And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Parallel translations
- WEB In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God.
- BSB In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
- NKJV Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
- NASB Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God.
- NLT One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.
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
Jesus spends the whole night in prayer before choosing his apostles. He seeks the Father's guidance for a crucial decision.
Overview
Before the weighty choice of the Twelve, Jesus withdraws to a mountain and prays all night. Luke again emphasizes his dependence on the Father in prayer, especially at decisive moments. The pattern teaches that significant choices in God's work should be bathed in prayer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 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;
- Mark 6:46And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
- Mark 1:35And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
- Mark 14:34–36And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
- Matt 6:6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
- Matt 14:23–25And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
- Col 4:2Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
- Dan 6:10Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
- Ps 109:3–4They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
- Ps 22:2O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
- Ps 55:15–17Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
- Gen 32:24–26And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
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 6:12 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.