John 18:1 kjv
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
John 18:1 nkjv
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.
John 18:1 niv
When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
John 18:1 esv
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
John 18:1 nlt
After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.
John 18 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jn 17:26 | "...I have made known to them your name, and I will make it known..." | Connects to Jesus' previous prayer and discourse |
| Jn 14:31 | "...Rise, let us go from here." | Direct instruction to depart from the Upper Room |
| Mt 26:36 | "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane..." | Synoptic parallel, naming the garden |
| Mk 14:32 | "And they went to a place called Gethsemane." | Synoptic parallel, naming the garden |
| Lk 22:39 | "And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives..." | Synoptic parallel, mentioning the location |
| Jn 10:17-18 | "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord..." | Jesus' voluntary submission to the Father's will |
| Lk 9:51 | "...he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." | Jesus' determined resolve towards His suffering |
| Jn 19:11 | "...You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given..." | Emphasizes divine sovereignty over human actions |
| 2 Sam 15:23 | "...King David crossed the Brook Kidron..." | Symbolic parallel to David fleeing Jerusalem |
| 1 Kgs 15:13 | "...removed her from being queen mother because she had made an abominable idol for Asherah...King Asa cut down her idol and burned it in the Kidron Valley." | Kidron as a place of judgment/cleansing from idols |
| 2 Kgs 23:4-6 | "...burned them in the Kidron Valley...burned the Asherah pole at the Brook Kidron..." | Kidron used for purging defilement and idolatry |
| 2 Chr 29:16 | "...and the Levites carried out into the Kidron Valley all the uncleanness..." | Kidron as a receptacle for temple defilement |
| Jer 31:40 | "...the entire Kidron Valley, as far as the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be uprooted or overthrown anymore forever." | Kidron associated with future sanctification |
| Gen 2:8-9 | "And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden...every tree that is pleasant..." | First garden, scene of creation and perfection |
| Gen 3:23-24 | "He drove out the man...at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim..." | Garden as a place of the Fall and banishment |
| Isa 53:7 | "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter..." | Foreshadowing Jesus as the suffering lamb |
| Exod 12:5-7 | "...without blemish...you shall keep it until the fourteenth day...kill it at twilight." | Passover lamb imagery; Jesus' hour approaching |
| 1 Cor 5:7 | "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." | Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb |
| Phil 2:8 | "...He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross." | Jesus' ultimate act of obedience |
| Heb 12:2 | "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross..." | Jesus' forward-looking perspective on suffering |
| Mt 26:31 | "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." | Prophecy of disciples fleeing (implied in the setting) |
| Jn 18:2-3 | "Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place...soldiers and officers..." | Immediate context of betrayal and arrest in the garden |
John 18 verses
John 18 1 Meaning
After concluding His extensive farewell discourse and High Priestly Prayer with His disciples (John 13-17), Jesus purposefully departed from the upper room. Accompanied by His disciples, He crossed the Kidron Valley and entered a specific garden, preparing for the climactic events of His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. This verse marks a significant transition from teaching and prayer to deliberate action and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.
John 18 1 Context
John 18:1 opens the final, dramatic section of John's Gospel, detailing Jesus' Passion. It immediately follows the Upper Room discourse and the deeply moving High Priestly Prayer of John chapters 13-17, where Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure, promises the Holy Spirit, and intercedes for them and for future believers. This verse marks a physical transition from the intimacy of that sacred time to the harsh reality of His betrayal, arrest, and ultimate sacrifice. Historically, it would have been late evening or night during the Passover festival, a time of immense spiritual and political tension in Jerusalem. The journey across the Kidron Valley to a garden on the Mount of Olives sets the geographical stage for the immediate events leading to Jesus' crucifixion, particularly His apprehension by the Roman guard and temple police.
John 18 1 Word analysis
- When Jesus had spoken these words (hos tauta eipōn ho Iēsous): This phrase powerfully links chapter 18 to the preceding five chapters (13-17). "Spoken" (eipōn) emphasizes the culmination of Jesus' teaching and prayer. It highlights the completed discourse and signifies a deliberate, conscious transition from verbal instruction to the unfolding of God's redemptive action. Jesus is not taken by surprise; He moves purposefully from words to the ultimate deed.
- He went forth (exēlthen): This indicates a decisive and intentional departure. It is not a flight, but a purposeful, active movement towards the location of His impending trial and suffering, signifying His sovereign control even in His vulnerability.
- with His disciples (meta tōn mathētōn autou): Though their faithfulness would soon falter, they were present. Their inclusion highlights their role as witnesses and the close bond, even as that bond was about to be severely tested.
- over the Brook Kidron (peran tou cheimarrhou tou Kedrōn):
- "over" (peran): "across," "beyond," or "on the other side of." This describes crossing a boundary.
- "Brook Kidron" (tou cheimarrhou tou Kedrōn): "cheimarrhous" literally means "winter stream" or "torrent," often dry during the summer. Its name, "Kidron," (from Hebrew Nahal Qidron) is thought to mean "dark" or "turbid," perhaps due to the runoff.
- This valley was strategically located east of Jerusalem, between the city and the Mount of Olives. Historically, it served as a channel for refuse from the Temple sacrifices, often laden with the blood of slaughtered animals. It was considered a place of defilement in many Old Testament contexts. Crossing it implies Jesus' voluntary passage through a place symbolic of uncleanness and judgment, aligning with His role as the Lamb of God who bears the defilement of the world. It echoes King David's flight from Jerusalem across the Kidron in humility and distress (2 Sam 15:23).
- where there was a garden (hopou ēn kēpos):
- "garden" (kēpos): A common place of retreat or cultivation. While John does not explicitly name it "Gethsemane" (which means "oil press"), the Synoptic Gospels do. John's simple description underscores its character as a private, familiar place of solace for Jesus.
- This choice of a garden is profoundly symbolic, juxtaposing the perfect Garden of Eden, where humanity fell, with this garden, where Jesus begins His journey to reverse the Fall and initiate new creation. It is a place of peace before extreme agony and combat against sin and death.
- into which He and His disciples entered (eis hon eisēlthen autos kai hoi mathētai autou): This re-emphasizes the intentional entry. Jesus led the way, taking His disciples to a familiar, albeit soon-to-be fateful, destination. This final, collective action marks the beginning of the end of Jesus' earthly ministry leading into His Passion.
John 18 1 Bonus section
The seemingly simple geographical description of Jesus crossing the Kidron and entering a garden carries layers of theological and historical significance often overlooked. The act of "crossing" the Kidron for Jewish listeners immediately evoked powerful memories and associations with purity laws (Lev 14:41; 2 Chr 29:16), David's humbling flight, and places where pagan idols were desecrated (2 Kgs 23:6). This river, sometimes called the "Valley of Jehoshaphat," was believed to be the place of future judgment. Jesus' voluntary traversal, especially given its association with Temple blood and refuse, symbolically links Him to the bearing of sin and uncleanness on behalf of humanity. His journey into this specific garden is a deliberate entry into a place that will become, for John's Gospel, a stage for His encounter with human sin, culminating in His arrest. This prepares the ground for understanding the magnitude of His sacrifice.
John 18 1 Commentary
John 18:1 acts as a pivotal turning point in Jesus' narrative, shifting from the elevated teachings and prayer of the Upper Room to the unfolding of His sacrificial death. Jesus' active choice to "go forth" and cross the "Brook Kidron" reveals His sovereign control and willing submission to the divine plan, not as a helpless victim but as a determined Lamb of God. The Kidron, historically associated with ritual uncleanness, judgment, and David's flight, subtly foreshadows Jesus' role as the one who takes on humanity's sin and humiliation. Entering "a garden" evokes echoes of Eden, contrasting humanity's original fall with Jesus' readiness to confront sin and death, thereby paving the way for spiritual new creation. John's account, compared to the synoptics, underscores Jesus' self-possession and purposeful movement towards His destiny, emphasizing the fulfillment of prophecy and the unfolding of the Father's will. This journey is the final earthly walk towards ultimate spiritual warfare and victory.