Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch.”
- KJV And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye 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.”
- 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 12:27“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But for this cause I came to this time.
- Mark 13:35–37Watch therefore, for you don’t know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning;
- 1 Pet 5:8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
- Isa 53:3–4He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
- 1 Pet 4:7But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer.
- Isa 53:12Therefore will I give him a portion with the great, and he will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
- Lam 1:12“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look, and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which is brought on me, with which Yahweh has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
- Mark 14:37–38He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you watch one hour?
- Eph 6:18–19with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:
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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
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.