Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB It was the third hour, and they crucified him.
- KJV And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
- BSB It was the third hour when they crucified Him.
- NASB Now it was the third hour when they crucified Him.
- NLT It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
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
Mark notes the crucifixion began at the third hour, about nine in the morning. The timing roots the event in real history.
Overview
The third hour by Jewish reckoning is roughly 9 a.m., marking the start of Jesus' six hours on the cross. Mark's careful time stamps (third, sixth, ninth hours) underline that this is sober historical testimony, not legend. The Lamb of God hangs through the very hours of the temple's morning service.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- John 19:14Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”
- Matt 27:45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
- Luke 23:44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
- Mark 15:33When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
- Acts 2:15For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.
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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 15:25 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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