John19:34

This word can mean either “side or rib,” but the equivalent Hebrew word more commonly means “rib.”

This word is usually rendered “immediately”. We usually think that “immediately” means something will follow in a very short time, however, there are times that this word is used (e.g. in the gospels) when the one thing does not follow the other quickly. I think the intent of this adverb is to indicate a direct connection, or a direct line, between the one and the other. The line is not always measured in time. In this case there is a direct line between the soldier piercing Jesus’ side and the blood and water coming out. In this case it also happened “immediately” as we understand the word. But the intent here is not so much about timing but about cause and result. If the soldier had not pierced Jesus’ side, the blood and water would not have come out, and the impactful connection to the Old Testament Law would not have been offered to the Jews observing the event, like John who saw it with his own eyes.

This word means “come out, come forth, go forth.” However, there is another layer that I want to expose here. The idea of a liquid coming forth would bring to mind the concept of a “flow or a stream.” Those thoughts in turn would cause a good Jew to think of the Torah, for Torah means “direction.” It is the direction an arrow flies or the direction a stream flows. The concept of “direction” also lends itself to the idea of “instruction or teaching”, which was the purpose of the Law. If the word meaning “came forth” did not make every Jew think of the Law, the next three words would definitely have done so.

I have switched the order of the words blood and water in this verse to fit better with the wording of my paraphrase. I think John put the blood first because atonement through blood is more important than cleansing by water, even though cleansing must come before atonement. However, in I John 5 he puts water first, emphasizing the order rather than the importance.