Mark 14:32 kjv
And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
Mark 14:32 nkjv
Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."
Mark 14:32 niv
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."
Mark 14:32 esv
And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."
Mark 14:32 nlt
They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray."
Mark 14 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 26:36 | Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane... | Parallel account of arrival at Gethsemane. |
| Lk 22:39-40 | And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." | Parallel account; adds His customary practice and warning. |
| Jn 18:1-2 | When Jesus had spoken these things, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron to a place where there was a garden, in which He Himself entered with His disciples. Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. | Confirms it was a garden and a frequent meeting place, known to Judas. |
| Mk 1:35 | In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and there He prayed. | Highlights Jesus' consistent pattern of seeking secluded prayer. |
| Lk 5:16 | But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. | Further demonstrates Jesus' habitual retreat for prayer. |
| Lk 6:12 | It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. | Shows Jesus' deep dedication and prolonged prayer before major events. |
| Heb 5:7-8 | In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. | Foreshadows Gethsemane's intense prayers, tears, and suffering that led to His perfect obedience. |
| Is 53:5 | But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastisement for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. | The imagery of "crushed" (from Gethsemane's meaning "Oil Press") foreshadows Christ's suffering for sin. |
| Zech 13:7 | "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate," Declares the Lord of armies. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones." | Prophecy alluded to in Mk 14:27, indicating the striking of the Shepherd just before Gethsemane. |
| Ps 22:1-2 | My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer... | Echoes the cries of deep anguish and sense of separation Jesus would experience, especially in His suffering. |
| Lk 22:44 | And being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. | Further insight into the extreme agony and intensity of Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane. |
| Phil 2:8 | Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. | Highlights Christ's ultimate act of humility and obedience, commencing intensely in Gethsemane. |
| Mk 14:33-34 | And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and He began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." | Immediate context: Jesus taking inner circle further and revealing His overwhelming sorrow. |
| Mk 14:37-38 | And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." | Reveals the disciples' failure to watch and Jesus' continued admonition for prayer. |
| Mk 13:35-37 | "So, keep watching, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming... What I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watching!" | General command for watchfulness that takes on immediate significance in Gethsemane. |
| Matt 26:41 | "Keep watching and praying so that you will not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." | Parallel warning emphasizing the need for watchfulness and prayer to avoid temptation. |
| Jn 12:27-28 | "Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." | Similar struggle and submission to divine will anticipated earlier in Jesus' ministry. |
| Acts 2:23 | this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. | Emphasizes that Gethsemane's struggle was part of God's sovereign plan for Christ's sacrifice. |
| Is 53:10 | But the Lord desired to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. | The Lord's will to "crush" Him, resonating with the meaning of Gethsemane. |
| Mk 8:31 | And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. | Jesus' earlier prophecies of His suffering and death, for which Gethsemane is a prelude. |
| Mk 9:31 | For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later." | Another explicit prophecy of His passion and resurrection. |
Mark 14 verses
Mark 14 32 Meaning
This verse describes the movement of Jesus and His disciples to Gethsemane, a pivotal location for Jesus' impending spiritual agony. Jesus instructs the majority of His disciples to remain at a specific point, indicating His need for a designated space and time for intense prayer. This instruction sets the scene for His solitary and profound wrestling with the Father's will, signaling the beginning of His Passion.
Mark 14 32 Context
Mark 14 opens with plots to seize and kill Jesus, followed by the anointing at Bethany. It moves swiftly to Judas' betrayal and the intimate celebration of the Last Supper, where Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper and foretells Peter's denial and the scattering of the disciples. Having concluded the Passover meal, Jesus and His disciples sing a hymn and then depart for the Mount of Olives. Verse 32 marks their arrival at a specific location on the Mount, Gethsemane, initiating the next phase of His Passion: intense spiritual struggle and prayer, setting the stage for His arrest and crucifixion. This move signifies Jesus stepping into the very act of sacrificial redemption, embracing the Father's will even as it meant facing profound agony. Historically, Gethsemane was an olive grove or garden known for its olive press, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, a common retreat for Jesus and His disciples, offering seclusion from the city.
Mark 14 32 Word analysis
- And they went: A connective phrase, linking Jesus' actions here with the previous narrative, indicating a direct progression from the Last Supper and the prophetic declarations made there. "They" refers to Jesus and His eleven faithful disciples, as Judas had already departed (Mk 14:10, 21).
- to a place: Refers to a specific, designated location. The destination is purposeful, not random.
- called Gethsemane: Greek: Gethsēmanē (Γεθσημανῆ). This name derives from Aramaic Gat-Šmānê (גת שמנא), meaning "Oil Press" or "Olive Press." The name holds deep symbolic significance: just as olives are crushed to yield their oil, Jesus would be spiritually "pressed" and crushed under the weight of the world's sin and divine wrath in this very location (cf. Is 53:5). Historically, it was likely an enclosed grove of olive trees or an actual oil press property, a familiar and secluded spot often used by Jesus for quiet prayer (Jn 18:2).
- and He said: Introduces a direct command from Jesus, establishing His authority and purpose.
- to His disciples: Refers to the immediate, loyal followers of Jesus who were with Him after the Last Supper. Their presence provides a witness to the beginning of His intense agony, even if they would not fully comprehend or share its depth.
- 'Sit here': Greek: Kathisate hōde (καθίσατε ὧδε). This is an imperative command, meaning "remain" or "stay in this place." This instruction creates a physical separation, designating a specific waiting area for the disciples. It implies a threshold – some are permitted only this far, while an inner circle will be called closer for a more profound witness. This sets up the later scene where even the inner circle is unable to "watch" with Him.
- 'while I pray.': Greek: Heōs proseuxōmai (ἕως προσεύξωμαι), literally "until I pray" or "that I may pray." This declaration clearly states Jesus' intention and desperate need for communion with the Father. His human reliance on prayer, especially before this ultimate test, emphasizes His complete submission to the Father's will and His humility. This prayer would be a spiritual battle, a wrestling match to align His human will perfectly with God's divine plan.
- "And they went to a place called Gethsemane": This phrase details the geographical and symbolic destination. The journey from the fellowship of the Last Supper to the solitude of Gethsemane marks a profound transition into Jesus' hour of ultimate testing and prepares for the core theological struggle to accept and endure suffering for the sake of God's redemptive plan. The name itself foretells the intensity of the spiritual crushing.
- "and He said to His disciples, 'Sit here while I pray.'": This declaration highlights Jesus' intentional preparation for profound prayer and His need for temporary solitude from His closest followers. It sets a boundary for the disciples' participation in His suffering, underscoring their limited capacity to truly share in the depth of His unique agony. It reveals Jesus' deep dependence on the Father in His hour of greatest trial, demonstrating His pattern of prayer before significant moments, now culminating in the prayer before His sacrifice.
Mark 14 32 Bonus section
The act of Jesus commanding His disciples to "Sit here while I pray" is a moment of profound differentiation. It indicates that the impending spiritual battle and intense agony He was about to experience in prayer was of such unique depth that even His closest disciples could not fully participate in it. While some of them (Peter, James, and John) would be taken slightly closer, their subsequent failure to remain awake underscores this inability to fully grasp or bear the weight of His suffering. Gethsemane is therefore a boundary for humanity's direct experience of Jesus' atoning work. It's a vivid demonstration of Christ as the sole mediator between God and man, who bore the weight that no human could. The prayer here marks the culmination of His earthly submission and sets the course for the ultimate act of obedience unto death (Phil 2:8).
Mark 14 32 Commentary
Mark 14:32 is the quiet prelude to the storm of Jesus' Passion. Following the intimate fellowship of the Last Supper, Jesus leads His disciples to Gethsemane, a place laden with symbolic meaning as the "Oil Press." Here, Jesus draws a physical boundary, commanding His disciples to wait. This simple instruction unveils the impending solitary and excruciating spiritual struggle Jesus is about to face. His statement, "while I pray," emphasizes His complete reliance on the Father in the face of immense suffering and temptation to turn from the cross. It foreshadows the agonizing internal battle where His human will would be perfectly submitted to the divine will, demonstrating His ultimate obedience, love for humanity, and dedication to fulfilling His redemptive mission. This scene vividly portrays Jesus' profound humanity and His divine commitment, setting the stage for His arrest and crucifixion.