Matius 27:32-34

The Crucifixion

27:32 As ¹  they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced ²  to carry his cross. ³  27:33 They ⁴  came to a place called Golgotha ⁵  (which means “Place of the Skull”) ⁶  27:34 and offered Jesus ⁷  wine mixed with gall to drink. ⁸  But after tasting it, he would not drink it.

Matius 27:37

27:37 Above ⁹  his head they put the charge against him, ¹⁰  which read: ¹¹  “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”

Markus 15:21-28

The Crucifixion

15:21 The soldiers ¹²  forced ¹³  a passerby to carry his cross, ¹⁴  Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country ¹⁵  (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus). 15:22 They brought Jesus ¹⁶  to a place called Golgotha ¹⁷  (which is translated, “Place of the Skull”). ¹⁸  15:23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, ¹⁹  but he did not take it. 15:24 Then ²⁰  they crucified ²¹  him and divided his clothes, throwing dice ²²  for them, to decide what each would take. 15:25 It was nine o’clock in the morning ²³  when they crucified him. 15:26 The inscription ²⁴  of the charge against him read, “The king of the Jews.” 15:27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left. 15:28 [[EMPTY]] ²⁵ 

Lukas 23:26-34

The Crucifixion

23:26 As ²⁶  they led him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, ²⁷  who was coming in from the country. ²⁸  They placed the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁹  23:27 A great number of the people followed him, among them women ³⁰  who were mourning ³¹  and wailing for him. 23:28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, ³²  do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves ³³  and for your children. 23:29 For this is certain: ³⁴  The days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore children, and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁵  23:30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ³⁶  ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ ³⁷  23:31 For if such things are done ³⁸  when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” ³⁹ 

23:32 Two other criminals ⁴⁰  were also led away to be executed with him. 23:33 So ⁴¹  when they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” ⁴²  they crucified ⁴³  him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 23:34 [But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”] ⁴⁴  Then ⁴⁵  they threw dice ⁴⁶  to divide his clothes. ⁴⁷ 

Yohanes 19:17-22

19:17 and carrying his own cross ⁴⁸  he went out to the place called “The Place of the Skull” ⁴⁹  (called in Aramaic ⁵⁰  Golgotha). ⁵¹  19:18 There they ⁵²  crucified ⁵³  him along with two others, ⁵⁴  one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. 19:19 Pilate also had a notice ⁵⁵  written and fastened to the cross, ⁵⁶  which read: ⁵⁷  “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” 19:20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem ⁵⁸  read this notice, ⁵⁹  because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic, ⁶⁰  Latin, and Greek. 19:21 Then the chief priests of the Jews ⁶¹  said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The king of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am king of the Jews.’” 19:22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

[27:32]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:32]  ² tn Or “conscripted”; or “pressed into service.”

[27:32]  ³ sn Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio, mentioned in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help (in all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution). Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon. Mark 15:21 names him as father of two people apparently known to Mark’s audience.

[27:33]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:33]  ⁵ tn This is an Aramaic name; see John 19:17.

[27:33]  ⁶ sn A place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). This location is north and just outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for the Greek term κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria, from which the English word “Calvary” is derived (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).

[27:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:34]  ⁸ sn It is difficult to say for certain who gave Jesus this drink of wine mixed with gall (e.g., the executioner, or perhaps women from Jerusalem). In any case, whoever gave it to him most likely did so in order to relieve his pain, but Jesus was unwilling to take it.

[27:37]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:37]  ¹⁰ sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.

[27:37]  ¹¹ tn Grk “was written.”

[15:21]  ¹² tn Grk “They”; the referent (the soldiers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:21]  ¹³ tn Or “conscripted”; or “pressed into service.”

[15:21]  ¹⁴ sn Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio, mentioned in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help (in all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution). Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon.

[15:21]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “was coming in from his field” outside the city (BDAG 15-16 s.v. ἀγρός 1).

[15:22]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “him.”

[15:22]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “a place, Golgotha.” This is an Aramaic name; see John 19:17.

[15:22]  ¹⁸ sn The place called Golgotha (which is translated “Place of the Skull”). This location is north and just outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for the Greek term κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria, from which the English word “Calvary” is derived (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).

[15:23]  ¹⁹ sn It is difficult to say for certain who gave Jesus this drink of wine mixed with myrrh (e.g., the executioner, or perhaps women from Jerusalem). In any case, whoever gave it to him most likely did so in order to relieve his pain, but Jesus was unwilling to take it.

[15:24]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:24]  ²¹ sn See the note on Crucify in 15:13.

[15:24]  ²² tn Grk “by throwing the lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throwing dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling. According to L&N 6.219 a term for “dice” is particularly appropriate.

[15:24]  sn An allusion to Ps 22:18.

[15:25]  ²³ tn Grk “It was the third hour.” This time would have been approximate, and could refer to the beginning of the process, some time before Jesus was lifted on the cross.

[15:26]  ²⁴ sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.

[15:28]  ²⁵ tc Most later mss add 15:28 “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘He was counted with the lawless ones.’” Verse 28 is included in L Θ 083 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat, but is lacking in important Alexandrian and Western mss and some others (א A B C D Ψ pc). The addition of the verse with its quotation from Isa 53:12 probably represents a scribal assimilation from Luke 22:37. It was almost certainly not an original part of Mark’s Gospel. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[23:26]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[23:26]  ²⁷ sn Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio, mentioned in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help. Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon. Mark 15:21 names him as father of two people apparently known to Mark’s audience.

[23:26]  ²⁸ tn Or perhaps, “was coming in from his field” outside the city (BDAG 15-16 s.v. ἀγρός 1).

[23:26]  ²⁹ tn Grk “they placed the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.”

[23:27]  ³⁰ sn The background of these women is disputed. Are they “official” mourners of Jesus’ death, appointed by custom to mourn death? If so, the mourning here would be more pro forma. However, the text seems to treat the mourning as sincere, so their tears and lamenting would have been genuine.

[23:27]  ³¹ tn Or “who were beating their breasts,” implying a ritualized form of mourning employed in Jewish funerals. See the note on the term “women” earlier in this verse.

[23:28]  ³² sn The title Daughters of Jerusalem portrays these women mourning as representatives of the nation.

[23:28]  map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:28]  ³³ sn Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves. Judgment now comes on the nation (see Luke 19:41-44) for this judgment of Jesus. Ironically, they mourn the wrong person – they should be mourning for themselves.

[23:29]  ³⁴ tn Grk “For behold.”

[23:29]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts that have not nursed!”

[23:29]  sn Normally barrenness is a sign of judgment, because birth would be seen as a sign of blessing. The reversal of imagery indicates that something was badly wrong.

[23:30]  ³⁶ sn The figure of crying out to the mountains ‘Fall on us!’ (appealing to creation itself to hide them from God’s wrath), means that a time will come when people will feel they are better off dead (Hos 10:8).

[23:30]  ³⁷ sn An allusion to Hos 10:8 (cf. Rev 6:16).

[23:31]  ³⁸ tn Grk “if they do such things.” The plural subject here is indefinite, so the active voice has been translated as a passive (see ExSyn 402).

[23:31]  ³⁹ sn The figure of the green wood and the dry has been variously understood. Most likely the picture compares the judgment on Jesus as the green (living) wood to the worse judgment that will surely come for the dry (dead) wood of the nation.

[23:32]  ⁴⁰ tc The text reads either “two other criminals” or “others, two criminals.” The first reading (found in Ì⁷⁵ א B) could be read as describing Jesus as a criminal, while the second (found in A C D L W Θ Ψ 070 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï) looks like an attempt to prevent this identification. The first reading, more difficult to explain from the other, is likely original.

[23:32]  sn Jesus is numbered among the criminals (see Isa 53:12 and Luke 22:37).

[23:33]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the preceding material.

[23:33]  ⁴² sn The place that is called ‘The Skull’ (known as Golgotha in Aramaic, cf. John 19:17) is north and just outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for Greek κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria, from which the English word “Calvary” derives (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).

[23:33]  ⁴³ sn See the note on crucify in 23:21.

[23:34]  ⁴⁴ tc Many important mss (Ì⁷⁵ א¹ B D* W Θ 070 579 1241 pc sy^s sa) lack v. 34a. It is included in א*^,2 (A) C D² L Ψ 0250 Ë^1,(13) 33 Ï lat sy^c,p,h. It also fits a major Lukan theme of forgiving the enemies (6:27-36), and it has a parallel in Stephen’s response in Acts 7:60. The lack of parallels in the other Gospels argues also for inclusion here. On the other hand, the fact of the parallel in Acts 7:60 may well have prompted early scribes to insert the saying in Luke’s Gospel alone. Further, there is the great difficulty of explaining why early and diverse witnesses lack the saying. A decision is difficult, but even those who regard the verse as inauthentic literarily often consider it to be authentic historically. For this reason it has been placed in single brackets in the translation.

[23:34]  ⁴⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:34]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “cast lots” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent “threw dice” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.

[23:34]  ⁴⁷ sn An allusion to Ps 22:18, which identifies Jesus as the suffering innocent one.

[19:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “carrying the cross by himself.”

[19:17]  sn As was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion, the prisoner was made to carry his own cross. In all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution. According to Matt 27:32 and Mark 15:21, the soldiers forced Simon to take the cross; Luke 23:26 states that the cross was placed on Simon so that it might be carried behind Jesus. A reasonable explanation of all this is that Jesus started out carrying the cross until he was no longer able to do so, at which point Simon was forced to take over.

[19:17]  ⁴⁹ sn Jesus was led out to the place called “The Place of the Skull” where he was to be crucified. It is clear from v. 20 that this was outside the city. The Latin word for the Greek κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria. Thus the English word “Calvary” is a transliteration of the Latin rather than a NT place name (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).

[19:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:17]  ⁵¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:18]  ⁵² tn Grk “where they.” This is a continuation of the previous verse in Greek, but contemporary English style tends toward shorter sentences. A literal translation would result in a lengthy and awkward English sentence.

[19:18]  ⁵³ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:18]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “and with him two others.”

[19:19]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “an inscription.”

[19:19]  sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.

[19:19]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “Pilate also wrote a notice and placed it on the cross.” The two verbs should be read as causatives, since it is highly unlikely that the Roman governor would perform either of these actions himself. He ordered them to be done.

[19:19]  sn John says simply that the notice was fastened to the cross. Luke 23:38 says the inscription was placed “over him” (Jesus), and Matt 27:37 that it was placed over Jesus’ head. On the basis of Matthew’s statement Jesus’ cross is usually depicted as the crux immissa, the cross which has the crossbeam set below the top of the upright beam. The other commonly used type of cross was the crux commissa, which had the crossbeam atop the upright beam. But Matthew’s statement is not conclusive, since with the crux commissa the body would have sagged downward enough to allow the placard to be placed above Jesus’ head. The placard with Pilate’s inscription is mentioned in all the gospels, but for John it was certainly ironic. Jesus really was the King of the Jews, although he was a king rejected by his own people (cf. 1:11). Pilate’s own motivation for placing the title over Jesus is considerably more obscure. He may have meant this as a final mockery of Jesus himself, but Pilate’s earlier mockery of Jesus seemed to be motivated by a desire to gain pity from the Jewish authorities in order to have him released. More likely Pilate saw this as a subtle way of getting back at the Jewish authorities who had pressured him into the execution of one he considered to be an innocent man.

[19:19]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “Now it was written.”

[19:20]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem in general. See also the note on the phrase Jewish religious leaders” in v. 7.

[19:20]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:20]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “this inscription.”

[19:20]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:21]  ⁶¹ tn Or “the Jewish chief priests.” Nowhere else in the Fourth Gospel are the two expressions οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (Joi arcierei" twn Ioudaiwn) combined. Earlier in 19:15 the chief priests were simply referred to as οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς. It seems likely that this is another example of Johannine irony, to be seen in contrast to the inscription on the cross which read ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (Jo basileu" twn Ioudaiwn). For this reason the phrase has been translated “the chief priests of the Jews” (which preserves in the translation the connection with “King of the Jews”) rather than “the Jewish chief priests.”