Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
Parallel translations
- WEB He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
- KJV And he came and found them asleep again: 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.
- 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 9:32Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.
- 1 Th 5:6–8so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober.
- Jonah 1:6So the ship master came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.”
- Acts 20:9A certain young man named Eutychus sat in the window, weighed down with deep sleep. As Paul spoke still longer, being weighed down by his sleep, he fell down from the third floor, and was taken up dead.
- Rom 13:1Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God.
- Prov 23:34Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the middle of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging:
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 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.