Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
Then {G3767} came {G2064} the soldiers {G4757}, and {G2532} brake {G2608} the legs {G4628} of the {G3303} first {G4413}, and {G2532} of the other {G243} which {G3588} was crucified with {G4957} him {G846}.
The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been put on a stake beside Yeshua, then the legs of the other one;
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.
The soldiers therefore came, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him:
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John 19:18
Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. -
Luke 23:39
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. -
Luke 23:43
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
John 19:32 describes a grim detail during the crucifixion of Jesus and the two criminals beside Him. As the Jewish leaders wished to remove the bodies before the Sabbath began, Roman soldiers were dispatched to hasten the deaths of those still alive on the crosses.
Context of John 19:32
This verse immediately follows the request by the Jewish authorities to Pilate that the legs of the crucified be broken and their bodies removed, because it was the Day of Preparation for the Sabbath (John 19:31). According to Jewish law (Deuteronomy 21:22-23), a crucified body was not to remain overnight on the tree. To ensure death, the Roman soldiers would perform crurifragium, the breaking of the legs. This brutal act prevented the condemned from pushing up to breathe, leading to suffocation and a quicker demise. The soldiers first attend to the two criminals, breaking their legs as a standard procedure to expedite death.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insight
The phrase "brake the legs" in Greek is katesan ta skelē (κατέαξαν τὰ σκέλη), which literally means "they broke the legs." This was a specific and well-known Roman practice. The Latin term for this practice is crurifragium, emphasizing its brutal and deliberate nature as a means to accelerate death by making it impossible for the victim to push up and relieve the pressure on their diaphragm.
Practical Application
While John 19:32 focuses on the criminals, it is crucial for understanding the immediate context of Jesus' crucifixion. It underscores the severity of the Roman punishment and the Jewish desire to uphold their law concerning the Sabbath. This verse, by demonstrating the common practice, makes the subsequent detail about Jesus' unbroken legs even more profound. It reminds believers of the immense suffering Christ endured, even in the details of the surrounding events, and how every element of His passion was part of God's sovereign plan, leading to His death as the ultimate sacrifice.