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And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
Matthew 26:43 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
  • BSB And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy.
  • NKJV And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
  • NASB Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
  • NLT When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

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

He returns to find the disciples sleeping again, their eyes heavy. Their persistent weakness underscores human inability.

Overview

A second time the disciples succumb to sleep, unable to watch with their Lord in His distress. Their heavy eyes picture the weakness of the flesh Jesus had just named. The repeated failure magnifies, by contrast, the steadfast obedience of Christ, who alone bears the burden faithfully.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Luke 9:32But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
  • 1 Th 5:6–8Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
  • Jonah 1:6So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
  • Acts 20:9And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
  • Rom 13:1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
  • Prov 23:34Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 26:43YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 26:43 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.