“Peace with You”: Exploring Translation Possibilities of the Peace Greeting in John 20 in Tagalog

Introduction

“Peace with you” in John 20.19-29 is understood, almost by default, as a traditional Jewish salutation. Its implication in translation is almost uniform across the board, whether formally or dynamically. “Peace with you” is always taken to mean solely a greeting, without room for alternative translations of the formula. Many translations, including standard Tagalog, tend to seek cover in the somewhat fixed categorization of “peace with you” as a Jewish greeting of well-being (Newman and Nida 1980) and most often no other function is recognized for the phrase. Literal or formal translations add little to an understanding of the possible alternatives in the meaning of the peace greeting. Finally, there is the difference between the Semitic background of the peace greeting and the notion of the Greek word for peace current in the minds of John’s audience, a difference that tends to heighten the difficulty of a complete understanding of the phrase. Exegetes are confronted with the choice of reading the peace salutation as a traditional Semitic greeting only or understanding it in the context of the Gospel itself, considering discussion of the theology of the author of the Gospel of John.

In this article, I will focus on the problems of the phrase’s literal rendering in Tagalog. Foremost among the reasons that a literal translation of the peace greeting does not work in Tagalog is the inappropriateness of a peace greeting in the context of John 20.19-29. The context of fear and unbelief make such a greeting of well-being inappropriate. The negative context in which these words occur makes readers in Tagalog anticipate not a peace greeting but a word of exhortation, such as, “do not fear.” Second, the word for “peace” in the Gospel of John appears in instances where Jesus’s disciples are pictured as being worried or upset or afraid (14.27; 20.19) or in a state of unbelief (16.29-33; 20.24-28). John seems to express an understanding of the word “peace” not in a theological sense but in terms of its psychological dimension. Last, the Tagalog formal translation, “Sumainyo ang kapayapaan,” is an artificial construction. Mabuhay (lit. “I wish you long life” or “welcome to our place”) is the equivalent of the Jewish greeting in almost all aspects, that is, wholeness, good health, total welfare, and so on. Kapayapaan (peace), in the mind of the Filipino, is the tranquil or serene state or condition of the loob (inner self) that cannot simply be dispensed by one person to another as is implied in “peace be with you.”

The difficulty arising from maintaining the form of the greeting and determining the function of the peace formula raises some questions that may arise in languages such as Tagalog, where a literal translation of the Hebrew greeting “peace with you” cannot be meaningfully sustained. In this article, I will attempt to answer these questions: What is the form and function of “peace with you” in John 20.19-29? Is it simply a greeting of peace? Can it be understood in other ways? How can it be translated naturally in Tagalog?

To answer these questions, we look for the meaning of the Greek word for peace in the New Testament. This will help us to analyze the function and probable meaning of the peace salutation in John 20. We also need to survey the occurrences of the greeting in the whole of the New Testament and to determine their functions. The result of the exegesis of the peace greeting in John 20.19-29 will then be employed in finding alternative translations of “peace with you” in Tagalog.

Peace in the New Testament

It is generally accepted that the peace greetings in John have some sort of Semitic background. The greeting “peace with you” is expressed in various forms in Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם לָכֶם‎ (Gen 43.23), שָׁלוֹם אַתָּה‎ (1 Sam 25.6), and the more prevalent one, שָׁלוֹם לְךָ‎ (Judg 6.23; 19.20; 1 Sam 20.21; 2 Kgs 4.26; 1 Chr 12.19; and Dan 10.19). שָׁלוֹם‎ brings forward the idea of wholeness, completeness, being healthy and at peace with one’s self and one’s fellows. The comprehensiveness of peace in Hebraic thought would have provided the reason that שָׁלוֹם‎ ranked high in “covenantal values” and was used in a greeting of well-being (Mitton 1962, 706). The vagaries of daily life and the constant threat of war would have moved an Israelite to wish שָׁלוֹם‎ to be the norm of his or her existence. שָׁלוֹם‎ appears to be synonymous with the Hebrew ideal of the good, and this is what every Israelite hoped to experience in life.

According to Mitton, εἰρήνη was used by the NT writers with three meanings: “the absence of strife, a restored relationship, and peace of mind or serenity” (1962, 706). The New Testament frequently uses the word in the first sense, absence of strife or conflict. This is precisely what Luke has in mind when he employs εἰρήνη in Luke 14.32 or when the people of Tyre and Sidon seek to avert war with Herod in Acts 12.20. Ephesians 2.14-17 subtly spiritualizes the connotation of the word when the author introduces Christ as the peacemaker between two hostile groups, the Greeks and the Jews, by making them into one people.

Peace as the absence of strife, though, is not strictly confined to the averting of war or conflict between nations. When the NT writers employ εἰρήνη in this sense, several contextual meanings seem to emerge. For example, Paul may have been thinking about peace within the bounds of the family setting in 1 Cor 7.15 (ἐν δὲ εἰρήνῃ κέκληκεν ὑμᾶς ὁ θεός, lit. “but in peace God has called you”). In Matt 10.34 and Luke 12.51, peace is presented negatively in terms of the absence of domestic peace. Εἰρήνη is also employed by NT authors to mean peace with one another (Rom 12.18; 2 Cor 13.11; 1 Thess 5.13; and Mark 9.50). Paul thinks of εἰρήνη as a sense of orderliness in 1 Cor 14.33. Εἰρήνη is also understood in the New Testament as the goal that every Christian must pursue in his or her now-enlightened life (Rom 14.19; Eph 4.3; Heb 12.14; 1 Pet 3.11).

The second sense of εἰρήνη, “a restored relationship,” can be found in the Pauline letters. Here, the term mainly refers to the restoration of the relationship between God and humans. Paul, in Rom 5.1, declares that a person is justified before God through faith. Reconciliation, then, ensues (εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, lit. “we have peace with God”). This is made possible through a secondary agency, “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 2.15 understands εἰρήνη in this sense too. The phrase ποιῶν εἰρήνην, lit. “making/bringing about peace,” suggests such an “upgrading” of a relationship. In Col 1.20, reconciliation is understood as God’s action of making peace with humankind. The Greek word for reconciliation is expressed in the aorist active infinitive form ἀποκαταλλάξαι, lit. “to reconcile,” which is only found here and in Eph 2.16 in the whole of the New Testament and seems to parallel the aorist verbal participle εἰρηνοποιήσας, lit. “making peace,” which is also unique to Col 1.20.

The third sense of the word εἰρήνη, “peace of mind or serenity,” touches on the psychological aspects of peace. Romans 15.13 understands εἰρήνη to mean “to hear quietness in your hearts” (Newman and Nida 1980). Εἰρήνη in Phil 4.7 could be construed as calmness or quietness of the mind (Loh and Nida 1977). It is this meaning that we also encounter in the Gospel of John. So let us look now at the meanings of εἰρήνη in this Gospel.

Peace in the Gospel of John

In the Gospel of John, εἰρήνη appears six times, with three of them in ch. 20. The first two occurrences are in 14.27 and the third in 16.33. In 14.27, peace can be understood in this way: “I cause you to have a quiet heart,” or “. . . joy within,” or “. . . joy in the heart” (Newman and Nida 1980). This sense seems to dominate the idea of peace in the Gospel. This third connotation of peace as “peace of mind” will feature most prominently in the analysis of the peace greeting in ch. 20.

“Peace” is not a common word in the Gospel of John, appearing only six times, as stated. However, peace seems to be intertwined with the other key theological concepts in the evangelist’s mind. At the outset, John empties his theological cache with his repetitive use of the key terms “life,” “light,” and “truth” in the opening chapter. In ch. 1 alone, John used “life” twice, “light” five times, and “truth” twice. In the Johannine theological framework, these three are interrelated. From the Word comes life and from life, light (1.4) and truth (1.17). In the rest of the Gospel, the term “life” predominates in the book, appearing thirty-six times. “Light,” on the other hand, is referred to by John twenty-two times, and truth (ἀλήθεια) eight times. Add to this mix John’s concept of joy (χαρά), which appears eight times. Thus, in order to make sense of John’s understanding of peace, one must establish the interdependence of these key theological concepts in the Gospel. These Johannine key terms can be understood within the narrative structure of the book. In John, “life” is constantly under threat from the sons of darkness. Jesus accuses the “descendants of Abraham” in 8.37 of plotting to kill him “because there is no place in you for my word.” At every turn, they are looking for the opportunity to lay their hands on him (7.1), until the threat becomes so intense that Jesus thinks it wise not to further put himself in harm’s way (11.54). From ch. 13 to ch. 17, Jesus retreats from the world, shuts himself in a room with the disciples, and spends the remaining time in his life addressing them in a rather long discourse.

Raymond Brown argues that the peace of which Jesus speaks, particularly in John 14.27, has nothing to do with the absence of warfare, nor with an end to psychological tension, nor with a sentimental feeling of well-being (Brown 1970, 653). The use of εἰρήνη here is appropriate, says Brown, because it is framed within the context of Jesus’s farewell message to the disciples. Brown sees in this word the fulfillment of the eschatological dreams of the OT prophets in Jesus’s indwelling of his disciples at his post-resurrection appearance in John 20.20. Brown further claims that the partnering of “peace” with “joy” in this passage points to the beginning of the eschatological period, because “in Jewish thought peace and joy were marks of the eschatological period when God’s intervention would have brought about harmony in human life and in the world” (1035).

Brown may not give a complete picture of Johannine eschatology. He cites the time frame referred to in John 14.20 (ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ “in that day”) as that which pointed to the eschatological day when the risen Jesus would dwell within his disciples through the promised Holy Spirit (John 20.22). In 1 John, another book that is traditionally assigned to the Johannine corpus, ¹ the evangelist seems to be aware that in the last days there still looms a battle to be fought against the enemies of Jesus. In fact, the last days are when the battle will become more intense. The eschatological hope of total harmony will not be achieved automatically with Jesus’s indwelling of his disciples but the latter must brace for a long fight, hence the call for peace, that is, peace of mind and spirit, in this brewing encounter with the adversary.

Another side of John’s eschatology is presented in 1 John, particularly in 2.18-21. In this passage, John may be referring to the event of John 20.22 when he declares, καὶ ὑμεῖς χρῖσμα ἔχετε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ οἴδατε πάντες, lit. “and you have anointing from the Holy One and you knew all” (1 John 2.20). But before getting here, John reveals the specifics of the last hour (ἐσχάτη ὥρα). In John’s view, the enemies of Christ have already appeared and so he makes this stunning conclusion about the last days: ὅθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν, lit. “for which reason we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2.18).

John’s eschatology does not end in the upper room but is to be realized outside of the room where the enemies are, hence the shut door of John 20.19. Furthermore, even in the Gospel itself, this conflict eschatology is already hinted at in the way time is indicated in John 11.53 (ἀπ᾽ ἐκείνης οὖν τῆς ἡμέρας, lit. “therefore, from that day”) when Jesus withdrew from the world as a tactical response to its hostility, with the resulting revelation of his glory to his disciples in the upper room (John 13–17). Jesus is straightforward about what awaits the disciples: ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ θλῖψιν ἔχετε, lit. “in the world you have tribulation/affliction/persecution” (John 16.33).

Conflict eschatology may help unpack the meaning of εἰρήνη in John. In my view, it is the psychological connotation of the term εἰρήνη that is used in the Gospel of John. In the instances where εἰρήνη is used by John, it appears with words associated with the emotional distress of fear and unbelief (14.27; 16.33; 20.19, 26). C. K. Barrett seems to support this view when he writes, “peace means the absence of fear and perturbation of the heart; and that is the gift of Christ alone” (Barrett 1978, 468). This is not surprising, because John’s Jesus is presented in the Gospel as possessing an exceptional knowledge of human nature (2.24-25).

In 14.27, the evangelist presents Jesus talking briefly about his own understanding of peace, which departs significantly from how the world perceived peace. Jesus calls this peace “my peace” (εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν) and he dispenses it to his disciples “not as the world can give” (οὐ καθὼς ὁ κόσμος δίδωσιν). The peace Jesus refers to seems to contradict the prevailing notion of peace as the absence of strife or threat to one’s existence. Jesus’s peace thrives even in the face of danger. Leon Morris agrees with this observation when he points out that Jesus’s peace is not dependent on outward circumstances. He, too, sees in this peace a psychological dimension. Because Jesus is the source of this peace, he “can enjoin [the disciples] not to be troubled in heart nor cowardly” (Morris 1995, 658). From Jesus’s speech about peace proceeds his exhortation to the disciples (14.27c) that they should be neither troubled (μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν) nor cowardly (ἡ καρδία μηδὲ δειλιάτω).

This kind of peace would help the disciples to endure the persecution that is yet to come. In 16.31-33, Jesus informs the disciples of the impending breakup of the group with each going back homeward and abandoning Jesus in the hour of his death. This heads-up from Jesus is meant to give the disciples peace in the face of persecution. Thus, the peace formula of John 20, particularly in vv. 21 and 26, functions as “alert words” to remind the disciples about Jesus’s earlier words of assurance of peace in the midst of danger. Sanders and Mastin seem to agree with this observation when they write, “the emphasis given by its repetition at verses 21 and 26 suggests a reference back to 14.27 and 16.33” (1968, 431). Jesus’s peace seems to refer to the inner tranquility that proceeds from believing the words that he revealed to the disciples.

“Peace with you” in John 20.19-29: More than a greeting?

The peace greeting in its various forms appears about twenty-four times in the New Testament. The most common of them is the greeting that Paul and the other epistolary writers employ in their salutations, χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη, lit. “grace to you and peace,” which is used thirteen times in the whole of the New Testament. It was a formula widely used in early Christianity and was a transformation of the traditional Jewish peace salutation with the addition of the uniquely Christian expression, χάρις ὑμῖν.

Luke uses a peace greeting that is unique to him, appearing twice in the Gospel and once in the book of Acts. In Luke 7.50 and 8.48, the evangelist employs πορεύου εἰς εἰρήνην, lit. “go in peace,” as some sort of a dismissal formula. In Acts 16.36, the same peace formula appears in a slightly altered form, πορεύεσθε ἐν εἰρήνῃ “go in peace.” Here, the expression is used in a different way than in the Gospel; the context in Acts (especially v. 37) seems to suggest that this should be taken to mean “to be discharged in secret.”

Brown (1970, 1021), referring to an article of van Unnik (1959), points to the distinction between the peace formula with and without a verb form. The first group can be tentatively classified as a verbal peace salutation, as the greeting is preceded by a verb. There are two examples falling within this type, namely, 2 Thess 3.16 (δῴη ὑμῖν τὴν εἰρήνην, lit. “he may give to you peace”) and 2 John 1.3 (ἔσται μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη, lit. “it will be with us grace, mercy, and peace”). The second group may be classified as a nominal-pronominal peace salutation where a verb is absent and a noun-pronoun combination completes the greeting. This construction appears five times in the second person plural dative (εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, Luke 24.36; John 20.19, 21, 26; and 1 Pet 5.14) and once in the second person singular dative (εἰρήνη σοι, 3 John 1.15). This expression also appears in plural form, εἰρήνη τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, lit. “peace to the brothers,” found in Eph 6.23.

Why is this distinction necessary? The reason, at least in the following case, is that the form of the peace greeting determines its function. The verbal peace salutation expresses a note of certainty that is stronger than the note of wish or possibility (Brown 1970, 1021). Thus, in 2 John 1.3, it functions as an assurance to the believers that they will receive the peace whose source is God and Jesus Christ. In Thess 3.16, it functions as a supplication that the Lord of peace, that is, Jesus, grant peace to the community of the faithful. The nominal salutation, on the other hand, may function either as a statement of a fact or as an expression of a wish. C. Haas et al., in discussing the meaning of the peace greeting in 3 John 1.15, underscore the fact that “the Greek construction of two nouns not connected by a verb may serve to express a fact or a wish” (Haas, de Jonge, and Swellengrebel 1972). The nominal-pronominal form appears six times in the New Testament (listed above) and is normally understood as a wish.

The usual rendering of the peace formula in John 20 is “peace be with you.” This takes into account its nominal-pronominal form and its wish function heavily. But is the formula in John 20.19-29 really expressing a wish?

“Peace with you”: Probable meanings in John 20.19-29

The peace formula is expressed in the nominal-pronominal form, εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, lit. “peace with/to you.” This can be understood either as a wish (“may peace be with you”) or a statement of fact (“peace is with you”). Almost all translations, whether formal or meaning-based, tend to regard this as a wish, and therefore a greeting. In English, in order to transform this formula into the subjunctive, the verb “be” is inserted so that it is clearly a wish, “peace be with you.” It conveys a desire that peace be restored or granted. However, the narrative structure of John 20 does not seem to encourage such a reading. There, the peace formula appears to be making a statement of fact that in the last days, the risen Jesus is the dispenser of true peace. Three things can be said about the risen Jesus as the dispenser of peace. First, the risen Jesus is the source of genuine peace. Second, as the source of peace, he can give and distribute it to his disciples (14.27). Last, he not only gives, but also demands and commands (20.19, 21, and 26).

That Jesus does not merely utter a wish is supported by Brown, who states, “In this eschatological moment, however, Jesus’s words are not a wish but a statement of fact” (1970, 1021). John describes in detail the mood prevailing among the grieving disciples three days after Jesus’s crucifixion. According to John 20.19, the disciples chose to shut themselves inside the room for fear of the religious authorities. They just witnessed how Jesus’s adversaries inflicted harm on him and how they succeeded in putting him to a humiliating death on the cross. The evangelist embeds coded messages underneath the time element in v. 19a, messages that provide the setting for the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus in John 20.19. These pieces of information need to be unpacked.

John starts the story with the words, “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week” (Οὔσης οὖν ὀψίας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῇ μιᾷ σαββάτων, v. 19a). This is not a mere innocent reportage of an event but a couched theological statement. John says that the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples on the evening of the first day of the week. Evening is associated with darkness (of the night). In John’s mind, darkness is the opposite of light. Thus, when John employs the word “evening” in this temporal clause, he means not simply the time element but its associations—darkness is the opposite of light and so stands for death (vs. life) and for the lies (vs. truth) of the enemies. Evening means chaos for John.

The beginning of John’s Gospel is an allusion to Gen 1, with the opening phrase patterned after that of Gen 1.1: “In the beginning was” (Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν). It must be recalled that on the first day of creation in Gen 1, God separated the light from darkness (Gen 1.3-4). In John’s scheme of things, it was early on the first day of the week, when the rays of the morning light pierced through the darkness of the night (πρωῒ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης) that the tomb was found empty by Mary Magdalene (John 20.1). Jesus is risen! The connection between light and life is powerfully stressed by John. The fact that Jesus appeared to the disciples late in the night meant the fulfillment of John 1.5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

The chaos brought by the darkness of the evening is now reined in by the new order established by the resurrection. Jesus had just conquered death when he came and stood among the disciples (John 20.19). Jesus breaks the ice by the “peace with you” statements. Unlike the “peace with you” of Luke 24.36, which does not contain any predicate at all, but is abruptly introduced into the narrative and so must be construed as a Jewish salutation, the same cannot be said of John. The disciples huddled in fear inside a locked door. Chaos still prevailed in their midst. The resurrection had not yet cured their fear. This is the backdrop of the peace statement of Jesus in John 20.19. Morris comments that readers must “see more than a conventional greeting” in Jesus’s peace statement to the disciples (1995, 745). But how does one see more in the peace formula? Brown offers a useful guide when he points out that the formula reassures the audience that they have nothing to fear from the divine manifestation that they are witnessing (1970, 1035). However, v. 19 clearly states that the fear of the disciples proceeded not from Jesus’s appearance as in Luke 24.36, but from fear of the Jews (τὸν ϕόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων). Whatever the case may be, the peace formula is clearly addressing the fear of the disciples. Hence, “peace with you” (εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, lit. “peace with/to you”) in v. 19 would have meant “calm down” or “do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14.1, 27).

“Peace with you” in v. 21 comes after Jesus showed his hands and his side to his astounded disciples. There is a sudden change in the psychological state of the disciples from fear to joy as a result of knowing that their Lord and friend is not dead but alive. The second peace statement is immediately followed by Jesus’s words of the disciples’ commissioning: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The disciples must get themselves ready for action. Merrill C. Tenney seems to concur with this observation when he notes that the repetition of the peace formula reassures the disciples of his real presence and a renewal of their commission as disciples (Tenney 1994, 370). The disciples are remade by the risen Christ from a cowardly lot (v. 19) into empowered individuals indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The commissioning is now possible with the sanctification of the disciples by the Holy Spirit.

The third “peace with you” statement of Jesus in v. 26 comes a week later after the first appearance of the risen Jesus to his disciples. This seems to parallel the peace statement of John 16.33; both are framed within the context of the unbelief of the disciples. “Peace with you” of v. 26 may take on the meaning of “Take courage” (16.33) and an intensification of the exhortation to Thomas, “Do not doubt but believe” of v. 27.

From the discussions above, I arrive at the following conclusions: First, John’s concept of peace is illumined by Johannine eschatology, particularly by his eschatology of conflict. Second, peace seems to have a psychological connotation in the Gospel because it appears with words associated with the emotional distress of fear and unbelief (14.27; 16.33; 20.19, 26). Third, the peace formula, “peace with you,” appears in the nominal-pronominal form and may function either as a wish or as a statement of fact. Fourth, in John 20.19, 21, and 26, the peace formula is not functioning as a wish but as a statement of fact.

Translating “peace with you” in Tagalog

So far, we have looked at the Greek text. Let us now look at possible ways the phrase can be rendered in Tagalog.

The UBS Handbook on John understands “peace with you” in John 14.27 as a form of greeting, representing the conventional Hebrew greeting, shalom. The Handbook insists that “peace” “is not a negative term, referring to the absence of warfare or emotional tension,” but should be understood as a comprehensive term, that is, as the benefits and blessings associated with the salvation of God (Newman and Nida 1980, ad loc.). But “peace” in the Gospel of John seems to be closely connected to the fear and the unbelief of the disciples of Jesus, as shown earlier. In fact, in the six times that “peace” appears in the latter part of the Gospel, it is used by Jesus to address the fear, anxiety, and unbelief of the disciples.

Furthermore, “peace with you” as a form of Jewish greeting in John 20 cannot be sustained in some languages like Tagalog. The tendency of almost all Tagalog translations, whether formal (i.e., Ang Biblia [The Bible]) or meaning-based (Magandang Balita Biblia [Good News Bible]), is to translate Jesus’s peace statement literally, “Sumainyo ang kapayapaan!” (Peace be with you). The Tagalog translation of the salutation seems artificial, and does not make much sense. If one were to follow the Handbook’s recommendation to treat “peace with you” as a greeting, the closest Filipino greeting would be mabuhay (long life). Mabuhay contains the three elements of the Hebrew salutation shalom. First, mabuhay is a common Filipino greeting and thus approximates shalom. Second, it is a wish of well-being or good health, as the greeting is derived from the Tagalog root buhay (life). In other words, mabuhay means “I wish you a good or long life.” Third, mabuhay is a positive term.

However, neither the formal Tagalog translation of the peace greeting nor mabuhay fits the expectation of the Tagalog reader who is being led into a different level of anticipation by the narrative structure of John 20. The narrative cycle of John 20 seems to be moving toward a buildup of tensions in the story. The cycle has the following parts: a mention of the time element (vv. 1a, 19a, and 26a), a disclosure of the distressful situation (vv. 1b-2, 11-15, 19b; in the case of Thomas’s unbelief in v. 25, it precedes the time element), and Jesus’s appearance and the disciples’ recognition of the risen Christ (vv. 16, 19c, 20b, 26b, 28). The first and second elements of the narrative prepare readers to expect that all is not well with the disciples and so a greeting of peace in vv.19, 21, and 26 may not be the expected sense of “peace with you” to the readers.

John 20.19 paints a picture of the group of disciples who have not yet experienced the joy of their Lord’s resurrection. Given this context, the reader will expect not a peace greeting but an exhortation from Jesus to his frightened disciples to calm down. The literal translation does not make so much sense here because the disciples are not in the best of shape psychologically, and the risen Jesus, adept psychologist that he is in John’s Gospel, would have known it. In this sense, “peace with you” could be understood and translated huminahon kayo (calm down), lakasan nyo ang loob nyo (take heart), or huwag kayong matakot (do not be afraid).

“Peace with you” in v. 21 is immediately followed by Jesus’s words of commissioning—just as Jesus was sent by his Father, so he is sending his disciples. But before the commissioning, John reports that Jesus showed to his disciples the scars on his hands and in his side. This proves that Jesus was not dead but alive, and so transforms their fear into rejoicing. The change in the emotional state of the disciples should translate into a readiness to move and carry out Jesus’s command. “Peace be with you” as a greeting here would again not make sense. “Peace with you” in this passage would be better translated, magalak kayo (be of good cheer).

Last, “peace with you” in v. 26 may have been intended to function like the peace statement of v. 19. The disciples may have relapsed into fearfulness as they huddled once more inside the locked room. This time around, the disciples’ fear is compounded by the unbelief of one of them, Thomas. “peace be with you,” following the Jewish salutation, may make some sense here, as it is devoid of the “context of gloominess” that introduces the first greeting in v. 19. But a greeting may not make sense—the disciples are not in the best of shape as implied by the shut doors hinting that they are once more afraid. Thomas, in v. 25, refuses to believe the testimony of the other disciples. He will only believe if he himself sees the nail marks on the hands of Jesus and puts his hand in the Lord’s side. Jesus then makes his appearance and stands among the disciples, greeting them the third time with “peace with you.” Verses 26 to 29 address the disciples’ fear and Thomas’s unbelief. As in v. 19, “peace with you” can be translated lakasan nyo ang loob nyo (take heart) or huwag kayong matakot (do not be afraid).

The risen Jesus’s peace greetings in vv. 19 and 26 are obviously meant to state a fact—the risen Christ is the dispenser of the true peace. Jesus’s peace provides serenity in an otherwise chaotic world. The recommendations make explicit the psychological component of the formula, thus meeting the reader’s expectation of a command-exhortation rather than a misplaced greeting, ensuring naturalness in Tagalog.

To sum up, a formal translation of the peace phrase tends to assume that “peace with you” is a wish and that its function is restricted to a greeting. However, the exegesis of “peace with you” in John 20.19-29 presented above offers an alternative way in which the phrase can be read and understood other than a wish and a greeting. The nominal-pronominal construction of the Johannine peace formula in the Greek opens up the possibility that it can also be understood as a statement of fact (“peace is with you”). As a statement of fact, it presents Jesus as the source of peace. As the source of peace, Jesus can give peace to his disciples and so he can command or demand a specific course of action from them. “Peace with you” in John 20.19-29 can now be understood as a reassurance from Jesus that his disciples have his peace.

If we allow the phrase in John 20 to be read not simply as a Jewish greeting but as an exhortation not to fear or be anxious or to remain in a state of unbelief, we no longer need to hold on firmly to a literal rendering. It would give translators the freedom to render the phrase more dynamically.