For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
While this verse clearly points to the Old Testament Passover lamb, the deeper insight is that Jesus fulfills this symbol even in the details of his death. The fact that his bones were not broken, unlike the other two men crucified with him, wasn't just a random oversight; it was a deliberate act of God's providence, ensuring that Jesus, the true Lamb of God, remained physically intact in a way that mirrored the prescribed sanctity of the paschal meal.
For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
As the soldiers prepare to take down Jesus' body for burial before the Sabbath, they break the legs of the two criminals crucified with Him to hasten their deaths. However, when they reach Jesus, they find He is already dead, so they skip breaking His legs. One soldier then pierces Jesus' side with a spear, and blood and water flow out. John highlights these events, not as mere coincidences, but as divinely orchestrated actions fulfilling Old Testament prophecies.
Why does the Gospel writer suddenly connect Jesus' death to an Old Testament law about a lamb? It’s more than a coincidence; it’s a divine signature.
The verse points to a specific command regarding the Passover lamb: "Not one of its bones shall be broken" (Exodus 12:46). This wasn't just a random detail; it was a crucial part of how the lamb foreshadowed Jesus.
The soldiers didn't break Jesus' legs, but one did pierce His side. How do these seemingly contradictory actions fulfill Scripture?
This passage presents a fascinating interplay of fulfilled prophecy. While the unbroken bones fulfill the Passover lamb imagery, the piercing of Jesus' side fulfills another, distinct prophecy.
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Understand the original words
graphē · Greek Noun
In biblical context, this refers to the authoritative, God-breathed writings of the Old Testament. It signifies the divine truth that must be brought to pass by God's sovereign actions.
plēroō · Greek Verb
To bring to completion or carry out fully that which was promised, predicted, or required by God's law. In the New Testament, it frequently refers to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus aligning with Old Testament prophecy.
The details of Jesus' death—his bones not being broken and his side being pierced—were not random occurrences but divinely orchestrated events that mirrored the Passover lamb and fulfilled ancient prophecies, pointing to Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for humanity.
c. 1445 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God institutes the Passover feast, with specific instructions that none of the lamb's bones were to be broken, symbolizing unity and completeness in the sacrifice.
c. 700 BC
Psalm 34 Written
The psalmist writes of God's protection, stating 'He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken,' a poetic expression of deliverance.
c. 500 BC
Zechariah's Prophecy
The prophet Zechariah foretells a future time when people will look upon the one whom they have pierced, a prophecy pointing to the Messiah.
c. AD 30— this verse
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus is crucified on the eve of Passover. Roman soldiers prepare to break his legs to hasten his death, a common practice to ensure death before the Sabbath.
c. AD 30
Soldiers Discover Jesus is Dead
Upon reaching Jesus, the soldiers find he is already dead, so they do not break his legs, fulfilling the Old Testament command regarding the Passover lamb.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Side is Pierced
A Roman soldier pierces Jesus' side with a spear, and blood and water flow out, a detail John emphasizes as further scriptural fulfillment.
This passage describes the regulations for the Passover lamb, explicitly stating that 'not one of its bones shall be broken,' directly linking the ritual to the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus' death.
Psalm 34:20This psalm speaks of God preserving the righteous, stating 'He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken,' echoing the precise fulfillment seen in John 19:36.
1 Corinthians 5:7Paul directly identifies Christ with the Passover lamb, stating 'For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed,' reinforcing the theological significance of Jesus' bones not being broken as a fulfillment of the Passover type.
Numbers 9:12This verse reiterates the rule for the Passover lamb, mirroring Exodus 12:46 and emphasizing the ancient precedent for the meticulous care taken to ensure no bone of the sacrificial lamb, and ultimately Christ, would be broken.
barnesJohn 19:36: "For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken."
That the scripture should be fulfilled - See Exodus 12:46 . John here regards the paschal lamb as an emblem of Christ; and as in the law it was commanded that a bone of that lamb should not be broken, so, in the providence of God, it was ordered that a bone of the Saviour should not be broken. The Scripture thus received a complete fulfillment respecting both the type and the ant…
ellicottJohn 19:36: "For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken."
(36) For these things were done (better, came to pass ) , that the scripture should be fulfilled. —The emphatic witness of the previous verse is not therefore to be confined to the one fact of the flowing of the blood and the water, but to the facts in which the fulfilment of Scripture was accomplished, and which establish the Messiahship of Jesus. He saw—that which might have se…
While this verse clearly points to the Old Testament Passover lamb, the deeper insight is that Jesus fulfills this symbol even in the details of his death. The fact that his bones were not broken, unlike the other two men crucified with him, wasn't just a random oversight; it was a deliberate act of God's providence, ensuring that Jesus, the true Lamb of God, remained physically intact in a way that mirrored the prescribed sanctity of the paschal meal.
As the soldiers prepare to take down Jesus' body for burial before the Sabbath, they break the legs of the two criminals crucified with Him to hasten their deaths. However, when they reach Jesus, they find He is already dead, so they skip breaking His legs. One soldier then pierces Jesus' side with a spear, and blood and water flow out. John highlights these events, not as mere coincidences, but as divinely orchestrated actions fulfilling Old Testament prophecies.
As the soldiers prepare to take down Jesus' body for burial before the Sabbath, they break the legs of the two criminals crucified with Him to hasten their deaths. However, when they reach Jesus, they find He is already dead, so they skip breaking His legs. One soldier then pierces Jesus' side with a spear, and blood and water flow out. John highlights these events, not as mere coincidences, but as divinely orchestrated actions fulfilling Old Testament prophecies.
"For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”" — While this verse clearly points to the Old Testament Passover lamb, the deeper insight is that Jesus fulfills this symbol even in the details of his death. The fact that his bones were not broken,…
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Last reviewed October 2026