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And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Luke 22:44 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
  • KJV And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
  • NKJV And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
  • NASB And being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground].
  • NLT He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

In agony Jesus prays more earnestly, His sweat becoming like great drops of blood falling to the ground. It shows the overwhelming intensity of His suffering.

Overview

Luke depicts the depth of Jesus' anguish as He wrestles in prayer before the cross. The sweat like blood conveys the extreme strain of bearing the coming judgment for sin. This verse, absent from some manuscripts, powerfully reveals that our salvation cost Christ unimaginable agony freely endured for us.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Lam 1:12Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see! Is there any sorrow like mine, which was inflicted on me, which the LORD made me suffer on the day of His fierce anger?
  • Heb 5:7During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.
  • Ps 22:12–21Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
  • Rom 8:32He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
  • Isa 53:10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
  • John 12:27Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour.
  • Ps 130:1–2A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!
  • Jonah 2:2–3saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
  • Gen 32:24–28So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
  • Ps 143:6–7I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
  • Lam 3:53–56They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
  • Ps 69:14–18Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters.
  • Ps 22:1–2For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?
  • Ps 88:1–18A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You.
  • Ps 40:1–3For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 22:44YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 22:44 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.