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John 13 General Notes
Structure and formatting
The events of this chapter are commonly referred to as the last supper or the Lord's supper. This Passover feast in many ways parallels Jesus' sacrifice as the lamb of God. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/passover)
Special concepts in this chapter
The washing of feet
People in the ancient Near East thought that feet were very dirty. Only servants would wash people's feet. The disciples did not want Jesus to wash their feet because they considered him their master and themselves his servants, but he wanted to show them that they needed to serve each other. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction)
I AM
John records Jesus as saying these words four times in this book, once in this chapter. They stand alone as a complete sentence, and they literally translate the Hebrew word for "I AM," by which Yahweh identified himself to Moses. For these reasons, many people believe that when Jesus said these words he was claiming to be Yahweh. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/yahweh).
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
"Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this chapter (John 13:31). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-123person)