The Meaning of John 19:27 Explained

John 19:27

KJV: Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

YLT: afterward he saith to the disciple, 'Lo, thy mother;' and from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Darby: Then he says unto the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

ASV: Then saith he to the disciple, Behold, thy mother! And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home .

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  saith he  to the disciple,  Behold  thy  mother!  And  from  that  hour  that disciple  took  her  unto  his own  [home]. 

What does John 19:27 Mean?

Context Summary

John 19:23-30 - Jesus' Last Thought For Others
Love made Mary brave to encounter the tragedy of that scene. The sword, as Simeon had foretold, was piercing her soul, Luke 2:35. Jesus knew how lonely she would be. He had neither silver nor gold, but could at least secure her a home and tender care. As the cross was elevated but slightly from the ground, His words could easily reach the little group. He chose the title, Woman, rather than "Mother," lest identification with Himself should bring her insult.
It is to this paragraph that the soul turns when oppressed with the consciousness of guilt. The light-hearted, gay world, which has never known the terror of a sinful conscience, turns from it as from a tragedy of woe and blood, but the repentant sinner presses from this vintage the wine of life. We stand beside thy Cross, O Son of God, and worship in adoring love, as we behold thy tenderness to thy mother, thy devotion to Holy Scripture, and the majesty of thy last cry of victory. It is finished-the Savior's work of redemption and the ground of our salvation. What is there left for us, but to hide in the cleft of His pierced side, and to seek the cleansing of the water and the blood? [source]

Chapter Summary: John 19

1  Jesus is scourged, crowned with thorns, and beaten
4  Pilate is desirous to release him,
15  but being overcome with the outrage of the crowd, he delivers him to be crucified
23  They cast lots for his garments
25  He commends his mother to John
28  He dies
31  His side is pierced
38  He is buried by Joseph and Nicodemus

Greek Commentary for John 19:27

Unto his own home [εις τα ιδια]
See this same idiom and sense in John 1:11; John 16:32; Acts 21:6. John had a lodging in Jerusalem, whether a house or not, and the mother of Jesus lived with him there. [source]
His own home [τὰ ἴδια]
See on John 1:11. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 19:27

John 1:11 Unto His own [εἰς τὰ ἴδια]
Literally, his own things: see on Acts 1:7. The Rev. follows the A.V. Wyc., into his own things. Render his own home, and compare John 16:32; John 19:27; Acts 21:6. The reference is to the land of Israel, which is recognized as God's own in a peculiar sense. See Jeremiah 2:7; Hosea 9:3; Zechariah 2:12; Deuteronomy 7:6. Not a repetition of John 1:10. There is a progress in the narrative. He was in the world at large: then he came unto His own home. [source]
John 1:11 Unto his own [εις τα ιδια]
Neuter plural, “unto his own things,” the very idiom used in John 19:27 when the Beloved Disciple took the mother of Jesus “to his own home.” The world was “the own home” of the Logos who had made it. See also John 16:32; Acts 21:6. They that were his own In the narrower sense, “his intimates,” “his own family,” “his own friends” as in John 13:1. Jesus later said that a prophet is not without honour save in his own country (Mark 6:4; John 4:44), and the town of Nazareth where he lived rejected him (Luke 4:28.; Matthew 13:58). Probably here οι ιδιοι — hoi idioi means the Jewish people, the chosen people to whom Christ was sent first (Matthew 15:24), but in a wider sense the whole world is included in οι ιδιοι — hoi idioi Conder‘s The Hebrew Tragedy emphasizes the pathos of the situation that the house of Israel refused to welcome the Messiah when he did come, like a larger and sadder Enoch Arden experience. Received him not Second aorist active indicative of παραλαμβανω — paralambanō old verb to take to one‘s side, common verb to welcome, the very verb used by Jesus in John 14:3 of the welcome to his Father‘s house. Cf. κατελαβεν — katelaben in John 1:5. Israel slew the Heir (Hebrews 1:2) when he came, like the wicked husbandmen (Luke 20:14). [source]
John 16:32 Cometh [ερχεται]
Futuristic present middle indicative of ερχομαι — erchomai Yea, is come Explanatory use of και — kai and the perfect active indicative as in John 12:23. The long-looked-for hour See John 16:2 for this same use of ινα — hina (not οτε — hote) with ερχομαι ωρα — erchomai hōra Ye shall be scattered First aorist passive subjunctive of σκορπιζω — skorpizō used in John 10:12 of sheep scampering from the wolf. Cf. Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:33. To his own “To his own home” as in John 1:11; John 19:27. So Appian VI. 23. Shall leave Second aorist subjunctive of απιημι — aphiēmi with ινα — hina And yet Clear case of και — kai in adversative sense, not just “and.” [source]
John 20:10 Unto their own home [προς αυτους]
“To themselves.” Luke (Luke 24:12) has προς αυτον — pros hauton about Peter (“to his home”). This use of the reflective pronoun for home (literally, “to themselves”), like the French chez eux, occurs in Josephus (Ant. VII. 4, 6). John had taken the mother of Jesus to his home (John 19:27) and so he now hurried home to tell her the glorious news as he believed. [source]
Acts 21:6 Bade each other farewell [απεσπασαμετα αλληλους]
First aorist middle of απασπαζομαι — apaspazomai Rare compound, here alone in the N.T. Tender scene, but “no bonds of long comradeship, none of the clinging love” (Furneaux) seen at Miletus (Acts 20:37.). Home again (εις τα ιδια — eis ta idia). To their own places as of the Beloved Disciple in John 19:27 and of Jesus in John 1:11. This idiom in the papyri also. [source]
Acts 21:6 Home again [εις τα ιδια]
To their own places as of the Beloved Disciple in John 19:27 and of Jesus in John 1:11. This idiom in the papyri also. [source]
1 John 3:1 Behold [ἴδετε]
Lit., behold ye. The plural is peculiar. The usual form is the singular ἴδε or ἰδού . See John 1:29; John 11:3, etc.; John 4:35; John 19:26, John 19:27. Elsewhere the plural is used of something actually visible (Galatians 6:11). [source]

What do the individual words in John 19:27 mean?

Then He says to the disciple Behold the mother of you And from that - hour took the disciple her to the own
εἶτα λέγει τῷ μαθητῇ Ἴδε μήτηρ σου καὶ ἀπ’ ἐκείνης τῆς ὥρας ἔλαβεν μαθητὴς αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ ἴδια

λέγει  He  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
τῷ  to  the 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μαθητῇ  disciple 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
Ἴδε  Behold 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἰδού  
Sense: behold, see, lo.
μήτηρ  mother 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: μήτηρ  
Sense: a mother.
σου  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ἐκείνης  that 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἐκεῖνος  
Sense: he, she it, etc.
τῆς  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ὥρας  hour 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ὥρα  
Sense: a certain definite time or season fixed by natural law and returning with the revolving year.
ἔλαβεν  took 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λαμβάνω  
Sense: to take.
μαθητὴς  disciple 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
αὐτὴν  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἴδια  own 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: ἴδιος  
Sense: pertaining to one’s self, one’s own, belonging to one’s self.