Markus 14:32-52

Gethsemane

14:32 Then ¹  they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus ²  said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 14:33 He took Peter, James, ³  and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed. 14:34 He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay alert.” 14:35 Going a little farther, he threw himself to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour would pass from him. 14:36 He said, “Abba, ⁴  Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup ⁵  away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 14:37 Then ⁶  he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? 14:38 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 14:39 He went away again and prayed the same thing. 14:40 When he came again he found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. ⁷  And they did not know what to tell him. 14:41 He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? ⁸  Enough of that! ⁹  The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 14:42 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer ¹⁰  is approaching!”

Betrayal and Arrest

14:43 Right away, while Jesus ¹¹  was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived. ¹²  With him came a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and experts in the law ¹³  and elders. 14:44 (Now the betrayer ¹⁴  had given them a sign, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead him away under guard.”) ¹⁵  14:45 When Judas ¹⁶  arrived, he went up to Jesus ¹⁷  immediately and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed ¹⁸  him. 14:46 Then they took hold of him ¹⁹  and arrested him. 14:47 One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, ²⁰  cutting off his ear. 14:48 Jesus said to them, “Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? ²¹  14:49 Day after day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, yet ²²  you did not arrest me. But this has happened so that ²³  the scriptures would be fulfilled.” 14:50 Then ²⁴  all the disciples ²⁵  left him and fled. 14:51 A young man was following him, wearing only a linen cloth. They tried to arrest him, 14:52 but he ran off naked, ²⁶  leaving his linen cloth behind.

[14:32]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:32]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:33]  ³ tn Grk “and James,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[14:36]  ⁴ tn The word means “Father” in Aramaic.

[14:36]  ⁵ sn This cup alludes to the wrath of God that Jesus would experience (in the form of suffering and death) for us. See Ps 11:6; 75:8-9; Isa 51:17, 19, 22 for this figure.

[14:37]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:40]  ⁷ tn Grk “because their eyes were weighed down,” an idiom for becoming extremely or excessively sleepy (L&N 23.69).

[14:41]  ⁸ tn Or “Sleep on, and get your rest.” This sentence can be taken either as a question or a sarcastic command.

[14:41]  ⁹ tc Codex D (with some support with minor variation from W Θ Ë¹³ 565 2542 pc it) reads, “Enough of that! It is the end and the hour has come.” Evidently, this addition highlights Jesus’ assertion that what he had predicted about his own death was now coming true (cf. Luke 22:37). Even though the addition highlights the accuracy of Jesus’ prediction, it should not be regarded as part of the text of Mark, since it receives little support from the rest of the witnesses and because D especially is prone to expand the wording of a text.

[14:42]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the one who betrays me.”

[14:43]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:43]  ¹² tn Or “approached.” This is a different verb than the one translated “arrived” in Matt 26:47 and below in v. 45, although in this context the meanings probably overlap.

[14:43]  ¹³ tn Or “from the chief priests, scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[14:44]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the one who betrays him.”

[14:44]  ¹⁵ sn This remark is parenthetical within the narrative and has thus been placed in parentheses.

[14:45]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:45]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:45]  ¹⁸ sn Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.

[14:46]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “put their hands on him.”

[14:47]  ²⁰ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

[14:48]  ²¹ tn Or “a revolutionary.” This term can refer to one who stirs up rebellion: BDAG 594 s.v. λῃστής 2 has “revolutionary, insurrectionist,” citing evidence from Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]). However, this usage generally postdates Jesus’ time. It does refer to a figure of violence. Luke uses the same term for the highwaymen who attack the traveler in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30).

[14:49]  ²² tn Grk “and”; καί (kai) is elastic enough to be used contrastively on occasion, as here.

[14:49]  ²³ tn Grk “But so that”; the verb “has happened” is implied.

[14:50]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:50]  ²⁵ tn Grk “they”; the referent (Jesus’ disciples) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:52]  ²⁶ sn The statement he ran off naked is probably a reference to Mark himself, traditionally assumed to be the author of this Gospel. Why he was wearing only an outer garment and not the customary tunic as well is not mentioned. W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 527-28, says that Mark probably mentioned this episode so as to make it clear that “all fled, leaving Jesus alone in the custody of the police.”