John 21:18
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.”
John 21:18 in 7 translations
- KJVKing James Version
- Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
- DRADouay–Rheims
- Amen, amen I say to thee, when thou wast younger, thou didst gird thyself, and didst walk where thou wouldst. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not.
- ASVAmerican Standard Version
- Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
- DARBYDarby
- Verily, verily, I say to thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst where thou desiredst; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and bring thee where thou dost not desire.
- WEBThe World English Bible
- Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you don't want to go.
- YLTYoung's Literal Translation
- verily, verily, I say to thee, When thou wast younger, thou wast girding thyself and wast walking whither thou didst will, but when thou mayest be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another will gird thee, and shall carry thee whither thou dost not will;'
- BPVBiblePics Version
- Truly, truly, I say unto thee, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.
Context: John 21
16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
18Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
About John 21: The Restoration of Peter and the Commissioning of the Disciples
Jesus appears to His disciples again, and teaches Peter about love and service.
Commentary
John 21 is a beautiful chapter that speaks to the power of Jesus' love and grace. In this chapter, Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection and shows them the power of his love and grace. He invites them to breakfast and then asks Peter three times if he loves him. This is a powerful reminder of Jesus' love and grace, and how he is willing to forgive and restore us no matter how many times we fail him. Jesus then commissions Peter to feed his sheep, a reminder of the importance of caring for others and being a good shepherd. Finally, Jesus tells Peter that he will die a martyr's death, a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us. This chapter is a powerful reminder of Jesus' love and grace and how he is willing to forgive and restore us no matter how many times we fail him.