Matthew 26:44 kjv
And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Matthew 26:44 nkjv
So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Matthew 26:44 niv
So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Matthew 26:44 esv
So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
Matthew 26:44 nlt
So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.
Matthew 26 44 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 14:41 | And He came a third time and said... "It is enough; the hour has come." | Parallel account of the third prayer in Gethsemane. |
| Lk 22:45 | When He rose from prayer... He found them asleep. | Parallel account, emphasizes finding disciples asleep. |
| Mt 26:39 | "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." | The specific "same words" Jesus prays, showing submission. |
| Mt 26:41 | "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." | Jesus' instruction to His disciples contrasts with their sleep and His own vigilance. |
| Lk 22:44 | And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood. | Highlights the intense physical and spiritual agony during the Gethsemane prayer. |
| Heb 5:7-8 | Who, in the days of His flesh... offered up prayers and supplications... and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. | Illustrates Jesus' intense prayer and submission during His earthly life, aligning with Gethsemane. |
| Jn 6:38 | "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." | Jesus' ultimate purpose of obeying the Father's will, foreshadowed in Gethsemane. |
| 1 Thess 5:17 | Pray without ceasing. | General call to continuous prayer, Jesus is the ultimate example. |
| Rom 12:12 | rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. | Exhortation to perseverance in prayer during tribulation, exemplified by Christ. |
| Lk 18:1 | Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. | Jesus taught about persistent prayer (Parable of the Persistent Widow), demonstrated in Gethsemane. |
| Jn 4:34 | Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." | Jesus' primary life purpose was always to accomplish God's will. |
| Isa 53:7 | He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. | Jesus' suffering and submission, prefigured in OT prophecy, culminated in Gethsemane. |
| Isa 51:17 | Wake up, wake up! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath. | Prophetic imagery of a "cup of wrath" that Jesus voluntarily drinks, transforming it into salvation. |
| Jn 12:27 | "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour." | Similar struggle with His fate earlier in His ministry, but ultimate acceptance. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. | The theological outcome of Jesus' Gethsemane decision and subsequent sacrifice. |
| Php 2:8 | And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. | Christ's supreme act of humility and obedience, commencing intensely in Gethsemane. |
| Psa 119:164 | Seven times a day I praise You because of Your righteous judgments. | Demonstrates a pattern of consistent, repeated devotion in prayer or praise. |
| Acts 10:9 | Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. | Example of solitary prayer for focused communion with God. |
| Mk 1:35 | Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. | Jesus often sought solitude for intense prayer. |
| Lk 9:28 | And it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. | Jesus specifically took these three disciples for significant moments, only to be left alone for the most critical one. |
Matthew 26 verses
Matthew 26 44 Meaning
Matthew 26:44 describes Jesus’ continued spiritual struggle and ultimate submission in the Garden of Gethsemane. After finding His chosen disciples asleep a second time, He again withdraws from them to pray for a third time. The core meaning lies in His persistent and fervent prayer, specifically reiterating His plea for the "cup" of suffering to pass from Him, yet consistently concluding with submission to the Father's will. This demonstrates the profound depth of His human agony balanced with His unwavering divine obedience and determination to fulfill God's plan.
Matthew 26 44 Context
Matthew 26:44 is set in the Garden of Gethsemane, immediately following the Last Supper and Jesus' prophecy of His disciples' desertion and Peter's denial. It captures the climax of Jesus' spiritual struggle before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. He has taken Peter, James, and John with Him to Gethsemane, asking them to "watch with Him" while He prays, expressing that His "soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death." This verse specifically recounts Jesus' third return from prayer, having found the disciples sleeping for the second time (Matt 26:43) and His subsequent departure to pray once more. The historical context involves the Passover season, a time of heightened spiritual and political tension in Jerusalem, culminating in Jesus' sacrificial death as the true Passover Lamb.
Matthew 26 44 Word analysis
And He left them again, and went away:
- And He left them again: (καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτοὺς πάλιν - kai aphēken autous palin)
- καὶ (kai): "And." A simple conjunction, but here it marks a continuing action in Jesus' pattern of withdrawing to pray and then checking on His disciples.
- ἀφῆκεν (apheken): "He left." Aorist active indicative of ἀφίημι (aphiemi), meaning to send away, depart from, forsake, allow. This implies a deliberate act of separating Himself from the disciples. He didn't just walk away, He "let go" of their presence.
- αὐτοὺς (autous): "them." Refers specifically to Peter, James, and John, whom Jesus had brought closer to Himself in Gethsemane, anticipating their spiritual support, which they repeatedly failed to provide.
- πάλιν (palin): "again." Emphasizes the repetition of Jesus' action (withdrawal for prayer), which highlights both His perseverance in prayer and the disciples' repeated failure to stay awake as requested.
- and went away: (ἀπελθὼν - apelthōn)
- ἀπελθὼν (apelthōn): "having gone away" or "departing." A participle describing a completed action concurrent with "left them." It further reinforces the physical separation from the sleeping disciples, signaling His need for undisturbed communion with God for His intense prayer.
- And He left them again: (καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτοὺς πάλιν - kai aphēken autous palin)
and prayed a third time, saying the same words:
- and prayed: (προσηύξατο - proseuxato)
- προσηύξατο (proseuxato): "He prayed." Aorist middle indicative of προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai). The middle voice can signify the subject performs the action for or by themselves, underscoring the deeply personal and inward struggle and communication with the Father.
- a third time: (ἐκ τρίτου - ek tritou)
- ἐκ τρίτου (ek tritou): "from the third time" or "for the third time." The number three holds significant biblical importance, often signifying completeness, establishment, divine purpose, or ultimate resolution (e.g., the resurrection on the third day, Jonah in the fish for three days). Here, it denotes the completion of a profound spiritual battle or an act of definitive decision. It is the final, decisive engagement in His wrestling.
- saying the same words: (τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον εἰπών - ton auton logon eipōn)
- τὸν αὐτὸν (ton auton): "the same." Points directly back to the content of Jesus' first prayer in Gethsemane (Matt 26:39): "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
- λόγον (logon): "word" or "utterance." Accusative singular of λόγος (logos), referring to the specific content of His repeated plea and submission.
- εἰπών (eipōn): "having said" or "saying." Aorist active participle of λέγω (legō), which specifies how He prayed – audibly uttering the deep concerns of His heart.
- and prayed: (προσηύξατο - proseuxato)
Words-group analysis:
- "He left them again, and went away": This repeated pattern underscores Jesus' isolation in His darkest hour and the inability of His closest disciples to provide the simple spiritual support of watching and praying. It highlights the uniqueness of His burden and His resolute commitment to engage His spiritual struggle in solitude with the Father.
- "prayed a third time, saying the same words": This phrase encapsulates the core message of Jesus' Gethsemane experience. The "third time" emphasizes persistence, ultimate decision, and final resolution. "Saying the same words" doesn't suggest vain repetition but rather an intense, focused wrestling with the very same foundational request ("let this cup pass...") coupled with His unshakeable commitment to submission ("not as I will, but as You will"). It demonstrates profound integrity of purpose in His prayer.
Matthew 26 44 Bonus section
- The "third time" in Gethsemane echoes other significant events in scripture (e.g., Peter's three denials, Abraham's binding of Isaac on the third day, Jesus' resurrection on the third day), often symbolizing completion, certainty, or the definitive nature of an event. In this case, it marks the conclusive stage of Jesus' acceptance of the cross.
- The contrast between Jesus' spiritual vigilance and the disciples' physical drowsiness serves as a direct challenge and warning to believers throughout history: maintain spiritual watchfulness, especially in crucial moments of spiritual warfare or personal temptation, to avoid falling.
- This verse profoundly illustrates the reality of the incarnation: a fully human Christ genuinely grappling with immense suffering and death, yet also a fully divine Son perfectly obeying the Father. It is in this struggle that His obedience shines most brightly.
Matthew 26 44 Commentary
Matthew 26:44 serves as a profound revelation of Jesus' humanity and divine resolve. His repeated withdrawal from His sleeping disciples for solitary prayer underscores His unparalleled isolation and the heavy, unique burden He bore. The thrice-repeated prayer, saying "the same words," is not a sign of futility but rather an intense, focused, and ultimately triumphant wrestling of spirit, culminating in complete submission to the Father's will. It vividly portrays His struggle against the natural human desire to avoid immense suffering, contrasted with His divine purpose of perfect obedience, even unto death. This verse offers a powerful lesson on persistent, earnest prayer in times of extreme personal anguish, emphasizing that true prayer seeks not merely alleviation from suffering, but alignment with God's ultimate plan, regardless of the personal cost.