And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch.”
- BSB Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”
- NKJV Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
- NASB And He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.”
- NLT He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
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 tells them his soul is sorrowful to the point of death and asks them to keep watch. His grief is profound yet he turns to the Father and seeks the company of friends.
Overview
His words echo the lament of the Psalms, expressing overwhelming sorrow as he faces bearing God's wrath against sin. He does not despair but presses on in prayer and asks his disciples to stay alert. The scene shows the true cost of redemption to the sinless Son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 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.
- Mark 13:35–37Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
- 1 Pet 5:8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
- Isa 53:3–4He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
- 1 Pet 4:7But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
- Isa 53:12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
- 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.
- Mark 14:37–38And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
- Eph 6:18–19Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 14:34 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
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