And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Parallel translations
- WEB After he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone.
- BSB After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,
- NKJV And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
- NASB After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
- NLT After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
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 goes up the mountain alone to pray, remaining there into the evening. Even the Son of God prioritized communion with the Father.
Overview
Having dismissed the crowds, Jesus withdraws to the mountain to pray in solitude. His practice of prayer, especially after demanding ministry, models dependence on the Father. The scene of Jesus alone with God in the evening sets a quiet backdrop against the disciples' coming struggle on the storm-tossed sea.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 6:12And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
- Mark 6:46And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
- Matt 26:36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
- John 6:15–17When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
- Matt 6:6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
- Acts 6:4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
- Luke 9:28And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
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
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 14:23 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.