And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
Parallel translations
- WEB But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
- BSB And one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
- NKJV And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
- NASB But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.
- NLT But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
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
A bystander draws a sword and cuts off the high priest's servant's ear. A misguided attempt at defense cannot stop God's purpose.
Overview
John identifies the swordsman as Peter, acting in zeal but contrary to Jesus' way. The violence shows the disciples still misunderstood the nature of Christ's mission. Jesus' kingdom does not advance by the sword, and he willingly goes to suffer rather than resist.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- John 18:10–11Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
- Luke 22:49–51When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
- Matt 26:51–54And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.
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 14:47 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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