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Matthew26:36–46

Jesus Prays at Gethsemane

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Matthew 26:36–46 — Jesus Prays at Gethsemane. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

36

Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Tote ho Iēsous erchetai met’ autōn eis chōrion legomenon Gethsēmani kai legei tois mathētais Kathisate autou heōs hou apelthōn ekei proseuxōmai

Word by word21 · parsed
ΤότεToteThenG5119
√ τότε — the when, iAdverb
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἔρχεταιerchetaiwentG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
erchomai: to come or go The historic present. Matthew could have written the aorist and did not; the same verb recurs in the present at v40 and v45, marking the three returns as a single sustained motion of coming and going. The effect is that the reader stands in the garden rather than reading a report of it.
μετ’met’withG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
αὐτῶνautōn[His disciples]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
εἰςeistoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
χωρίονchōriona placeG5564
√ χωρίον — a spot or plot of groundNounAccusative Neuter Singular
chōrion: a spot or plot of ground A rare noun (9 verses). The scene of the atonement is located not in the temple but on a piece of cultivated dirt outside the city wall.
λεγόμενονlegomenoncalledG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Neuter Singular
ΓεθσημανὶGethsēmaniGethsemaneG1068
√ Γεθσημανῆ — oil-pressNounAccusative Neuter Singular
Gethsēmanē: oil-press The name is a machine: the stone press in which olives are crushed so that the oil can be taken from them. Gill draws the line deliberately, that this was "a very significant place" for one who "was about to tread the wine press of his Father's wrath, alone." Maclaren makes the same reading: the good olive crushed, and oil poured into many a wound since. The name is sourced; the crushing is what the chapter then narrates.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
λέγειlegeiHe toldG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
τοῖςtoisG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Plural
μαθηταῖςmathētais[them]G3101
√ μαθητής — a learner, iNounDative Masculine Plural
ΚαθίσατεKathisateSitG2523
√ καθίζω — to seat down, iVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
kathizō: to seat down Aorist imperative, a single settled act: sit down and stay sat. Benson holds that he nevertheless intended them to be employed as he was, in watching and prayer, which v41 then makes explicit.
αὐτοῦautouhereG847
√ αὐτοῦ — properly, belonging to the same spot, iAdverb
ἕωςheōswhileG2193
√ ἕως — a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)Preposition
heōs: until Here with the relative, marking a limit in time rather than a stretch of it.
οὗhou. . .G3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀπελθὼνapelthōnI goG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἐκεῖekeiover thereG1563
√ ἐκεῖ — thereAdverb
προσεύξωμαιproseuxōmai[and] prayG4336
√ προσεύχομαι — to pray to God, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Middle1st Person Singular
proseuchomai: to pray to God The governing verb of the unit: it occurs at v36, v39, v41, v42 and v44. Everything else in the scene (the walking out, the falling, the returning, the waking) is arranged around this one act.
37

He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai paralabōn ton Petron kai tous dyo huious Zebedaiou ērxato lypeisthai kai adēmonein

Word by word13 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
παραλαβὼνparalabōnHe took with HimG3880
√ παραλαμβάνω — to receive near, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
paralambanō: to receive near The three taken alongside are, as Ellicott, Gill, Poole and Cambridge all note, the same three who saw the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1) and the raising in Jairus's house (Mark 5:37). The witnesses of the glory are made the witnesses of the crushing.
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ΠέτρονPetronPeterG4074
√ Πέτρος — a (piece of) rock (larger than G3037 (λίθος))NounAccusative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τοὺςtoustheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
δύοdyotwoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
υἱοὺςhuioussonsG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounAccusative Masculine Plural
ΖεβεδαίουZebedaiouof ZebedeeG2199
√ Ζεβεδαῖος — Zebedæus, an IsraeliteNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἤρξατοērxato[and] beganG756
√ ἄρχομαι — to commence (in order of time)VerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
archomai: to commence Inceptive aorist. Henry pushes the beginning to its end: "He now began to be sorrowful, and never ceased to be so till he said, It is finished."
λυπεῖσθαιlypeisthaito be sorrowfulG3076
√ λυπέω — to distressVerbPresent Infinitive Middle or Passive
lypeō: to distress The ordinary verb for grief, in the middle or passive. It is the weaker of the two verbs here, and it is the one English translates most confidently.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀδημονεῖνadēmoneindeeply distressedG85
√ ἀδημονέω — to be in distress (of mind)VerbPresent Infinitive Active
adēmoneō: to be in distress of mind One of the rarest verbs in the Greek New Testament (3 verses). Its only other uses are Mark's parallel and Paul's description of Epaphroditus longing after the Philippians, which is the whole extent of the canonical evidence for its force. That thinness is why the commentators reach for etymology, and why every English rendering of it is a guess held with more or less honesty.
38

Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

tote legei autois mou hē psychē estin Perilypos heōs thanatou meinate hōde kai grēgoreite met’ emou

Word by word16 · parsed
τότεtoteThenG5119
√ τότε — the when, iAdverb
λέγειlegeiHe saidG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῖςautoisto themG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
μουmouMyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
ψυχήpsychēsoulG5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
psychē: breath, soul, life Cambridge is right that this is the plainest self-ascription of a human soul on the Lord's own lips, and Gill builds the same point from it: that Christ had a human soul as well as a human body, possessed of the same passions as ours but without sin. The grief in this verse is therefore not a figure of speech about a divine person; it is predicated of a real human interior.
ἐστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ΠερίλυπόςPerilyposconsumed with sorrowG4036
√ περίλυπος — grieved all around, iAdjectiveNominative Feminine Singular
perilypos: grieved all around A rare adjective (5 verses). The picture is encirclement, sorrow as a besieging ring with no gap in it, which is exactly how Gill reads it: that the least degree of comfort was not let in, nor was there any way open for it.
ἕωςheōsto the pointG2193
√ ἕως — a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)Preposition
θανάτουthanatouof deathG2288
√ θάνατος — (properly, an adjective used as a noun) death (literally or figuratively)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
thanatos: death With heōs this fixes a measure: the sorrow is gauged by how far it reaches, and it reaches as far as dying. Benson, Poole, Barnes and Pulpit all agree that this is not the fear of the cross alone; they differ on what else it is.
μείνατεmeinateStayG3306
√ μένω — to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
menō: to stay Aorist imperative: stay put. The word is the one John will use for abiding, though here it is asked of men who will shortly not manage even to stay awake.
ὧδεhōdehereG5602
√ ὧδε — in this same spot, iAdverb
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
γρηγορεῖτεgrēgoreitekeep watchG1127
√ γρηγορεύω — to keep awake, iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
grēgoreuō: to keep awake Present imperative, and the governing command of the rest of the unit: it returns at v40 (as an aorist infinitive, grēgorēsai) and at v41. The failure the narrative records is measured against this word, not against courage or loyalty in the abstract.
μετ’met’withG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
ἐμοῦemouMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
egō: I, me Cambridge notes that the phrase "with me" here is peculiar to Matthew. The request is not for vigilance in general but for company.
39

Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai proelthōn mikron epesen epi autou prosōpon proseuchomenos kai legōn mou Pater ei estin dynaton touto to potērion parelthatō ap’ emou plēn ouch hōs egō thelō all’ hōs sy

Word by word29 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
προελθὼνproelthōnGoingG4281
√ προέρχομαι — to go onward, precede (in place or time)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
μικρὸνmikrona little {farther}G3398
√ μικρός — small (in size, quantity, number or (figuratively) dignity)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
ἔπεσενepesenHe fellG4098
√ πίπτω — to fall (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
piptō: to fall Aorist. Pulpit reads the posture as "utter abasement and desolation, yet in submission withal." Gill adds the rabbinic rule he found, that falling on the face was not permitted to just anyone or at just any time, which makes the act in the garden a deliberate assumption of the lowest posture the piety of the day knew.
ἐπὶepivvvG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
αὐτοῦautouvvvG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
πρόσωπονprosōponfacedownG4383
√ πρόσωπον — the front (as being towards view), iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
prosōpon: the face, the front The face is what is presented to another; putting it in the dirt is the bodily form of asking. The idiom is Hebrew and old: Poole lists Abraham, Moses and Aaron falling on their faces, and Barnes adds Numbers 16:22, 2 Chronicles 20:18 and Nehemiah 8:6.
προσευχόμενοςproseuchomenos[and] prayedG4336
√ προσεύχομαι — to pray to God, iVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
λέγωνlegōnG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
μουmouMyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
ΠάτερPaterFatherG3962
√ πατήρ — a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote)NounVocative Masculine Singular
patēr: father Vocative, and with mou attached: my Father. Pulpit notes that only here and in John 17 does Christ address the Father in this form, and Cambridge and Pulpit both record that Mark preserves the underlying Aramaic Abba. The filial address is not suspended by the agony; it is the agony's grammar.
εἰeiifG1487
√ εἰ — if, whether, that, etcConjunction
ei: if A conditional of real possibility, which is why Poole must argue at length that praying "if it be possible" does not imply that the one praying thought it was.
ἐστινestinit isG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
δυνατόνdynatonpossibleG1415
√ δυνατός — powerful or capable (literally or figuratively)AdjectiveNominative Neuter Singular
dynatos: powerful, capable, possible Poole draws the distinction the word forces: a thing possible in itself may not be possible in its circumstances, and Luke's "if thou be willing" expounds Matthew's "if it be possible." Ellicott makes the same move by way of self-imposed law: even divine omnipotence works through appointed means. Both are readings of the word, not the word itself.
τοῦτοtouto{let} thisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Neuter Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
ποτήριονpotērioncupG4221
√ ποτήριον — a drinking-vesselNounNominative Neuter Singular
potērion: a drinking-vessel The word is ordinary; the usage is not. Geneva glosses it as the Hebrew idiom for the wrath of God and the punishment he sends, and Ellicott points back to Matthew 20:23, where the same cup had already been offered to the sons of Zebedee, two of whom are lying asleep a stone's throw away. Cambridge asks whether they overheard this.
παρελθάτωparelthatōpassG3928
√ παρέρχομαι — to come near or aside, iVerbAorist Imperative Active3rd Person Singular
parerchomai: to come near or aside, to pass by Aorist imperative. It is answered in the only way a real petition can be answered when the answer is no: v42 uses the same verb in the infinitive after a negated "is able."
ἀπ’ap’fromG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
ἐμοῦemouMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
πλὴνplēnYetG4133
√ πλήν — moreover (besides), iConjunction
οὐχouchnotG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ὡςhōsasG5613
√ ὡς — which how, iAdverb
ἐγὼegōIG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 1st Person Singular
θέλωthelōwillG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
thelō: to determine, to will The human will is named and is not pretended away. Pulpit: "In this prayer are shown the two wills of Christ, the human and Divine," and he notes that the Monothelite position is refuted by this verse. The second clause does not deny the first; it subordinates it.
ἀλλ’all’butG235
√ ἀλλά — properly, other things, iConjunction
ὡςhōsasG5613
√ ὡς — which how, iAdverb
σύsyYou [will]G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 2nd Person Singular
sy: thou The sentence ends on the pronoun, with the verb left to be supplied: "but as You." Greek can stop there; English has to add "will."
40

Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai erchetai pros tous mathētas kai heuriskei autous katheudontas Houtōs ouk ischysate grēgorēsai met’ emou mian hōran kai legei tō Petrō

Word by word21 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἔρχεταιerchetai[Jesus] returnedG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τοὺςtoustheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
μαθητὰςmathētasdisciplesG3101
√ μαθητής — a learner, iNounAccusative Masculine Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εὑρίσκειheuriskeifoundG2147
√ εὑρίσκω — to find (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοὺςautousthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
καθεύδονταςkatheudontassleepingG2518
√ καθεύδω — to lie down to rest, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveAccusative Masculine Plural
katheudō: to lie down to rest, to sleep The verb governs the second half of the unit (v40, v43, v45) and is paired in the canon with grēgoreuō as its opposite. Luke's added reason, that they were sleeping for sorrow, is what Barnes, Gill and Pulpit all use to keep the failure from being read as indifference.
ΟὕτωςHoutōsG3779
√ οὕτω — in this way (referring to what precedes or follows)Adverb
houtō: in this way Left untranslated in most English versions; it turns a question into a reproach.
οὐκoukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἰσχύσατεischysateWere you not ableG2480
√ ἰσχύω — to have (or exercise) force (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
ischyō: to have or exercise force A strength word, deliberately chosen. Cambridge notes the verb is plural although the address is to Peter: "As Peter took the lead in the promise of devotion, Jesus singles him out for rebuke," and Mark sharpens it further by using the old name, Simon.
γρηγορῆσαιgrēgorēsaito keep watchG1127
√ γρηγορεύω — to keep awake, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
μετ’met’withG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
ἐμοῦemouMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
μίανmian[for] oneG1520
√ εἷς — oneAdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
ὥρανhōranhourG5610
√ ὥρα — an "hour" (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
hōra: an hour Ellicott takes the hour as roughly measuring the elapsed time; Pulpit thinks the term indefinite. Either way it is the same noun that returns at v45 as "the hour," so the hour they could not watch and the hour that has drawn near are one word.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
λέγειlegeiHe askedG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ΠέτρῳPetrōPeterG4074
√ Πέτρος — a (piece of) rock (larger than G3037 (λίθος))NounDative Masculine Singular
41

“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

grēgoreite kai proseuchesthe hina mē eiselthēte eis peirasmon men to pneuma prothymon de hē sarx asthenēs

Word by word16 · parsed
γρηγορεῖτεgrēgoreiteWatchG1127
√ γρηγορεύω — to keep awake, iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
grēgoreuō: to keep awake Ellicott traces the afterlife of this imperative: it became the watchword of the early disciples (1 Corinthians 16:13, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 1 Peter 5:8) and left its mark in the names Gregory and Vigilius. The command given to three sleeping men in a garden became a standing Christian posture.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
προσεύχεσθεproseuchestheprayG4336
√ προσεύχομαι — to pray to God, iVerbPresent Imperative Middle or Passive2nd Person Plural
ἵναhinaso thatG2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
μὴmēvvvG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
εἰσέλθητεeiselthēteyou will not enterG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Plural
eiserchomai: to enter Aorist subjunctive after hina mē: the thing to be prevented is a single entry, a crossing of a threshold. Pulpit's point is sharp and worth holding: the trial itself could no longer be deprecated, since Luke 22:31 shows it already decreed; what could still be asked for was grace not to go under in it.
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
πειρασμόνpeirasmontemptationG3986
√ πειρασμός — a putting to proof (by experiment (of good), experience (of evil), solicitation, discipline or provocation)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
peirasmos: a putting to proof The noun is uncommon (20 verses). Barnes defines the specific trial in view: not enticement to sin in general but the shock of seeing their Messiah rejected, bound and killed without lifting a hand, which would test everything they believed about who he was.
μὲνmenForG3303
√ μέν — properly, indicative of affirmation or concession (in fact)Conjunction
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
πνεῦμαpneumaspiritG4151
√ πνεῦμα — a current of air, iNounNominative Neuter Singular
pneuma: a current of air, breath, spirit Gill records two readings, the evil spirit who is eager to have them, and the renewed human spirit which is willing but housed in weak flesh, and he does not pretend to settle it. Most of the tradition here (Barnes, Ellicott, Poole, Pulpit) takes the second.
πρόθυμονprothymon[is] willingG4289
√ πρόθυμος — forward in spirit, iAdjectiveNominative Neuter Singular
prothymos: forward in spirit, eager A rare adjective (3 verses; the Verifier finds it shared with Romans 1:15). Ellicott improves the English: "Better, ready, or eager." The word concedes something real to the disciples rather than merely excusing them.
δὲdebutG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἡhētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
σὰρξsarxbodyG4561
√ σάρξ — flesh (as stripped of the skin), iNounNominative Feminine Singular
sarx: flesh Rendered "body" by BSB and by three of the ancient versions. The narrowing matters, because the sentence is not a comment on tiredness but on the whole creaturely weakness that tiredness is a symptom of.
ἀσθενήςasthenēs[is] weakG772
√ ἀσθενής — strengthless (in various applications, literal, figurative and moral)AdjectiveNominative Feminine Singular
asthenēs: strengthless The privative of strength, and the exact counterweight to ischyō in v40: they were not strong enough, because the flesh is without strength. Matthew has built the two verses on one contrast.
42

A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Palin ek deuterou apelthōn prosēuxato legōn mou Pater ei touto ou dynatai parelthein ean mē piō auto sou to thelēma genēthētō

Word by word21 · parsed
ΠάλινPalinvvvG3825
√ πάλιν — (adverbially) anew, iAdverb
ἐκekvvvG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
δευτέρουdeuterouA second timeG1208
√ δεύτερος — (ordinal) second (in time, place, or rankAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Singular
deuteros: second Matthew alone gives the words of this second prayer; Mark reports only that he prayed the same thing. That is why Poole, at v42 to v43, has to explain what "the same word" can mean.
ἀπελθὼνapelthōnHe went awayG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
προσηύξατοprosēuxato[and] prayedG4336
√ προσεύχομαι — to pray to God, iVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
λέγωνlegōnG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
μουmouMyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
ΠάτερPaterFatherG3962
√ πατήρ — a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote)NounVocative Masculine Singular
εἰeiifG1487
√ εἰ — if, whether, that, etcConjunction
τοῦτοtoutothis [cup]G3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Neuter Singular
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
δύναταιdynataicannotG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
dynamai: to be able The hinge of the unit. Ellicott reads the change of tone carefully and without overclaiming: it is as though the conviction that the cup could not pass had come with fuller clearness, and he finds the answer to the first prayer in the continuance of the agony rather than in its removal.
παρελθεῖνpareltheinpassG3928
√ παρέρχομαι — to come near or aside, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
ἐὰνeanunlessG1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
μὴmē. . .G3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
πίωpiōI drinkG4095
√ πίνω — to imbibe (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active1st Person Singular
pinō: to imbibe Aorist subjunctive. Drinking is the OT gesture for receiving what is poured out for you, and Geneva has already identified the cup as the Hebrew idiom for wrath; the verb here completes that idiom rather than merely continuing a metaphor of suffering.
αὐτὸautoitG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
σουsou{may} YourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
θέλημάthelēmawillG2307
√ θέλημα — a determination (properly, the thing), iNounNominative Neuter Singular
thelēma: a determination, a will The noun matched against the verb thelō of v39. There he said "not as I will"; here he names the Father's will as a noun and asks for it to happen. The negative of v39 has become a positive petition.
γενηθήτωgenēthētōbe doneG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Imperative Passive3rd Person Singular
ginomai: to come to be Aorist passive imperative, third person: the same form, with the same noun, as the third petition of the prayer he taught (Matthew 6:10). Whether Matthew intends the reader to hear it is a judgment; that the wording is the same is a fact of the Greek.
43

And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai palin elthōn heuren autous katheudontas gar autōn hoi ophthalmoi ēsan bebarēmenoi

Word by word12 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πάλινpalinagainG3825
√ πάλιν — (adverbially) anew, iAdverb
ἐλθὼνelthōn[Jesus] returnedG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
εὗρενheuren[and] foundG2147
√ εὑρίσκω — to find (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοὺςautousthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
καθεύδονταςkatheudontassleepingG2518
√ καθεύδω — to lie down to rest, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveAccusative Masculine Plural
katheudō: to sleep The second of three findings. Ellicott marks the difference from the first: he does not now rouse them or speak to them, and Mark adds that they did not know what to answer him.
γὰρgarforG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
gar: for, assigning a reason One clause of explanation, and the only comment the evangelist allows himself in the whole scene.
αὐτῶνautōntheirG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
οἱhoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
ὀφθαλμοὶophthalmoieyesG3788
√ ὀφθαλμός — the eye (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Masculine Plural
ophthalmos: the eye The organ of watching, named only when it fails.
ἦσανēsanwereG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
βεβαρημένοιbebarēmenoiheavyG916
√ βαρέω — to weigh down (figuratively)VerbPerfect Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Plural
bareō: to weigh down A vivid passive: something presses the eyelids shut. The same root sense stands behind Luke's account of eyes heavy with sorrow, and Gill (who has already canvassed Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4 and Jonah 1:5 as sleepers under grief) adds, without asserting it, that Satan may have had a hand in the drowsiness. That last is his speculation, offered as such.
44

So He left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai apheis autous apelthōn palin prosēuxato ek tritou eipōn ton auton logon palin

Word by word13 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀφεὶςapheisHe leftG863
√ ἀφίημι — an intensive form of , to go)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
aphiēmi: to send away, to let go Aorist participle. He goes back to pray a third time having released them from the watch he had asked for twice; the next thing he says to them is that they may sleep.
αὐτοὺςautousthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ἀπελθὼνapelthōn[and] went awayG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
πάλινpalinonce moreG3825
√ πάλιν — (adverbially) anew, iAdverb
προσηύξατοprosēuxato[and] prayedG4336
√ προσεύχομαι — to pray to God, iVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
ἐκekG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
τρίτουtritou[a] third timeG5154
√ τρίτος — thirdAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Singular
tritos: third Pulpit sets this threefold prayer against the threefold temptation at the start of the ministry, and Gill sets it against Paul praying thrice in 2 Corinthians 12:8 that his trial might depart. Both comparisons are theirs; the count of three is the text's.
εἰπὼνeipōnsayingG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
αὐτὸνautonsameG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
λόγονlogonthingG3056
√ λόγος — something said (including the thought)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
logos: something said, including the thought Singular, and the whole weight of Poole's argument rests on that. Cambridge adds the necessary guard from the other side: this repetition of earnestness is not to be confused with the vain repetitions forbidden in Matthew 6:7. Ellicott states the principle most exactly, that the deepest agony is content to fall back on the iteration of the self-same words.
πάλινpalinG3825
√ πάλιν — (adverbially) anew, iAdverb
45

Then He returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

tote erchetai pros tous mathētas kai legei autois Katheudete to loipon kai anapauesthe idou hē hōra ēngiken kai ho Huios tou anthrōpou paradidotai eis cheiras hamartōlōn

Word by word26 · parsed
τότεtoteThenG5119
√ τότε — the when, iAdverb
ἔρχεταιerchetaiHe returnedG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τοὺςtoustheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
μαθητὰςmathētasdisciplesG3101
√ μαθητής — a learner, iNounAccusative Masculine Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
λέγειlegeisaidG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῖςautoisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ΚαθεύδετεKatheudeteAre you still sleepingG2518
√ καθεύδω — to lie down to rest, iVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
katheudō: to sleep The third finding, and the one on which the commentators most openly disagree, because the Greek supplies no punctuation. Barnes prefers permission and notes that the question reading is supported by Luke 22:46, "Why sleep ye?"; Pulpit holds that irony is inconceivable from him at this moment; Cambridge and Ellicott suspect that Judas appeared between this sentence and the next. We record the disagreement rather than resolving it.
τὸto. . .G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
λοιπὸνloipon. . .G3063
√ λοιπόν — something remaining (adverbially)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
loipon: something remaining Adverbial, "for what is left," which Pulpit renders "henceforward." If it is permission, this word sets its limit: sleep for the little that remains.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀναπαύεσθεanapauestherestingG373
√ ἀναπαύω — (reflexively) to repose (literally or figuratively (be exempt), remain)VerbPresent Indicative Middle2nd Person Plural
anapauō: to repose Middle voice, and the verb's root sense includes being exempt. There is a bitter accuracy in it: the exemption they take is the one he has just been refused.
ἰδοὺidouLookG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
ἡhētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
ὥραhōrahourG5610
√ ὥρα — an "hour" (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
hōra: an hour The same noun as the hour they could not watch (v40). Gill: "the time, the very hour was fixed, and was now approaching; the last sand in the glass was dropping."
ἤγγικενēngikenis nearG1448
√ ἐγγίζω — to make near, iVerbPerfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
engizō: to make near, to draw near Perfect. The approach is finished; only the arrival is left. Matthew repeats the same perfect one verse later, which is the tightest structural seam in the unit.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΥἱὸςHuiosSonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
huios: a son With tou anthrōpou, the title he uses of himself throughout this Gospel. Gill notes that under this apparently diminutive title Christ expresses both his messiahship, the title being one of the Messiah in the Old Testament, and the weakness of the human nature in which he is about to be handed over.
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀνθρώπουanthrōpouof ManG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounGenitive Masculine Singular
παραδίδοταιparadidotaiis betrayedG3860
√ παραδίδωμι — to surrender, iVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
paradidōmi: to surrender, to hand over A passive with no agent named, and it is the verb of the whole Passion narrative. Judas is not mentioned in this clause; the participle of the same verb names him, still without a name, in v46.
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
χεῖραςcheiras[the] handsG5495
√ χείρ — the hand (literally or figuratively (power)NounAccusative Feminine Plural
ἁμαρτωλῶνhamartōlōnof sinnersG268
√ ἁμαρτωλός — sinful, iAdjectiveGenitive Masculine Plural
hamartōlos: sinful Genitive plural. Benson restricts it to the Gentiles on the usage of Galatians 2:15; Pulpit extends it to everyone who took part. The word itself decides neither, and the hands in view are, on any reading, human.
46

Rise, let us go! See, My betrayer is approaching!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

egeiresthe agōmen idou me ho paradidous ēngiken

Word by word7 · parsed
ἐγείρεσθεegeirestheRiseG1453
√ ἐγείρω — to waken (transitively or intransitively), iVerbPresent Imperative Middle or Passive2nd Person Plural
egeirō: to waken, to raise Present imperative, middle or passive. The unit that began with "Sit here" ends with "Be raised," and between the two commands the disciples have done nothing but sleep.
ἄγωμενagōmenlet us goG71
√ ἄγω — properly, to leadVerbPresent Subjunctive Active1st Person Plural
agō: properly, to lead First person plural subjunctive: he includes himself, and he is going toward the arrest, not away from it. Gill: "Not to run away from the enemy, but to meet him."
ἰδοὺidouSeeG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
μεmeMyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
παραδιδούςparadidousbetrayerG3860
√ παραδίδωμι — to surrender, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
paradidōmi: to surrender, to hand over The participle answering the finite verb of v45. Matthew leaves the traitor grammatically anonymous to the last clause of the unit; the Gospel names him only when the narrative resumes.
ἤγγικενēngikenis approachingG1448
√ ἐγγίζω — to make near, iVerbPerfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
engizō: to draw near The same perfect as v45, and the last word of the unit. Both the appointed hour and the man carrying it out are, in Greek, in the same completed state of having come near.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The oil press — 26:36 to 26:37

The place is named and the name is a machine. Γεθσημανί (G1068) is glossed in the lexicon simply oil-press, and Gill, after weighing the rival Hebrew etymologies (valley of fatness, valley of signs), settles on "an olive press, or a press for olives," adding that it was "a very significant place" for one "about to tread the wine press of his Father's wrath, alone." Maclaren reads the same name the same way: "Truly it was 'an oil-press,' in which 'the good olive' was crushed by the grip of unparalleled agony, and yielded precious oil." Both are readings; the gloss under the name is sourced. Barnes, Ellicott and Pulpit all record that the traditional site is uncertain, Ellicott noting that Josephus says Titus had every tree around Jerusalem cut down, so the olives shown to pilgrims cannot be the ones that stood here. Henry frames the whole scene in one sentence: the man revolted from God in a garden of pleasure, and the one who made atonement submitted in a garden of suffering. Matthew tells it in the present tense (erchetai, v36, and again in v40 and v45), so the grammar keeps the scene open.

ii. Sorrowful all around, as far as death — 26:37 to 26:38

Two verbs carry the collapse. λυπεῖσθαι (G3076) is the ordinary verb for grief, in the middle or passive. ἀδημονεῖν (G85) is not ordinary at all: the Verifier finds it in three verses of the entire canon. Ellicott records that the philologists cannot agree on its root (satiety and so loathing, or homelessness and so bewilderment); Maclaren cites Lightfoot for "the confused, restless, half-distracted state"; Cambridge says flatly that it is used of "maddening grief." Then in v38 the predicate leads the sentence: Περίλυπός (G4036, a rare adjective, 5 verses), grief as a ring closed all the way around. Benson preserves the geometry ("surrounded with sorrows on every side") and passes on Campbell's correction of the English, that heōs thanatou means not a sorrow lasting until death but one sufficient to cause it. Cambridge marks what the noun itself concedes: this is the one passage in which Jesus ascribes to himself a human soul. Geneva presses the cause (the wrath of God kindled against us for sins) and Barnes the effect ("I seem to bear the pains of death"). Maclaren, alone of them, refuses to systematise and says we must put off our shoes.

iii. The cup, and two wills in one man — 26:39 and 26:42

He falls on his face, which Poole notes was the posture kept for great passions and hardly used otherwise in prayer, and prays a conditional. παρελθάτω (G3928) is an imperative in form; the request is real. The cup is only a drinking-vessel in the lexicon, and Geneva supplies what the lexicon cannot: "an idiom which the Hebrews use for the wrath of God, and the punishment he sends." Ellicott hears the second prayer change key: he "finds the answer to the former prayer in the continuance, not the removal, of the bitter agony." The Greek shows the change precisely, since v39's ei dynaton estin (if it is possible) has become v42's ei ou dynatai (if this is not able), and the second prayer names the drinking out loud. Poole and Ellicott both work at "if it be possible" without pretending it is easy: Poole, that Luke's "if thou be willing" expounds it, and that a thing possible in itself may not be so in its circumstances; Ellicott, that even omnipotence works through self-imposed law. Pulpit takes the two clauses as the plain refutation of Monothelitism, two wills displayed and one submitted. The submission ends in γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, word for word the third petition of the prayer he had taught.

iv. Watch and pray: the strength that was not there — 26:40 to 26:41, 26:43 to 26:44

The reproach is built on one verb. He had said grēgoreite (v38); he asks now whether they were ἰσχύσατε (G2480), strong enough, and the answer in v41 is that the flesh is ἀσθενής (G772), without strength. Cambridge notes the verb in v40 is plural though Peter is addressed, and that Mark sharpens it with the old name, Simon. Barnes refuses the easy verdict: the sleep, he says, "was just the reverse" of indifference, being "proof of their great attachment, and their deep sympathy in his sorrows," and Luke's "sleeping for sorrow" is his warrant; Poole says simply that they did what they could to keep themselves awake; Benson calls the rebuke gentle and the apology kind. Gill defines the thing to be avoided with care: not being tempted, which is unavoidable, but entering in, being immersed, and so forsaking or denying Christ. Pulpit follows Grotius to the same sense, succumbing rather than merely meeting. Ellicott notes that this imperative became the early church's watchword (1 Corinthians 16:13, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 1 Peter 5:8). Meanwhile the three sleep on, their eyes, as v43 has it in a periphrastic perfect passive, having been weighed down.

v. The hour has drawn near — 26:45 to 26:46

Two perfects end the unit, and they are the same perfect: ἤγγικεν (G1448) of the hour in v45 and of the betrayer in v46. A perfect is a completed approach with a standing result: the hour has come near and is near. Gill catches the tempo, that "the time, the very hour was fixed, and was now approaching; the last sand in the glass was dropping." The commentators divide honestly over "Sleep on now," and the division is worth keeping: Barnes lists the options and prefers that the agony being over, he permitted them rest until the traitor appeared; Ellicott and Cambridge suspect that Judas came into view between the two sentences; Pulpit argues the words are plain and kind and that irony here is inconceivable; Poole says he may have said both, and does not decide. παραδίδοται (G3860) is a present passive, "is being handed over," with no agent named; BSB's "is betrayed" supplies Judas, while the passive lets Gill read the determinate counsel of God behind the transaction. Then ἐγείρεσθε, the raising verb, and Ellicott is right that "let us be going" is no suggestion of flight "but rather a call to confront the danger." Geneva: he "offers himself willingly to be taken."

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ This is the tool's own fallible reading, offered to be tested against Scripture and rejected if it fails. What the Greek of this unit keeps insisting on is that the obedience was not a temperament. Matthew could have written that Jesus was grieved; instead he wrote that he began to be grieved (ērxato), which means there was a before. He could have written that Jesus prayed once; instead he counted to three and told us the second prayer had different words and the third the same. He could have said the cup was accepted; instead he preserved a petition in the imperative asking it to go. Obedience here is visibly assembled out of a real human will that wanted something else and said so out loud to the Father, twice, and then handed the matter over. That is why the two halves of the scene belong together and why we should not read the sleeping disciples as mere foil. The same weakness is diagnosed in both places: they have no ischys, and the flesh is asthenēs. The difference is not that he was strong where they were weak. On the plain evidence of v38 he was nearer to being destroyed by it than they were. The difference is that he prayed through the weakness and they slept through it, and the prescription he gave them (keep watching, keep praying, so that you may not enter in) is exactly what he is shown doing three times in the same garden. If that is right, then Gethsemane is not only the place where the atonement was consented to; it is the one place in the Gospels where the Lord demonstrates, in his own body, the practice he commands, and the practice is not stoicism but petition. We hold this loosely. It could be pressed too far: the commentators here agree with one voice (Henry, Geneva, Poole, Gill, Pulpit, Ellicott) that something was in this cup which is in no cup of ours, and any reading that makes Gethsemane merely exemplary has lost what they all saw in it.

The obedience was assembled, not assumed: a will that asked, and then handed the matter over.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The synoptic parallel: two rare words held in common verbal / quotation: confirmed

Mark's account of the same night shares with Matthew the two rarest words in this unit. The Verifier computes for Mark 14:33 the shared lexeme ἀδημονέω (G85), which occurs in only 3 verses of the canon, and for Mark 14:34 the shared περίλυπος (G4036), in only 5. Both directions are Greek to Greek, so the shared Strong's numbers are a genuine verbal basis and not an inference. The commentators use the overlap constantly: Poole, Cambridge and Pulpit all cite Mark for the names of the three, for "Simon, sleepest thou," for "sore amazed," and for "neither wist they what to answer him."

Mark 14:32 · Mark 14:33 · Mark 14:34 · Mark 14:37 · Mark 14:41

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G85 ἀδημονέω (in 3 vv) and G4036 περίλυπος (in 5 vv), both rare, plus G5564 χωρίον (in 9 vv) at Mark 14:32 and G2518 καθεύδω (in 20 vv) at Mark 14:37. Same-Testament, Greek to Greek, so shared Strong's numbers are a valid verbal basis.

Sorrowful all around: the refrain of the Korahite psalms structural / thematic: confirmed

"My soul is consumed with sorrow" (v38) stands very close to the refrain of Psalm 42 and 43, where the psalmist interrogates his own downcast soul three times over. The resemblance is recorded in this unit's citation list, which reports the wording of Psalm 42:5 in the Greek Psalter as running close to verbatim with Matthew's περίλυπος; we have not seen that Septuagint text in these sources and do not assert it on our own authority. Even granting it, the pair cannot be tiered verbal, and the reason must be stated plainly rather than buried: the two references sit on opposite sides of the Testaments, Greek Matthew against Hebrew Psalms, so no shared Strong's lexeme can be computed between them and the Verifier returned no basis for the pair. The Septuagint wording that would carry the claim is not supplied in this unit's sources, so we record the echo and decline the tier. The commentary tradition here does not press it either: Pulpit cites Jonah 4:9 rather than the Psalms at this verse.

Psalm 42:5 · Psalm 42:11 · Psalm 43:5

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's lexeme is computable and the Verifier supplied no basis for this pair. The link is the shared figure of a soul addressed in its own sorrow, plus this unit's recorded citation. Close to verbatim in the Greek Psalter, and still not tierable verbal, because the refs cross the Testaments and the LXX wording is not in this unit's sources.

The cup: an idiom the lexicon cannot carry structural / thematic: confirmed

ποτήριον (G4221) means nothing more than a drinking-vessel, so the theology of v39 and v42 is carried entirely by an Old Testament idiom. Geneva names it in so many words at this verse: the cup is "an idiom which the Hebrews use for the wrath of God, and the punishment he sends." The Hebrew places where that idiom is set are the cup of staggering handed to Jerusalem and then taken from her hand, the cup of wine of wrath given to the nations to drink, and the cup of foaming wine in the hand of the LORD. Ellicott connects the same cup back to Matthew 20:23, where it had been offered to two of the men now asleep nearby. The cup drunk here is the reason the second prayer says "unless I drink it."

Isaiah 51:17 · Isaiah 51:22 · Jeremiah 25:15 · Psalm 75:8 · Matthew 20:23

basis: Cross-Testament for the Isaiah, Jeremiah and Psalms refs (Greek to Hebrew), so no shared Strong's lexeme is computable and a verbal tier is excluded. The recorded human basis is Geneva's gloss at Matthew 26:39, which identifies the cup as the Hebrew idiom for wrath. No quotation is claimed, only a shared idiom.

Falling on the face: the posture kept for great passions structural / thematic: confirmed

BSB's adverb "facedown" renders four Greek words, ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, which is the standing Hebrew idiom of prostration. Two of the commentators here supply the canonical range from their own reading: Barnes calls it "the usual posture of prayer in times of great earnestness" and cites Numbers 16:22, 2 Chronicles 20:18 and Nehemiah 8:6; Poole cites Abraham falling on his face (he gives Genesis 17:17) and Moses and Aaron at Numbers 16:22, and adds that "prostration was ordinarily used in great passions; hardly otherwise in prayer." Gill records the later rabbinic rules restricting who might fall on his face and when. The citation list for this unit also records Genesis 17:3.

Genesis 17:3 · Numbers 16:22 · Nehemiah 8:6

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's lexeme is computable, so a verbal tier is excluded on the idiom as well as by rule. The basis is a shared gesture with named human attestation, Barnes citing Numbers 16:22 and Nehemiah 8:6 and Poole citing Genesis and Numbers at this verse.

Watching and sleeping: the pair that became a Christian idiom structural / thematic: confirmed

The two verbs set against each other in v40 and v41, γρηγορεύω (G1127) and καθεύδω (G2518), reappear paired in Paul's charge to the Thessalonians, where the Verifier computes both as shared lexemes. Ellicott, commenting on v41, records the same afterlife from the other end: the imperative "became the watchword of the early disciples," and he lists 1 Corinthians 16:13, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:6 and 1 Peter 5:8. The link is a real verbal one and it is same-Testament, but both lexemes are moderately common (22 and 20 verses) and no quotation is in view, so we take the lower tier rather than the higher one.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 · 1 Thessalonians 5:10 · Luke 12:37

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G1127 γρηγορεύω (in 22 vv) and G2518 καθεύδω (in 20 vv) at 1 Thessalonians 5:6 and 5:10, and G1127 with G3928 παρέρχομαι (in 25 vv) at Luke 12:37. Downgraded from verbal because neither lexeme is rare enough to carry a quotation claim and no citation is made in either direction.

"Let your will come to pass": the prayer he taught, prayed structural / thematic: confirmed

The words of v42, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, are the third petition of the prayer he had given the disciples in Matthew 6:10, in the same form. The Verifier, asked for this pair directly, returns the shared lexemes G2307 θέλημα and G1096 γίνομαι. The same relation holds one verse earlier: v41's warning not to enter into πειρασμός shares G3986 with the petition of Matthew 6:13, which Ellicott names at this verse ("as in the Lord's Prayer, to which our Lord manifestly recalls the minds of the disciples"). So the teacher, in the garden, is shown praying the two petitions he taught, in the order in which they stand in the prayer. We tier this structural rather than verbal: the shared lexemes are common ones, and the Verifier's own computed tier for both pairs is structural.

Matthew 6:10 · Matthew 6:13

basis: Verifier pair check, Matthew 26:42 with Matthew 6:10: shared G2307 θέλημα (in 58 vv), G1096 γίνομαι (in 627 vv); and Matthew 26:41 with Matthew 6:13: shared G3986 πειρασμός (in 20 vv). Same-Testament, so a verbal tier would be permitted by rule, but the Verifier's computed tier is structural and the lexemes are not rare; Ellicott's named attestation supports the allusion, not a quotation.

"Strong crying and tears": Hebrews reading Gethsemane structural / thematic: confirmed

Three of the commentators here read Hebrews 5:7 and 5:8 as an apostolic description of this very scene. Benson: "when he cried unto God with strong cries and tears, he was heard in that which he feared, Hebrews 5:7." Pulpit quotes the passage in full at v39 as "some affecting details" added to the Gospel account. Ellicott cites Hebrews 5:8 on the first prayer, and Pulpit adds Hebrews 2:10 at the second. The judgment that Hebrews is describing Gethsemane specifically is theirs and is old, but Hebrews names no place, so we record it as a reading rather than a citation.

Hebrews 5:7 · Hebrews 5:8 · Hebrews 2:10

basis: No Verifier basis was computed for this pair; it is not among the thread candidates for this unit. The recorded warrant is human and named: Benson, Ellicott and Pulpit all read Hebrews 5:7-8 as describing this scene. No quotation is claimed in either direction, and Hebrews does not name Gethsemane.

"Abide ye here, and I will go yonder": Moriah typological

Pulpit, commenting on v36, hears Genesis behind the very arrangement of the party: "One is reminded of Abraham at Mount Moriah, when he says to the attendants, 'Abide ye here, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you' (Genesis 22:5)." The parallel is in the shape of the sentence as much as in the scene: attendants left at a distance, a going on ahead to the place of sacrifice, the words "here" and "yonder" both used, and worship named as the reason for the separation. Matthew's Καθίσατε αὐτοῦ (sit here) and ἀπελθὼν ἐκεῖ (having gone away there) hold both of those adverbs. This is a figural reading, so it is tiered typological and not verbal. The father-and-son figure of Moriah read as a figure of the Father and the Son is ancient and widely held; the particular verbal parallel of "abide here, I will go yonder" is Pulpit's own observation at this verse, and we have no older attestation for it in these sources. It is worth noting that it runs against the grain of the usual Isaac typology: at Moriah the son was bound and then spared, and here the Son goes on ahead to ask whether he might be, and is not.

Genesis 22:5

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's lexeme is computable and the Verifier lists no candidate for this pair, so a verbal tier is excluded twice over. Figural reading, attested in this unit's sources by Pulpit at Matthew 26:36, who draws the Moriah parallel explicitly. The Moriah father-and-son figure is ancient and widely held; the particular here/yonder verbal parallel is Pulpit's own and is marked as such in the body.

The angel and the bloody sweat: a text under doubt flagged: verify source

Most of what the tradition says about the intensity of this hour depends on Luke 22:43 and 44, the angel who strengthened him and the sweat like great drops of blood. Barnes builds a long argument on those verses; Benson, Poole and Pulpit all use them; Gill cites the angel's comfort as part of what makes these sorrows the heaviest of all. Cambridge, in the same brief, records the objection: "There is, however, some reason for doubting the genuineness of these verses." That is a live text-critical dispute about whether the verses belong to Luke's Gospel, and it sits underneath a large part of the standard exposition of this unit, so it is flagged here rather than passed on silently. Matthew's own text says nothing of either.

Luke 22:43 · Luke 22:44

basis: Contested provenance, recorded in this unit's own sources: Cambridge states there is reason for doubting the genuineness of Luke 22:43-44, while Barnes, Benson, Poole, Gill and Pulpit all build exposition on them. No Verifier basis; Matthew's text contains neither the angel nor the sweat. Verify the manuscript evidence before leaning on these verses.

ἀδημονέω: the third occurrence structural / thematic: confirmed

The verb that Matthew uses for the distress of v37 occurs in only three verses of the canon. Two are this scene and Mark's parallel. The third is Paul on Epaphroditus, who was longing after the Philippians and "full of heaviness," a use Ellicott points to at this verse in order to get at the word's force. The shared lexeme is genuinely rare and genuinely same-Testament, but the connection is lexical only: Paul is not alluding to Gethsemane and Matthew is not quoted. We therefore take the lower tier, on the principle that a rare word shared between two unrelated passages is evidence about vocabulary, not about literary dependence.

Philippians 2:26 · Mark 14:33

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G85 ἀδημονέω (in 3 vv), a rare lexeme that would permit a verbal tier by frequency alone. Downgraded deliberately: Philippians 2:26 makes no allusion to this scene and neither passage cites the other, so the only real basis is shared vocabulary, which Ellicott uses at Matthew 26:37 to gloss the word.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The press: the good olive crushed ancient/widely-held

⚙ The only detail Matthew gives about the location is its name, and the name is oil-press (G1068). Two of the commentators here take that as given for the scene rather than as decoration. Gill: this was "a very significant place" for one "about to tread the wine press of his Father's wrath, alone, and of the people there were none with him," which is his allusion to Isaiah 63:3. Maclaren makes the figure explicit: the press "in which 'the good olive' was crushed by the grip of unparalleled agony, and yielded precious oil, which has been poured into many a wound since then." Ellicott, independently, cites Isaiah 63:3 at v37 and Isaiah 53:4-6 for the burden of sins weighing on him as greater than he could bear. The reading is ancient and widely held, and it is held by these voices without embarrassment. What we add is only the observation that Matthew does not state it: he gives the name, and the name does the work.

Isaiah 63:3 · Isaiah 53:4

The second garden, and the will that was not taken back ancient/widely-held

⚙ Henry states the frame in one sentence: "He who made atonement for the sins of mankind, submitted himself in a garden of suffering, to the will of God, from which man had revolted in a garden of pleasure." That garden-to-garden reading is old and general, and Henry records it as settled. The grammar of this unit is what gives it a point. In v39 the human will is named and not suppressed (ouch hōs egō thelō, not as I will); in v42 the Father's will is named as a noun and asked to happen (genēthētō to thelēma sou). The revolt in the first garden was a will asserted against a word; the atonement in the second is a will spoken out loud, and then handed over. Geneva, at v46, puts the same point in the older vocabulary: Christ "offers himself willingly to be taken, that in so obeying willingly he might make satisfaction for the wilful fall of man." The two-garden reading is the commentators'; the observation about thelō and thelēma is ours, and it stands or falls with the Greek anyone can check.

Genesis 3:17 · Matthew 26:39 · Matthew 26:42

Handed over: a passive with no agent named ancient/widely-held

⚙ In v45 the verb is παραδίδοται (G3860), present passive, "is being handed over," and Matthew names no one doing it. BSB supplies "is betrayed," which points at Judas, and Judas is indeed at the gate by v46, where the same root appears as a participle, "the one handing me over." But the passive itself leaves the higher agency open, and Gill takes it exactly there: the delivering of Christ, whether by Judas into the hands of the chief priests or by them into the hands of Pilate, "was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," the very hour being fixed. Pulpit reads the "sinners" of this verse broadly, not the Romans only but priests, elders and crowd, all incurring the guilt. So the same clause holds two things at once without straining: men do this, and it is given. The reading is ancient and widely held, and here it is carried by the voice of the verb.

Matthew 26:45 · Matthew 26:46 · Acts 2:23

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text: BSB (CC0) with the Berean interlinear and Strong's numbers. Every parse, gloss, lexeme frequency and thread basis above comes from the unit brief; the ⚙ synthesis is ours and is fallible.

What is uncertain here, specifically. (1) The site of Gethsemane is not known: Barnes reports Robinson's view that the traditional plot was fixed under Helena around 326, and Thomson's that the real garden lay several hundred yards to the northwest; Ellicott notes that Josephus records Titus felling every tree around the city, so the shown olives cannot be the ones that stood here; Pulpit says plainly that the exact site is unknown. Nothing in the reading depends on it. (2) Pulpit records a manuscript split at v39 between proelthōn (having gone forward), which the interlinear follows, and proselthōn (having approached), which he says stands in most of the best uncials and which he judges erroneous. (3) Luke 22:43-44, the angel and the bloody sweat, are doubted by Cambridge and used heavily by Barnes, Benson, Poole, Gill and Pulpit; that is the flagged thread above. (4) The near-verbatim resemblance between v38 and Psalm 42:5 is recorded in this unit's citation list, but the Septuagint wording that would demonstrate it is not in the sources supplied, and no cross-Testament lexeme basis is computable; the thread is tiered accordingly and says so.

About the voices. JFB supplies no exposition at any verse in this unit, referring the reader instead to his comment on Luke 22:39-46, so his entry is quoted once, at v45, with that noted. Henry's entry is one block covering 26:36 to 26:46 and is not verse-specific. The full entries of Maclaren (v36), Gill (v39, v40) and Barnes (v42 to v44) are capped in the brief; excerpts here are taken only from the text actually supplied, and none has been stitched, reordered or modernised. Benson is present at v36, v39, v40, v42 and v46 only; Maclaren at v36 only, which is why he appears once despite writing the longest treatment of the scene.

On tiers. Every thread pairing Matthew with an Old Testament passage is tiered structural or typological and never verbal, because shared Strong's numbers cannot be computed across Greek and Hebrew; each such basis states this. One thread (the synoptic parallel) is tiered verbal on two genuinely rare shared Greek lexemes. Two same-Testament threads that the frequency rule would allow to be tiered verbal (Philippians 2:26 on G85, and the Matthew 6:10 pair) are deliberately downgraded, with the reason recorded in the basis.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)