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.
Parallel translations
- WEB Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
- BSB And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling 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 it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
- Heb 5:7Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
- Ps 22:12–21Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
- Rom 8:32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
- Isa 53:10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
- John 12:27Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
- Ps 130:1–2Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
- Jonah 2:2–3And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
- Gen 32:24–28And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
- Ps 143:6–7I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
- Lam 3:53–56They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
- Ps 69:14–18Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
- Ps 22:1–2My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
- Ps 88:1–18O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
- Ps 40:1–3I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.