John 20:5

5 Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

John 20:5 Meaning and Commentary

John 20:5

And he stooping down and looking in
That is, John; when he came to the sepulchre, stooped down to look into it, and see what he could see; he only went into the court, or stood upon the floor, where the bearers used to set down the bier, before they put the corpse into one of the graves in the sepulchre, which were four cubits lower; (See Gill on Mark 16:5). Hence he was obliged to stoop down, ere he could see anything within: when he

saw the linen clothes lying;
in which the body had been wrapped, but that itself not there:

yet went he not in;
to the sepulchre itself, but waited in the court or porch, till Peter came; and perhaps might be timorous and fearful of going into such a place alone; the Arabic version reads it, "he dared not go in".

John 20:5 In-Context

3 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb.
4 They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter.
5 Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.
6 Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.