And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.
Parallel translations
- WEB He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be greatly troubled and distressed.
- KJV And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
- BSB He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed.
- NASB And He *took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.
- NLT He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.
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 takes Peter, James, and John and begins to feel deep distress. He experiences real human anguish as the cross draws near.
Overview
The inner circle who witnessed his glory at the Transfiguration now see his sorrow. Mark's strong language shows Jesus genuinely troubled and overwhelmed. This reveals the reality of his humanity and the weight of the suffering he willingly took up for sinners.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Luke 22:44Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
- Heb 5:7He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear,
- Mark 5:37He allowed no one to follow him, except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
- Mark 1:16–19Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
- Ps 69:1–3For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Lilies.” By David. Save me, God, for the waters have come up to my neck!
- Ps 38:11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague. My kinsmen stand far away.
- Ps 88:14–16Yahweh, why do you reject my soul? Why do you hide your face from me?
- Matt 26:37–38He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled.
- Mark 9:2After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them.
- Isa 53:10Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days, and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 14:33 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.