, purpose, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple.

Exact location: Working Preacher John 20–21 collection, commentary covering 20:1-10

Open Working Preacher's John 20–21 collection ↗