Joh 12:12-13 | TNotes | STEP | 12:12 The next day was Sunday (see 12:1 ). • A large crowd of pilgrims (many from Galilee) camped in this region. As Jesus followed the road to Jerusalem, they cheered him. This triumphal entry appears in all four Gospels (Matt 21:1-11 ; Mark 11:1-11 ; Luke 19:29-38 ).

a12:12►

b12:1►

cMatt 21:1-11►

dMark 11:1-11►

eLuke 19:29-38►

f12:13►

gPs 118:25-26►

hZeph 3:15►

iJohn 6:15►

‏ John 12:12-13

12:12 ^a The next day was Sunday (see 12:1 ^b).

• A large crowd of pilgrims (many from Galilee) camped in this region. As Jesus followed the road to Jerusalem, they cheered him. This triumphal entry appears in all four Gospels (Matt 21:1-11 ^c; Mark 11:1-11 ^d; Luke 19:29-38 ^e).
12:13 ^f palm branches: The date palm was a celebratory symbol of Jewish nationalism.

• meet him: The Greek word commonly describes crowds greeting a returning, triumphant king.

• Blessings on the one: The crowd quoted Ps 118:25-26 ^g, with a greeting for those who came to Jerusalem. The phrase Hail to the King of Israel is not in the psalm (but see Zeph 3:15 ^h). Although the people saw Jesus as a national political liberator, he rejected this role (John 6:15 ⁱ).