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John 19:18
Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

Luke 23:39-43
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us…

and broke the legs
Breaking the legs, or crurifragium, was a method used to hasten death during crucifixion. By breaking the legs, the victim could no longer push up to breathe, leading to asphyxiation. This act fulfilled the necessity of removing the bodies before the Sabbath, as per Jewish law (Deuteronomy 21:22-23).

of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus
The two men crucified alongside Jesus are described as criminals (Luke 23:32-33). Their presence fulfillsIsaiah 53:12, which prophesied that the Messiah would be "numbered with the transgressors."

and those of the other
The breaking of the legs of both criminals highlights the thoroughness of Roman execution practices. It also sets the stage for the fulfillment of prophecy regarding Jesus, as His legs were not broken (John 19:36), aligning with the Passover lamb's requirements (Exodus 12:46).

• Roman execution squads acted under strict orders; their obedience here fulfills Jesus’ own words inJohn 18:32 that He would be “lifted up.”

•John 19:23 notes the same soldiers dividing Jesus’ garments—consistent, unflinching agents of crucifixion.

• Their arrival underscores the sovereignty of God even over pagan powers, much like Cyrus inIsaiah 45:1 or Pilate inJohn 19:11.

• Crurifragium (leg-breaking) hastened death by preventing the victim from pushing up to breathe. The action highlights the brutality of crucifixion yet also the urgency to clear the crosses before the Sabbath (John 19:31;Deuteronomy 21:22-23).

• In God’s providence, the soldiers will skip Jesus’ legs (John 19:33-36), keeping intactPsalm 34:20, “He protects all His bones; not one of them is broken,” and the Passover pattern ofExodus 12:46.

•Luke 23:32-33 identifies two criminals, fulfillingIsaiah 53:12: “He was numbered with the transgressors.”

• The first man suffers ordinary judgment; no conversion is recorded for him, contrasting sharply with the repentant thief (Luke 23:39-43).

• His proximity to Christ yet rejection of Him warns against hard-heartedness, echoingHebrews 6:4-6.

• The second criminal’s legs are also broken, but his soul is already secure: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

• This juxtaposition—both men die the same bodily death, yet only one lives eternally—mirrorsMatthew 25:46 and underscores personal response to Christ.

• The soldiers’ impartial cruelty fulfills Jesus’ earlier statement inMatthew 20:28 that He came “to give His life as a ransom for many,” including repentant sinners like this thief.

John 19:32 records a grim yet purposeful act: soldiers break the legs of the two criminals beside Jesus. Their obedience to Roman command serves a higher divine plan—speeding events so that Scripture about the unbroken bones of the Lamb (Exodus 12:46;Psalm 34:20) stands true. One thief dies in unbelief; the other, in faith, illustrating the eternal divide every person faces when confronted with Christ. Even in the soldiers’ ruthless efficiency, God’s prophetic word proves flawless, and the cross remains the decisive point of salvation.

(1) renovation, refreshment, rivers of living water issuing from theκοίλια of Christ, the first great rush of spiritual power which was to regenerate humanity; and

(2) the expression of that redemptive process which was effected in the positive shedding of his precious blood. It was, moreover, a proof and sign given to Roman soldiers that their Victim was actually dead. We cannot think, with Westcott, that it was a kind of sign of the commencement of the resurrection-life, which goes perilously near to the assertion that he never really died. Moulton argues that the phenomena were physiologically possible if the-event occurred immediately after death. There is nothing in the narrative to prevent such juxtaposition. That John should have witnessed it, and been unable to understand it, and therefore put it down among the marvels of the Crucifixion, corroborates the veracity of the eye-witness (Webster and Wilkinson). The interesting catena of patristic interpretations given by Westcott ('Additional Note') shows that the earliest writer who refers to the marvel, Claudius Apollinaris, regarded it as expressive ofλόγος andπνεῦμα, "the Word and the Spirit." Origen showed that from a corpse such a phenomenon could not occur; and so even in his death there are still the signs of the living one. Cyril of Jerusalem saw the two baptisms of blood and water; Chrysostom, the two sacraments, or the mysteries of baptism and of the flesh and blood.Macarius Magnes andApollinarius saw an allusion to the side of Adam, from which Eve, the source of evil, was taken; that now the side of the second Adam should give forth the means of salvation and deliverance. Tertullian dwells on the two baptisms of water and blood; so Jerome; while Augustine sees in it the laver and the cup. That there was some special, abnormal phenomenon seems specially noticeable from the emphasis which the eye-witness lays upon the observation and record of the fact.

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