John 12:14
New International Version
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

New Living Translation
Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:

English Standard Version
And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

Berean Standard Bible
Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written:

Berean Literal Bible
Now Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat upon it, as it is written:

King James Bible
And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

New King James Version
Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

New American Standard Bible
Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

NASB 1995
Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,

NASB 1977
And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,

Legacy Standard Bible
And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,

Amplified Bible
And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture],

Christian Standard Bible
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written:

American Standard Version
And Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

Contemporary English Version
Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the Scriptures say,

English Revised Version
And Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus obtained a donkey and sat on it, as Scripture says:

Good News Translation
Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the scripture says,

International Standard Version
Then Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written:

Majority Standard Bible
Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written:

NET Bible
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

New Heart English Bible
And Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,

Webster's Bible Translation
And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

Weymouth New Testament
And Jesus, having procured a young ass, sat upon it, just as the Scripture says,

World English Bible
Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Jesus having found a young donkey sat on it, according as it is written,

Berean Literal Bible
Now Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat upon it, as it is written:

Young's Literal Translation
and Jesus having found a young ass did sit upon it, according as it is written,

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jesus having found a small ass, sat upon it; as it is written,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jesus found a young ass, and sat upon it, as it is written:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Jesus found a small donkey, and he sat upon it, just as it is written:

New American Bible
Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as is written:

New Revised Standard Version
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Jesus found an ass and sat on it; as it is written,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But Yeshua found a donkey and sat down upon it just as it is written:
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And Jesus, having found a young ass, sat upon him, as it is written:

Godbey New Testament
And Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat upon him, as has been written,

Haweis New Testament
Then Jesus, having found a young ass, sat upon it; as it is written,

Mace New Testament
now Jesus was riding upon a young ass, which he got by the way; as it is written,

Weymouth New Testament
And Jesus, having procured a young ass, sat upon it, just as the Scripture says,

Worrell New Testament
And Jesus, having found a young ass, sat upon it; as it has been written,

Worsley New Testament
And Jesus having gotten a young ass sat thereon,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Triumphal Entry
13They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” 14 Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written: 15“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion. See, your King is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey.”…

Cross References
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Matthew 21:4-5
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: / “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Mark 11:7-10
Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it. / Many in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields. / The ones who went ahead and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” ...

Luke 19:35-38
Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it. / As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. / And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen: ...

John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:49
“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

John 6:15
Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

John 19:15
At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.

Revelation 7:9-10
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. / And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Genesis 49:10-11
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his. / He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

Isaiah 62:11
Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, “Say to Daughter Zion: See, your Savior comes! Look, His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes before Him.”

Psalm 118:25-26
O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper! / Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.

2 Kings 9:13
Quickly, each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”

Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. / Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.

Jeremiah 23:5-6
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. / In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.


Treasury of Scripture

And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

Jesus.

Matthew 21:1-7
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, …

Mark 11:1-7
And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, …

Luke 19:29-35
And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, …

as.

Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

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Ass Donkey Finding Found Jesus Procured Sat Scripture Seat Sit Thereon Writings Written Young
John 12
1. Jesus excuses Mary anointing his feet.
9. The people flock to see Lazarus.
10. The chief priests consult to kill him.
12. Jesus rides into Jerusalem.
20. Greeks desire to see Jesus.
23. He foretells his death.
37. The people are generally blinded;
42. yet many chief rulers believe, but do not confess him;
44. therefore Jesus calls earnestly for confession of faith.














Finding a young donkey
The phrase "finding a young donkey" is significant in its fulfillment of prophecy and the humility it represents. The Greek word for "finding" (εὑρίσκω, heuriskō) implies a deliberate action, suggesting that Jesus intentionally sought out the donkey to fulfill the prophecy. The "young donkey" (ὀνάριον, onarion) is a symbol of peace, contrasting with a horse, which would symbolize war. In the historical context of ancient Israel, a donkey was a common beast of burden, used by those of humble means. This choice underscores Jesus' role as the Prince of Peace, entering Jerusalem not as a conquering king on a warhorse, but as a humble servant.

Jesus sat on it
The act of Jesus sitting on the donkey is rich with symbolic meaning. The Greek verb "sat" (ἐκάθισεν, ekathisen) indicates a settled position, suggesting authority and fulfillment. In the cultural and historical context, a king or ruler would sit on an animal to signify his authority and right to rule. By sitting on the donkey, Jesus is making a public declaration of His messianic identity, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9. This act is a deliberate fulfillment of Scripture, demonstrating Jesus' awareness of His mission and His submission to the Father's will.

as it is written
This phrase, "as it is written" (καθὼς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον, kathōs estin gegrammenon), is a common formula in the New Testament used to reference the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. It underscores the divine inspiration and authority of Scripture. The use of this phrase indicates that Jesus' actions are in direct fulfillment of God's prophetic word, specifically pointing to Zechariah 9:9, which foretells the coming of the King of Zion, humble and riding on a donkey. This connection to prophecy highlights the continuity of God's redemptive plan throughout history and the reliability of His promises. It serves as a reminder to believers of the faithfulness of God and the certainty of His word.

(14) And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon.--St. John simply mentions this to introduce the prophecy. The others all give the incidents in detail. "Having found," does not imply that the colt was found without the search which the other Evangelists record. (Comp. the same word in John 9:35.) It has been noted, as illustrating the fact, that the word "found" includes the sending the disciples to look for the colt, that it is the same Greek word which Archimedes used when he found the object of his search, and cried, Eureka! Eureka!

Verse 14. - And Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written. The whole account of the process by which our Lord secured this ὀνάριον is described at great length by the synoptists (see Matthew 21:2; Mark 11:12; Luke 19:30). The foal implies that the animal had never borne another burden. The account of Matthew refers to the mother and the foal, as though they were inseparable, and together bore the sacred burden. Mr. Holman Hunt, in his picture of the 'Triumph of the Innocents,' has represented the beast bearing Mary and her Child as accompanied by the colt. The entire process of securing both must have taken time, and augmented the excitement. Christ at length, on the eve of his Passion which he so distinctly foreshadowed, allowed the enthusiasm of the people to prevail, and accepted the homage. The Galilee pilgrims take up the demonstration, which was commenced, as we see from John's Gospel, by "the Jews" and those Jerusalemites who had been profoundly moved by the significance of the resurrection of Lazarus. The circumstances thus elucidated from the four narratives, reveal undesigned coincidences. The entry into Jerusalem did not take place till the afternoon, and so we find that all that our Lord did on arrival was to "go to the temple, look round on all things, and, now that the even was come, to revisit Bethany with the twelve" (Mark 11:11).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Finding
Εὑρὼν (Heurōn)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2147: A prolonged form of a primary heuro, which heureo is used for it in all the tenses except the present and imperfect to find.

a young donkey,
ὀνάριον (onarion)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3678: A young ass. Neuter of a presumed derivative of onos; a little ass.

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

sat
ἐκάθισεν (ekathisen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2523: Another form for kathezomai; to seat down, i.e. Set; intransitively, to sit; figuratively, to settle.

on
ἐπ’ (ep’)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

it,
αὐτό (auto)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 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.

as
καθώς (kathōs)
Adverb
Strong's 2531: According to the manner in which, in the degree that, just as, as. From kata and hos; just as, that.

it is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

written:
γεγραμμένον (gegrammenon)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1125: A primary verb; to 'grave', especially to write; figuratively, to describe.


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