Matthew 27 49

Matthew 27:49 kjv

The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

Matthew 27:49 nkjv

The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."

Matthew 27:49 niv

The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

Matthew 27:49 esv

But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him."

Matthew 27:49 nlt

But the rest said, "Wait! Let's see whether Elijah comes to save him."

Matthew 27 verses

Matthew 27 49 Meaning

The verse records the cynical, cruel, and skeptical reaction of some bystanders at Jesus' crucifixion. Following Jesus' anguished cry "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", which some mistook for a call to Elijah, these onlookers declare, "Let him be! Let us see if Elijah comes to save him." This expresses a desire to witness a dramatic rescue or, more likely, to prolong Jesus' agony while mocking his presumed divine connections. It highlights their profound misunderstanding of Jesus' identity and the nature of His mission.

Matthew 27 49 Context

This verse is nestled within Matthew's account of Jesus' crucifixion, following immediately after Jesus' anguished cry from the cross, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"). While one individual, seemingly out of limited compassion, offered Jesus sour wine in an attempt to alleviate his suffering, this verse reveals the broader atmosphere of cruel skepticism and misinterpretation among other onlookers. The widespread Jewish expectation, based on Malachi's prophecy, was that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah. In their spiritual blindness and mocking spirit, they deliberately twist Jesus' Aramaic cry, which uses a term phonetically similar to Elijah, into a purported call for Elijah, using it as an opportunity to further ridicule him and challenge his claims to divine favor. The historical context is one of intense Roman oppression and Jewish longing for a political deliverer, contributing to the profound misunderstanding of a suffering Messiah.

Matthew 27 49 Word analysis

• οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ (hoi de loipoi): Literally "but the rest" or "the others." This indicates a group distinct from the one who offered the sour wine in the previous verse (Matt 27:48). This collective likely includes both Jewish onlookers, who were familiar with prophetic expectations of Elijah, and possibly some Roman soldiers or curious bystanders who joined in the atmosphere of mockery. Their collective voice shows a general sentiment among the crowd.
• ἔλεγον (elegon): Imperfect tense of legō, meaning "they were saying" or "they began to say." This suggests an ongoing or repeated utterance, indicating the sentiment was not a single, passing remark but a persistent part of the crucifixion scene.
• Ἄφες (Aphes): An imperative verb, meaning "Let him be," "Leave him alone," or "Stop." This command is likely directed at the one who offered the sour wine, suggesting they wished to prolong Jesus' suffering to see if supernatural intervention would occur. It signifies a cruel desire for a spectacle rather than genuine compassion.
• ἴδωμεν (idōmen): Hortatory subjunctive, "let us see." This emphasizes their intention to observe or witness. It's not a prayer for intervention but a challenge or a sarcastic invitation to see if a miraculous rescue would manifest, given their misinterpretation of Jesus' cry.
• εἰ ἔρχεται (ei erchetai): "whether Elijah comes." The particle εἰ (ei) introduces an indirect question, signifying their uncertainty or disbelief, phrased as a skeptical challenge. ἔρχεται (erchetai) implies an expectation of a literal, dramatic arrival.
• Ἠλίας (Elias): Elijah, the prominent Old Testament prophet known for his powerful works and miraculous ascension (2 Kgs 2:11). The popular Jewish belief was that Elijah would return to announce the Messiah. The onlookers either genuinely, albeit mistakenly, believed Jesus was calling for Elijah, or more likely, cynically used the name to mock the idea of any divine rescue.
• σώσων αὐτόν (sōson auton): The future active participle σώσων ("being about to save" or "in order to save") modifies the idea of Elijah coming, specifically for the purpose of saving Jesus. This phrase reveals the human expectation of physical salvation or dramatic rescue, starkly contrasting with God's divine plan of spiritual salvation through Jesus' suffering and death.
• The rest said, "Let him alone; let us see" This phrase reveals the malicious curiosity and the lack of empathy from the crowd. They are not merely observing; they are actively interfering with a small act of kindness (offering the wine) in order to facilitate a grander spectacle of either miraculous rescue or Jesus' prolonged suffering and final demise, proving his apparent failure.
• whether Elijah will come to save him: This collective statement epitomizes the profound theological blindness and hardened hearts present at the cross. They understood the prophecy of Elijah's coming but utterly failed to grasp the identity of Jesus as the Suffering Servant Messiah who had come to save them through his death, not from it. Their desire for Elijah to "save him" demonstrates their fundamental misunderstanding of salvation itself and who Jesus was. It's a stark replaying of the taunts from Ps 22, fulfilling prophecy.

Matthew 27 49 Bonus section

The scene described in Matthew 27:49 serves as a theological counterpoint. While many in Israel, as recorded in scripture, anticipated Elijah's return as a precursor to the Messiah (Mal 4:5-6), their focus was largely on an external, visible deliverance from temporal oppression. This misinterpretation demonstrates how, even with biblical knowledge, human expectations can tragically blind individuals to the true nature of God's redemptive work. The crowd at the cross awaited a hero of a specific mold, failing to recognize the Messiah who was saving them by embodying divine obedience unto death, even as they scoffed at His vulnerability.

Matthew 27 49 Commentary

Matthew 27:49 stands as a poignant illustration of human spiritual blindness and hostility towards divine truth. Following Jesus' cry from Psalm 22, the onlookers cruelly misinterpret "Eli" as Elijah, turning a moment of profound spiritual agony into an opportunity for further mockery. Their collective utterance, "Let him alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to save him," encapsulates a desire for a dramatic, visible sign that would validate their concept of a powerful Messiah, while utterly missing the spiritual redemption being wrought through Jesus' very suffering and weakness. This verse highlights the enduring human propensity to seek outward spectacle over inward spiritual truth, affirming the necessity of Jesus enduring total rejection to accomplish the Father's plan of salvation. It echoes the psalmist's cries of mockery and underscores the deliberate nature of Jesus' sacrifice for a world that refused to acknowledge him.