Mark 14 33

Mark 14:33 kjv

And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

Mark 14:33 nkjv

And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.

Mark 14:33 niv

He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.

Mark 14:33 esv

And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.

Mark 14:33 nlt

He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.

Mark 14 verses

Mark 14 33 Meaning

Mark 14:33 describes Jesus' profound human distress and deep anguish as He entered Gethsemane before His crucifixion. It portrays Him experiencing an overwhelming dread and a crushing sorrow, demonstrating His full humanity in facing the imminent suffering and bearing the world's sin.

Mark 14 33 Context

Mark 14:33 is part of the Gethsemane narrative, immediately following the Last Supper and Jesus' prophecy of Peter's denial. After the supper, Jesus led His disciples to the Mount of Olives, specifically to the Garden of Gethsemane. The larger group was told to sit, while Jesus took His inner circle (Peter, James, and John) deeper into the garden. This verse sets the scene for Jesus' profound personal struggle and agony before His arrest and crucifixion, highlighting the unique intensity of His internal experience. Historically, Gethsemane was an olive grove with a press, symbolizing crushing. It's the eve of Passover, a time of immense spiritual and political tension.

Mark 14 33 Word analysis

• And He took with Him: (Greek: paralambanei - παραλαμβάνει). This verb denotes receiving or taking someone along, often implying a close association or taking into a group for a specific purpose. It’s the same verb used when Jesus takes these three disciples to the Transfiguration and the raising of Jairus’s daughter, signaling a moment of significant revelation or intense experience to which only they are privy.
• Peter and James and John: These three form Jesus's inner circle, chosen witnesses to His most private and profound moments. Their inclusion here underscores the gravity and intimacy of the suffering Jesus is about to endure, and serves to establish credible eyewitnesses to His true human vulnerability.
• and He began: (Greek: ērxato - ἤρξατο). This signifies the commencement of a process, not a sudden onset. It suggests a gradual onset of deep emotional turmoil, building to the intensity described next. This emphasizes the duration and increasing weight of His agony.
• to be very distressed: (Greek: ekthambeisthai - ἐκθαμβεῖσθαι). A very strong and dramatic word, unique to Mark’s Gospel (except Mark 9:15 and 16:5-6). It conveys a sense of utter shock, bewilderment, profound dread, or overwhelming horror. It's more than just fear; it implies being astounded or utterly terrified to the point of disquiet or trembling. Mark often uses vivid language, and this word powerfully communicates Jesus’s inward struggle and the horrifying reality He was facing—the weight of bearing the world's sin and facing the Father's wrath.
• and troubled: (Greek: adēmonein - ἀδημονεῖν). This word describes a state of deep anguish, being heavily troubled, or profoundly distressed to the point of being nearly overwhelmed or fainting from sorrow. It signifies mental agony, disquietude, or a feeling of despondency and agitation. Used also by Matthew (26:37) in the Gethsemane account. Combined with "very distressed," it paints a picture of Jesus’s humanity confronting an unparalleled internal spiritual crisis. This is not merely human fear of death, but the unspeakable horror of divine judgment against sin that He was about to absorb.
• He took with Him Peter and James and John...: This group of words emphasizes Jesus's deliberate choice to include His closest disciples in this moment of vulnerability, even though they could not fully comprehend or sustain the spiritual weight with Him. Their presence is for a purpose—to bear witness, to pray (as commanded shortly after), and to symbolize humanity’s inability to fully grasp His unique burden. The intimacy of their shared presence contrasts starkly with the spiritual isolation Jesus was beginning to experience.
• ...began to be very distressed and troubled: This phrase together portrays the crushing impact of what was unfolding internally for Jesus. It is not just sadness or a mild disturbance but a profound, almost paralyzing anguish that started to take hold of Him. It signifies the immense psychological and spiritual torment He experienced, knowing the weight of sin and separation from God that awaited Him on the cross. It illustrates His full identification with suffering humanity and the beginning of His battle against the powers of darkness and the consequence of sin.

Mark 14 33 Bonus section

The intensity of Mark's portrayal in this verse is notable, utilizing stronger language than Matthew ("grieved and distressed"). The unique use of ekthambeistai in Mark underlines the depth of Jesus’s horror. This portrayal counters any notion that Jesus’s suffering was not genuine or that He was impervious to the immense pain and dread of His task. It is a pivotal theological moment where Jesus, fully God and fully man, confronted the spiritual weight of sin before physical crucifixion, illustrating the truth of His nature. His willingness to enter this abyss of sorrow highlights the magnitude of His love and obedience for humanity's redemption. This verse also implicitly demonstrates the spiritual battle preceding the physical crucifixion, a wrestling of wills that would ultimately culminate in obedience, providing a model for all believers facing overwhelming trials.

Mark 14 33 Commentary

Mark 14:33 is a profoundly significant verse that lays bare the authentic humanity of Jesus. Having already shown His divine power and authority throughout His ministry, Mark now powerfully depicts His utter vulnerability. By taking His inner circle to this private moment, Jesus invites them (and us) to witness a depth of suffering unparalleled. The strong words "very distressed" and "troubled" reveal a human experience of dread and agony far beyond ordinary fear of physical death. Scholars and theologians agree this distress stemmed from the horrific prospect of bearing the sins of all humanity and becoming spiritually separated from God the Father, who is perfectly holy and cannot countenance sin. It was the crushing weight of divine judgment for sin that initiated this anguish, an agony not rooted in weakness but in His perfect, sinless human nature recoiling from the foulness of sin. This Gethsemane experience marks the beginning of the "cup" (divine wrath against sin) He was to drink, confirming His true, complete humanity as He wrestled with the Father’s will before ultimately submitting to it for our salvation. This moment exemplifies His profound identification with humanity in suffering, while uniquely demonstrating His atoning work as the Lamb of God.