John 21:22
New International Version
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

New Living Translation
Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

English Standard Version
Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

Berean Literal Bible
Jesus says to him, "If I desire him to remain until I come, what is it to you? You follow Me!"

King James Bible
Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

New King James Version
Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

New American Standard Bible
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

NASB 1995
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

NASB 1977
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

Legacy Standard Bible
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

Amplified Bible
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to stay alive until I come [again], what is that to you? You follow Me!”

Christian Standard Bible
“If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.”

American Standard Version
Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Yeshua said to him, “If I want this one to remain until I come to you, what is it to you? You come after me.”

Contemporary English Version
Jesus answered, "What is it to you, if I want him to live until I return? You must follow me."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Jesus saith to him: So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? follow thou me.

English Revised Version
Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus said to Peter, "If I want him to live until I come again, how does that concern you? Follow me!"

Good News Translation
Jesus answered him, "If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!"

International Standard Version
Jesus told him, "If it's my will for him to remain until I come back, how does that concern you? You must keep following me!"

Literal Standard Version
Jesus says to him, “If I will him to remain until I come, what [is that] to you? Follow Me.”

Majority Standard Bible
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

New American Bible
Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”

NET Bible
Jesus replied, "If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours? You follow me!"

New Revised Standard Version
Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!”

New Heart English Bible
Jesus said to him, "If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me."

Webster's Bible Translation
Jesus saith to him, If I will that he shall tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.

Weymouth New Testament
"If I desire him to remain till I come," replied Jesus, "what concern is that of yours? You, yourself, must follow me."

World English Bible
Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”

Young's Literal Translation
Jesus saith to him, 'If him I will to remain till I come, what -- to thee? be thou following me.' This word, therefore, went forth to the brethren that that disciple doth not die,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus and the Beloved Apostle
21When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!” 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. However, Jesus did not say that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you?”…

Cross References
Matthew 8:22
But Jesus told him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:28
Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

John 21:19
Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And after He had said this, He told him, "Follow Me."

John 21:21
When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.


Treasury of Scripture

Jesus said to him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you? follow you me.

If.

Matthew 16:27,28
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works…

Matthew 24:3,27,44
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? …

Matthew 25:31
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

follow.

John 21:19
This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

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Alive Concern Desire Die Disciple Follow Following Forth Jesus Tarry Want Word
John 21
1. Jesus appearing again to his disciples is known of them by the great catch of fish.
12. He dines with them;
15. earnestly commands Peter to feed his lambs and sheep;
18. foretells him of his death;
22. rebukes his curiosity.
24. The conclusion.














(22) If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?--The answer must be taken as reproving the spirit which would inquire into another's life and work, with the effect of weakening the force of its own. Here, as in all the earlier details of St. Peter's life, his character is emotional, earnest, loving, but wanting in depth, and not without self-confidence. The words "Follow Me," the meaning of which he has not missed, may well have led him to thoughts and questions of what that path should be, and the truth may well have sunk into the depth of his heart, there to germinate and burst forth in principle and act. But he is at once taken up with other thoughts. He is told to follow, but is ready to lead. He would know and guide his friend's life rather than his own. To him, and to all, there comes the truth that the Father is the husbandman, and it is He who trains every branch of the vine. There is a spiritual companionship which strengthens and helps all who join in it; there is a spiritual guidance which is not without danger to the true strength of him that is led, nor yet to that of him who leads.

The word rendered "tarry" is that which we have before had for "abide" (see John 12:34, and comp. Philippians 1:25 and 1Corinthians 15:6). It is here opposed to "Follow Me" (in the martyrdom), and means to abide in life.

The phrase, "If I will that he tarry till I come," is one of those the meaning of which cannot be ascertained with certainty, and to which, therefore, every variety of meaning has been given. We have already seen that the Coming of the Lord was thought of in more than one sense. (Comp. especially Notes on Matthew 16:28 and Matthew 24; and see also in this Gospel, Note on John 14:3.) The interpretation which has found most support is that which takes the "coming of the Lord" to mean the destruction of Jerusalem, which St. John, and perhaps he only of the Apostles, lived to see. But the context seems to exclude this meaning, for the mistake of John 21:23 would surely have been corrected by a reference to the fact that St. John had survived, and wrote the Gospel after, the "coming of the Lord." The interpretation which the next verse itself suggests is that our Lord made no statement, but expressed a supposition, "If I will," "If it even be that I will;" and this both gives the exact meaning of the Greek, and corresponds with the remainder of our Lord's answer. He is directing St. Peter to think of his own future. and not of his friend's; and He puts a supposition which, even if it were true, would not make that friend's life a subject for him then to think of. Had our Lord told him that St. John should remain on earth until His coming, in any sense of the word, then He would have given an answer, which He clearly declined to give. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

answered,
Λέγει (Legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

“If
Ἐὰν (Ean)
Conjunction
Strong's 1437: If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.

I want
θέλω (thelō)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

him
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

to remain
μένειν (menein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 3306: To remain, abide, stay, wait; with acc: I wait for, await. A primary verb; to stay.

until
ἕως (heōs)
Conjunction
Strong's 2193: A conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until.

I return,
ἔρχομαι (erchomai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

what [is that]
τί (ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

to
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

you?
σέ (se)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

You
σύ (sy)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

follow
ἀκολούθει (akolouthei)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 190: To accompany, attend, follow. Properly, to be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany.

Me!”
μοι (moi)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.


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NT Gospels: John 21:22 Jesus said to him If I desire (Jhn Jo Jn)
John 21:21
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