Matthew 27:34 kjv
They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
Matthew 27:34 nkjv
they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
Matthew 27:34 niv
There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.
Matthew 27:34 esv
they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
Matthew 27:34 nlt
The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
Matthew 27 34 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 15:23 | "And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh..." | Parallel account, myrrh as bitter anodyne. |
| Ps 69:21 | "They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink." | Prophetic fulfillment of bitter drink/mockery. |
| Ps 22:14 | "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint..." | Prophecy of physical suffering on the cross. |
| Is 53:3-7 | "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief..." | Jesus' suffering and acceptance of pain. |
| Heb 2:9 | "...that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." | Jesus fully experiencing humanity and death. |
| Lk 22:42 | "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." | Jesus' prior commitment to the cup of suffering. |
| Jn 18:11 | "So Jesus said to Peter, 'Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?'" | Affirmation of accepting suffering. |
| Mt 26:39 | "...saying, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me...'" | Gethsemane: desire for avoidance vs. obedience. |
| Heb 5:8 | "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." | Obedience demonstrated through suffering. |
| Jn 19:28-30 | "After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished...said, 'I thirst.' A jar full of sour wine stood there..." | Later, Jesus accepts a different drink to fulfill prophecy and complete His work. |
| Ps 38:11 | "My friends and my companions stand aloof from my plague..." | Foreshadowing abandonment in suffering. |
| Lam 3:19 | "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!" | Parallel imagery of extreme bitterness/suffering. |
| Jer 9:15 | "...I will feed them with wormwood and give them poisonous water to drink." | Divine judgment and bitter consequences. |
| Deut 29:18 | "...whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God...root that bears poison and gall!" | Ungodliness producing bitter fruit. |
| Prov 23:29-30 | "Who has woe? Who has sorrow?...Those who tarry long over wine..." | Contrast: pain of the cross vs. pain of sin. |
| Col 2:14 | "by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands..." | Jesus' complete work on the cross. |
| 1 Pet 2:24 | "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree..." | Jesus as the sin-bearer, consciously enduring. |
| Rom 5:8 | "...God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." | Depth of love shown in the full suffering. |
| Phil 2:8 | "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." | Ultimate obedience and self-abasement. |
| Heb 12:2 | "...who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame..." | Jesus' conscious choice to endure for greater purpose. |
Matthew 27 verses
Matthew 27 34 Meaning
Matthew 27:34 describes the moment when soldiers offered Jesus a drink just before His crucifixion. This drink was "wine mixed with gall," a bitter substance intended to numb the pain of crucifixion. Jesus tasted it but consciously refused to drink, choosing to face the full agony of the cross without artificial alleviation. This demonstrates His complete willingness to endure every aspect of human suffering and fulfill the prophecies of His passion.
Matthew 27 34 Context
Matthew 27:34 is situated within Matthew's account of Jesus' crucifixion. Following His trial before Pilate and subsequent condemnation, scourging, and mockery, Jesus is led to Golgotha, "The Place of a Skull." The verse describes one of the first acts upon arrival at the crucifixion site, immediately preceding His nailing to the cross. This act aligns with common Roman practices, where stupefying drinks were sometimes offered to those condemned to crucifixion, often out of a perceived compassion or a desire to hasten their death. For Jewish custom, charitable women often provided such a drink, consistent with a Rabbinic interpretation of Proverbs 31:6-7, to dull the pain of the condemned. Jesus' rejection of this initial painkiller highlights His deliberate decision to experience the full agony of His suffering as part of His atoning work, without seeking any relief or escape.
Matthew 27 34 Word analysis
- Then they offered him (Προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ - Prosēnenkan autō): "Prosēnenkan" from prospherō, meaning "to bring to, offer." This signifies an action initiated by others towards Jesus, implying either soldiers following custom or charitable women providing a humane gesture.
- wine (οἶνον - oinon): From oinos, standard term for wine. In this context, it serves as the base for the mixed drink.
- mixed (μεμιγμένον - memigmenon): Perfect participle, passive of mignymi, meaning "to mix, mingle." It indicates that the wine had already been combined with something else, showing it was not pure wine.
- with gall (χολῆς - cholēs): From cholē, literally "bile," but often used in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) to translate Hebrew words like rosh (poisonous herb, bitter plant) or la'anah (wormwood), indicating something exceedingly bitter, nauseating, or toxic. Here, it refers to a bitter, possibly narcotic substance meant to deaden sensation or inflict pain/mockery. The parallel in Mark 15:23 uses "myrrh" (σμύρνης - smyrnēs), a known pain-relieving narcotic. Scholars often debate if gall and myrrh point to the same or similar substances/intentions – generally, a bitter sedative.
- but when He tasted (καὶ γευσάμενος - kai geusamenos): From geuomai, "to taste, to experience." Jesus did not swallow but merely brought it to His lips and perceived its nature. This action signifies a conscious discernment before rejection.
- He would not drink (οὐκ ἠθέλησεν πιεῖν - ouk ēthelēsen piein): Ouk (not) is a strong negation. Ēthelēsen (He was willing, willed, desired) from thelō emphasizes Jesus' volition and deliberate choice. Piein (to drink) is the infinitive. The phrasing conveys that Jesus consciously and intentionally chose not to ingest the drink.
- Words-group analysis:
- "They offered him wine mixed with gall": This phrase establishes the specific type of drink and its presumed intent – a pain-numbing concoction, possibly laced with a bitter element (gall/myrrh) for sedation or a further insult. The fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy regarding bitterness is evoked here.
- "But when He tasted it, He would not drink": This highlights Jesus' active decision and profound determination. By tasting but refusing, Jesus deliberately embraced the full extent of physical and spiritual suffering, fulfilling His mission as the fully conscious and willing sacrifice. This also distinguishes this offered drink from the "sour wine" he would accept later (Jn 19:28-30; Mt 27:48) to fulfill Scripture and indicate completion.
Matthew 27 34 Bonus section
The specific substance mixed with the wine, described as "gall" (cholē) by Matthew and "myrrh" (smyrnēs) by Mark, were likely similar in their effect as a pain-dulling agent or a sedative. While "gall" literally refers to bile, in ancient texts and the Septuagint, it often signifies something profoundly bitter or even poisonous, similar to wormwood. This reinforces the prophetic connection to Psalm 69:21, which speaks of receiving "gall for my food" and "sour wine for my thirst." Jesus' rejection of this first offered drink also signifies His profound distinction from common criminals seeking an escape from pain, aligning Himself fully with the purpose of His voluntary, conscious sacrifice for sin.
Matthew 27 34 Commentary
Matthew 27:34 powerfully illustrates Jesus' unwavering commitment to His mission and His unique path of suffering. The offer of wine mixed with gall was intended either to stupefy Him, easing His agony, or perhaps, especially with "gall," to mock Him further by offering a truly bitter draft. However, Jesus' rejection of it reveals a crucial theological point: He intended to fully and consciously bear the sin of humanity without any artificial numbing of pain. His clear-minded suffering on the cross demonstrates His complete empathy with humanity's pain, His unwavering obedience to the Father, and His fulfillment of the covenant as the conscious, unblemished Lamb of God. By refusing to lessen His own suffering, He perfectly completed His substitutionary work, experiencing the depth of both physical agony and divine abandonment (the true "gall" of judgment). This conscious choice provides an example for believers to embrace difficulty and suffering, not fleeing from it, but enduring it with a Christ-like resolve for God's glory and purposes.