He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him. He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
Parallel Translations
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He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.
He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
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And he went forth a lytle and fell doune on the grounde and prayed: that yf it were possible the houre myght passe from him.
And he sayd: Abba father all thinges are possible vnto the take awaye this cup from me. Neverthelesse not that I will but that thou wilt be done.
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So he went forward a litle, and fell downe on the ground, and praied, that if it were possible, that houre might passe from him.
And he saide, Abba, Father, all things are possible vnto thee: take away this cup from me: neuertheles not that I will, but that thou wilt, be done.
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Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (30)
- Galatians 4:6 (v36) And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
- John 5:30 (v36) I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father…
- Romans 8:15-16 (v36) For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The…
- Hebrews 5:7-8 (v36) He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from…
- John 12:27 (v36) “Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But I came to this time for this cause.
Show all 29 cross-references
- Mark 10:27 (v36) Jesus, looking at them, said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God.”
- John 6:38-39 (v36) For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that…
- John 18:11 (v36) Jesus therefore said to Peter, “Put the sword into its sheath. The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not surely drink it?”
- Philippians 2:8 (v36) And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross.
- Matthew 26:39 (vv35–36) He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me;…
- Genesis 18:14 (v36) Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son.”
- Psalms 40:8 (v36) I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart.”
- Jeremiah 32:27 (v36) “Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?
- Matthew 6:9 (v36) Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
- John 4:34 (v36) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
- 2 Timothy 2:13 (v36) If we are faithless, he remains faithful; for he can’t deny himself.”
- Titus 1:2 (v36) in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began;
- Mark 14:41 (v35) He came the third time, and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is…
- Genesis 17:3 (v35) Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,
- Deuteronomy 9:18 (v35) I fell down before Yahweh, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which…
- Luke 22:41-42 (v36) He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from…
- Acts 10:25-26 (v35) When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up! I myself am…
- Hebrews 5:7 (v35) He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from…
- 2 Chronicles 7:3 (v35) All the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and Yahweh’s glory was on the house. They bowed themselves with their faces…
- Hebrews 6:18 (v36) that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to…
- Revelation 4:10 (v35) the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and throw their crowns…
- 1 Chronicles 21:15-16 (v35) God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy, Yahweh saw, and he relented of the disaster, and said to the…
- Luke 17:15-16 (v35) One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him…
- Revelation 5:14 (v35) The four living creatures said, “Amen!” Then the elders fell down and worshiped.
29 distinct cross-references across this passage (30 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v36 This doubling of the word was used in those…
This doubling of the word was used in those days, when their languages were so mixed together: for this word, Abba, is a Syrian word.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On v36 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding…
34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
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36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Ver. 36. Abba, Father] Father, Father, with greatest earnestness. This was an effectual prayer, had he said no more. God can feel breath in prayer, Lam 3:56.
Not what I will, but, &c.] Aposiopesis emphatica, saith Beza.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv35–36 And he said, Abba, Father,.... In the original text,…
And he said, Abba, Father,.... In the original text, the former of these is a Syriac word, and the latter a Greek one, explanative of the former, as in Rom 8:15 and Gal 4:6 or the repetition is made, to express the vehemency of his affection, and his strong confidence in God, as his Father, amidst his distress, as the Syriac version renders it, , "Abba, my Father": or "my Father, my Father"; and so the Ethiopic version:
all things are possible unto thee; so Philo the Jew (b), taking notice of Isaac's question about the burnt offering, and Abraham's answer to it, represents the latter as adding, in confirmation of it,
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"all things are possible to God, and which are both difficult and impossible to be done by men;''
suggesting, that God could easily provide a lamb for a sacrifice; and Christ here intimates, that every thing consistent with his perfections, counsels, and covenant, were possible to be done by him; and how far what he prays for, was agreeable to these, he submits to him, and to his sovereign will:
take away this cup from me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt: See Gill on Mat 26:39.
(b) De Abrahamo, p. 374.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v36 Abba, Father - St. Mark seems to add the…
Abba, Father - St. Mark seems to add the word Father, by way of explication.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v36 Verse 36. Abba, Father] This Syriac word, which intimates…
Verse 36. Abba, Father] This Syriac word, which intimates filial affection and respect, and parental tenderness, seems to have been used by our blessed Lord merely considered as man, to show his complete submission to his Father's will, and the tender affection which he was conscious his Father had for him, [Syriac] Abba, Syriac, is here joined to οπατηρ, Greek, both signifying father; so St. Paul, Ro 8:15; Ga 4:6. The reason is, that from the time in which the Jews became conversant with the Greek language, by means of the Septuagint version and their commerce with the Roman and Greek provinces, they often intermingled Greek and Roman words with their own language. There is the fullest evidence of this fact in the earliest writings of the Jews; and they often add a word of the same meaning in Greek to their own term; such as מרי קירי, Mori, κυριε my Lord, Lord; פילי שער, pili, πυλη, shuar, gate, gate: and above, אבא, πατηρ, father, father: see several examples in Schoettgen. The words אבי and אבא appear to have been differently used among the Hebrews; the first Abbi, was a term of civil respect; the second, Abba, a term of filial affection. Hence, Abba, Abbi, as in the Syriac version in this place, may be considered as expressing, My Lord, my Father. And in this sense St. Paul is to be understood in the places referred to above. See Lightfoot.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v36 36. Abba, Father — The word Abba signifies father…
36. Abba, Father — The word Abba signifies father in the Syriac, which was the dialect that our Saviour spoke. In that section of country where both Hebrew and Greek were spoken by the people, it was sometimes customary to give both the Hebrew and the Greek words, one to explain the other. Similar was the custom of bestowing upon the same individual both a Hebrew and Greek name.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv35–36 35. forward a little] “about a stone’s throw” (Luk_22:41),…
35. forward a little] “about a stone’s throw” (Luk_22:41), perhaps out of the moonlight into the shadow of the garden.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v36 (36) And he said, Abba, Father.—The record of the…
(36) And he said, Abba, Father.—The record of the word “Abba” as actually uttered, is peculiar to St. Mark. We, perhaps, find traces of the impression it made on the minds of men in the “Abba, Father” of Rom_8:15, Gal_4:6.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv35–36 Ver. 35. Our Lord now separated himself, though apparently,…
Ver. 35. Our Lord now separated himself, though apparently, as St. Luke (Luk_22:41) says, only "about a stone"s cast" from the three disciples, and threw himself on the ground in mortal agony, and prayed that this hour of his supreme mental anguish might, if possible, pass from him.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v36 See note on the meaning of the cup. (See…
cup
See note on the meaning of the cup. (See Scofield "Mat 26:39").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v35 The agony of Christ:
The agony of Christ:
v. 35. And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.
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v. 36. And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what Thou wilt.
v. 37. And He cometh and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour?
v. 38. Watch ye and pray lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
v. 39. And again He went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
v. 40. And when He returned, He found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer Him.
v. 41. And He cometh the third time and saith unto them, Sleep on now and take your rest; it is enough, the hour is come. Behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
v. 42. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth Me is at hand.
It was Christ, the man, the human being, that had uttered the pitiful appeal to the three disciples to aid Him at least by watching and praying with Him. And it was His human nature, aided and sustained, indeed, by His divine nature, that here suffered the wrath of the just God. As wave after wave of anguish swept over Him, threatening to engulf and overwhelm Him, the presence of even these devoted disciples became too much for His weakness. He went on from there a little distance, farther into the darkness and loneliness of the garden. Again and again He fell to the ground; it was a long, desperate struggle. And all the while His soul was battling in prayer with God, the sum and substance of His pleading being that the hour, this hour of terrible anguish, of unspeakable torture, might pass by without touching Him. He prays that this be done, if it be possible. He knows that all things are possible to His Father, but He knows also that there can be no contradiction between God’s justice and His love. The evangelist records a part of His urgent prayer: My Lord and My Father, all things are possible to Thee; let this cup pass by Me, so it may not touch Me! What deep, incomprehensible humiliation on the part of Christ! And yet. there is not the slightest murmuring or opposing the will of God. The just and stern Judge of the sins of the world is still His dear Father, under whose will He places His human will without restriction or reservation: But not what I will, but what Thou. The sentence is short, incomplete, as one would speak under the influence of great emotion. He sacrifices His will for the good of the world, for its redemption. After some time, Jesus returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. They had not been equal to the test which He had proposed to them. Sorrow and dread had so weighted down their eyelids that they could not throw off sleep. It was Peter whom the Lord addressed in a reproachful tone: Simon, sleepest thou? Not even one hour couldest thou watch? The name Simon itself is a rebuke, for it was the name he bore before becoming the disciple of Christ. Loudly, emphatically, and repeatedly he had I protested his ability to bear everything with the Lord, even death; and here he was not even able to watch with and for Him for one short hour! Again Jesus admonishes the disciples to watch I and pray, to be wide awake and to use the weapon of prayer. For the spirit, the new man in them, may be ever so willing and ready to work for Christ, yet the flesh, their old weak nature, is weak and stands in need of assistance in spiritual matters all the time. If only all Christians would remember this admonition in all times of spiritual crises, there would be little need of special efforts and unusual sacrifices after the damage has been done. A second and a third time Jesus left the disciples to return to His place of prayer and to wrestle with God in the fierce struggle because of the sins of mankind. When He returned to the disciples the second time, He found them asleep again, in spite of His earnest warning, and their eyes seemed weighted down with sleep; their answer to His call was given in a dazed manner, and they had no excuse to offer; they were helplessly overcome. In the meantime the struggle was continuing in the soul of the Lord, but He was gaining strength toward its close, He was conquering the fear of death, the pains of hell. When He came back to His disciples for the third time, His words sounded almost crisp: Are you still sleeping and resting nicely? It is enough! If not expressed in so many words, the meaning found by some commentators seems to be contained here: The struggle has been brought to an end, the agony has been conquered. Further suffering is before Me; I am about to be delivered into the hands of the heathen, the sinners. But the prospect holds no terrors for Me, though I know that the traitor is even now on his way and at the gates of the garden. Arise; let us go! The Scripture must be fulfilled amid the final conquest made. Christ is ever the Champion of His believers, He goes before them and leads the way; He also battles for them and overcomes the enemies in their stead. But He does not want them to sit idly by and do nothing. They shall follow in His footsteps, go the way that He has gone, and in His power vanquish the enemies.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v35 if it were possible
if it were possible
This means that if God would allow it to happen. AT: "if God would allow it" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
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the hour might pass
Here "this hour" refers to Jesus' time of suffering, both now in the garden and later. AT: "that he would not have to go through this time of suffering" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Abba
a term used by Jewish children to address their father. Since it is followed by "Father," it is best to transliterate this word. (See: Copy or Borrow Words)
Father
This is an important title for God. (See: Translating Son and Father)
Remove this cup from me
Jesus speaks of the suffering that he must endure as if it were a cup. (See: Metonymy)
But not my will, but yours
Jesus is asking God to do what he wants to be done and not what Jesus wants. AT: "But do not do what I want, do what you want" (See: Ellipsis)
translationWords
hour, hours
God the Father
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v35 14:35-36 Jesus fell to the ground to pray because…
14:35-36 Jesus fell to the ground to pray because of his deep distress (see Gen 17:1-3; Lev 9:24; Num 14:5; 16:4). Since it was normal to pray out loud, Jesus’ prayer was probably overheard by the three disciples, who would not have fallen asleep immediately. • Jesus addressed God as Abba, Father, indicating their close relationship (see Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). • Please take this cup . . . from me: In faith, Jesus expressed his own feelings and desires to the Father. It was not only the physical agony of crucifixion that terrified him, but also the unique death that he would experience. He who knew no sin would experience the wrath of God against sin (Mark 15:34; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13). • Yet I want your will to be done, not mine: Jesus’ submission to the Father’s will is a model for his followers.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.