Matthew 27:30 kjv
And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Matthew 27:30 nkjv
Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
Matthew 27:30 niv
They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.
Matthew 27:30 esv
And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.
Matthew 27:30 nlt
And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.
Matthew 27 30 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 50:6 | I gave my back to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. | Prophecy of spitting and striking the face. |
| Ps 35:15 | But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered themselves together against me; cripples whom I knew not tore at me, they slandered me without ceasing. | Implies public scorn and gathering of enemies. |
| Lam 3:30 | Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him and be filled with insults. | Prophetic theme of patiently enduring abuse. |
| Mic 5:1 | Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. | Prophecy of the ruler of Israel being struck. |
| Matt 26:67 | Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him... | Jewish guards spitting and striking Jesus earlier. |
| Mark 14:65 | And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying, “Prophesy!”... | Parallels Jewish abuse of Jesus before the Sanhedrin. |
| Mark 15:19 | And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. | Mark's parallel account of Roman soldiers' mockery. |
| Luke 18:32 | For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. | Jesus foretelling His humiliation, including spitting. |
| John 19:2-3 | And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe... they kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him with their hands. | Context of soldiers' mockery, crowning, and striking. |
| Ps 69:7 | For for your sake I have borne reproach; dishonor has covered my face. | Prophecy of bearing reproach and dishonor. |
| John 18:22 | When he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand... | First physical strike against Jesus in John's account. |
| Phil 2:7-8 | but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men... he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death... | Christ's profound self-abasement and humiliation. |
| Heb 12:2 | ...who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame... | Jesus enduring the shame and humiliation of the cross. |
| Isa 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. | Prophecy of Messiah's rejection, contempt, and lack of esteem. |
| Ps 22:7 | All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads... | Foreshadows the mockery and ridicule during suffering. |
| Acts 7:51 | “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you." | Refers to the resistance and opposition against God's messengers throughout history, leading to abuse. |
| Rom 5:8 | but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. | Christ's willingness to suffer humiliation for humanity's salvation. |
| 1 Pet 2:23 | When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten... | Jesus' patient endurance under abuse without retaliation. |
| Isa 52:14 | As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance... | Prophecy of Messiah's disfigured appearance due to suffering. |
| Gal 3:13 | Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— | Jesus absorbing the curse of public degradation for humanity. |
| Ps 7:16 | His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own scalp his violence descends. | Ironic reversal: the violence upon Jesus' head ultimately reflects back on the perpetrators. |
| Ps 118:22 | The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. | Humiliation precedes exaltation; rejected by men, cornerstone by God. |
Matthew 27 verses
Matthew 27 30 Meaning
Matthew 27:30 describes a scene of intense mockery and physical abuse inflicted upon Jesus by Roman soldiers just prior to His crucifixion. It details two specific acts: first, the soldiers spat on Him, an act of extreme contempt and defilement; second, they took the reed which they had mockingly given Him as a scepter, and used it to strike Him repeatedly on the head. This verse powerfully illustrates the profound humiliation and suffering endured by Jesus, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies and underscoring His identity as the Suffering Servant and true King.
Matthew 27 30 Context
Matthew 27:30 is a pivotal moment in Matthew's Passion narrative, following the trial before Pilate and the crowd's choice of Barabbas over Jesus. Jesus has been scourged and then handed over to the Roman soldiers of the cohort (Matt 27:27). These verses describe the soldiers' elaborate and cruel mockery of Jesus as a false king within the Praetorium. They had previously dressed Him in a scarlet robe, placed a crown of thorns on His head, and a reed in His right hand, then knelt before Him in sarcastic homage (Matt 27:28-29). Verse 30 follows immediately, intensifying the abuse from visual mockery to direct physical assault. This brutalization prepares Him for the journey to Golgotha, emphasizing the extreme depths of His suffering. Historically, spitting and striking the head were acts of profound insult and humiliation, common tactics of degradation by soldiers against prisoners or those deemed utterly despised. The irony of using the mock scepter as a weapon highlights the soldiers' cruel wit and deliberate intention to demean Jesus' kingship.
Matthew 27 30 Word analysis
- And (καὶ - kai): A simple connective, joining the ongoing series of abusive acts perpetrated by the soldiers.
- they (αὐτοί - autoi): Refers to the "whole cohort" (σπεῖρα - speira) of Roman soldiers mentioned in Matt 27:27, indicating a group involved in collective dehumanization.
- spit (ἐνέπτυσαν - eneptysan): From the verb ἐμπτύω (emptuō), meaning "to spit upon." This was an act of extreme contempt, defilement, and public shaming, meant to express utter disgust and superiority. In Jewish culture, it was profoundly degrading.
- on Him (εἰς αὐτόν - eis auton): The direct object, specifying Jesus as the target of this vile act.
- and (καὶ - kai): Another connective, adding the next form of abuse.
- took (ἔλαβον - elabon): From λαμβάνω (lambanō), meaning "to take, seize." It indicates a deliberate and active decision to retrieve an object already used in their mockery.
- the reed (τὸν κάλαμον - ton kalamon): The same kalamos mentioned in Matt 27:29, which had been placed in Jesus' hand as a mock scepter. A reed was a hollow stalk, fragile as a symbol of power, now repurposed into an instrument of pain. Its shift from a symbolic scepter to a weapon intensifies the cruel irony.
- and smote (καὶ ἔτυπτον - kai etypton): From τύπτω (typtō), meaning "to strike, hit." The use of the imperfect tense suggests repeated or continuous action, implying multiple blows rather than a single hit. This indicates sustained and cruel assault.
- Him (αὐτοῦ - autou): Jesus, who is suffering this continuous violence.
- on the head (εἰς τὴν κεφαλήν - eis tēn kephalēn): The most vital and symbolically significant part of the body, the seat of dignity, thought, and authority. Striking the head was a profound assault on a person's honor and physical integrity, especially combined with the crown of thorns already there.
Words-group analysis:
- "And they spit on Him": This phrase encapsulates a supreme act of scorn and ritualistic defilement. It’s an act intended to convey utter worthlessness and public disgrace. The target, "Him" (Jesus), is deliberately stripped of all dignity through this common gesture of profound contempt.
- "and took the reed, and smote Him on the head": This phrase details the escalation of the soldiers' mockery from symbolic gestures to physical violence. The 'reed,' earlier a sign of mockery-kingship, is now actively transformed into a blunt weapon. Striking 'on the head,' the site of royalty (crown of thorns) and rational thought, inflicts both physical pain and symbolic humiliation upon His perceived authority and divine nature. The continuous nature of the striking (imperfect tense) points to prolonged, sustained abuse rather than a single impulsive act.
Matthew 27 30 Bonus section
- The deliberate actions of the soldiers in Matt 27:30 are calculated, not random. They involve premeditation and a staged theatrical mockery designed to publicly ridicule Jesus' kingship.
- The transition of the reed from a prop (mock scepter) to a weapon signifies an intensification of abuse, highlighting the soldiers' escalating cruelty.
- Jesus' silent endurance throughout these torments stands in stark contrast to the taunts and violence of His tormentors, echoing Isa 53:7, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth." This silence underscores His intentional suffering as the Lamb led to slaughter.
- This verse contributes to the theology of kenosis, or self-emptying (Phil 2:7), as Christ embraces profound humility and degradation, forsaking any external manifestation of divine power to achieve atonement.
- The striking on the head while the crown of thorns is present causes even more pain and adds another layer of mockery, pressing the thorns deeper into His scalp.
- The "kingly" attire and scepter, coupled with spitting and striking, represent a profound reversal: the world’s king, despised and beaten, standing in for sinful humanity. His humiliation is the foundation of our exaltation.
Matthew 27 30 Commentary
Matthew 27:30 presents a vivid and harrowing account of the soldiers' complete disregard for Jesus' humanity, culminating a sequence of mockery that transformed Him from a prisoner to an object of sport. The act of spitting, a universally recognized sign of extreme contempt, aims to strip away dignity and defile the victim. This is compounded by the symbolic violence: the very "scepter" that ironically affirmed His "kingship" is turned into a weapon to assault His sacred head, already wounded by the crown of thorns. This relentless abuse on His person, especially on the head—the seat of royalty, wisdom, and life—is designed not merely to inflict pain but to thoroughly dehumanize and mock His claim to authority, whether human or divine. Yet, in His silence and endurance, Jesus demonstrates not weakness, but a profound and intentional fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy regarding the Suffering Servant (Isa 50:6, 53:3), willingly submitting to unparalleled degradation for the salvation of humanity. His humiliation is paradoxically the ultimate display of His majestic power over sin and death, paving the way for His glorification.