ESV Study Bible | English Standard Version
Mark 15:22
22 e And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).
Mark 15:22-38
22 e And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with f myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and g divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And h it was the third hour [1] when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, i “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two j robbers, k one on his right and one on his left. [2] 29 And l those who passed by derided him, m wagging their heads and saying, n “Aha! o You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, p “He saved others; q he cannot save himself. 32 Let r the Christ, s the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may t see and believe.” u Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
The Death of Jesus
33 And when the sixth hour [3] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. [4] 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus v cried with a loud voice, w “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with x sour wine, put it on a reed y and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus z uttered a loud cry and a breathed his last. 38 And b the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Matthew 27:33-51
33 q And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 r they offered him wine to drink, mixed with s gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, t they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and u kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, v the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two w robbers were crucified with him, x one on the right and one on the left. 39 And y those who passed by z derided him, a wagging their heads 40 and saying, b “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! c If you are d the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 e “He saved others; f he cannot save himself. g He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 h He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 i And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour [5] there was darkness over all the land [6] until the ninth hour. [7] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus j cried out with a loud voice, saying, k “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with l sour wine, and put it on a reed and m gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus n cried out again with a loud voice and o yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, p the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And q the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
Luke 23:32-38
32 p Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 q And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, p one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, r forgive them, s for they know not what they do.” [8] And they cast lots t to divide his garments. 35 And u the people stood by, watching, v but w the rulers x scoffed at him, saying, y “He saved others; z let him save himself, a if he is b the Christ of God, c his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and d offering him sour wine 37 and saying, e “If you are f the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 g There was also an inscription over him, [9] “This is f the King of the Jews.”
Luke 23:44-46
The Death of Jesus
44 m It was now about the sixth hour, [10] and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, [11] 45 while the sun's light failed. And n the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, o calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, p into your hands I q commit my spirit!” And having said this r he breathed his last.
John 19:17-19
17 and o he went out, p bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 q There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate r also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
John 19:23-24
23 u When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. [12] But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” v This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
w “They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things,
John 19:28-30
The Death of Jesus
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now b finished, said (v to fulfill the Scripture), c “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, d so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, e “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and f gave up his spirit.
Translation Notes
- [1] 15:25 That is, 9 a.m.
- [2] 15:27 Some manuscripts insert verse 28: And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “He was numbered with the transgressors”
- [3] 15:33 That is, noon
- [4] 15:33 That is, 3 p.m.
- [5] 27:45 That is, noon
- [6] 27:45 Or earth
- [7] 27:45 That is, 3 p.m.
- [8] 23:34 Some manuscripts omit the sentence And Jesus . . . what they do
- [9] 23:38 Some manuscripts add in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew
- [10] 23:44 That is, noon
- [11] 23:44 That is, 3 p.m.
- [12] 19:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
My Notes
- Sign in or register to save your personal notes.
ESV Study Bible Notes
Sign in or register to access ESV Study Bible notes or save your personal notes and highlights.
Enjoy this free preview of the ESV Study Bible notes.
Matt. 26:1–27:66 The Crucified Messiah. Matthew narrates the events leading to Jesus' death: (1) the Passover and Lord's Supper and events in Gethsemane (26:1–46); (2) Jesus' arrest, trials, and conviction (26:47–27:26); and (3) Jesus' flogging, crucifixion, death, and burial (27:27–66).
Matt. 27:27–44 Jesus the Messiah Crucified. Matthew now takes readers to the very heart of his Gospel: the fulfillment of OT prophecies about the suffering servant (Isa. 42:1–4; 52:13–53:12) and Jesus' own predictions (Matt. 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19; 26:2) about his death.
Matt. 27:33 Golgotha. Transliteration of the Aramaic word for “skull.” It may have been given this name because it was a place of execution, or because the area had a number of tombs, or possibly because the site in some way resembled a skull (see Mark 15:22).
Matt. 27:34 This was one more mockery in that the wine they offered was mixed with gall, a bitter herb that could even be poisonous.
Matt. 27:35 crucified him. Crucifixion was widely practiced by the Romans, and the early Jewish historian Josephus mentions thousands of people crucified in first-century Palestine (mostly during rebellions against Rome). There are stories of Roman soldiers cruelly playing with different postures for crucified victims (e.g., Josephus, Jewish War 5.449–551), though the use of nails and a crossbar appear to have been common. Modern medical explanations for the cause of death on a cross have focused on either asphyxiation or shock. Crucifixion was widely believed to be the worst form of execution, due to the excruciating pain and public shame. Hanging suspended by one's arms eventually caused great difficulty in breathing, which could be alleviated only by pushing up with one's feet to take the weight off the arms. But that motion itself would cause severe pain in the feet, arms, legs, and back, causing the exhausted victim to slump down again, only to be nearly unable to breathe once more. Eventually, the victim would succumb to suffocation, if he had not already died as a result of the cumulative effect of the physical trauma inflicted on him. They divided his garments among them by casting lots is a clear reference to Ps. 22:18. Matthew alludes to Psalm 22 throughout much of the narrative without his typical fulfillment formula (see note on Matt. 1:22). His readers would know that the soldiers' actions fulfill Scripture.
Matt. 27:37 charge. Written on a placard above Jesus' head as a deterrent against any who would dare rise up against Rome. It was written “in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek” (John 19:20).
Matt. 27:38 Robbers (Gk. lēstēs) is sometimes rendered “insurrectionist,” which is possible, but the alleged examples in extrabiblical literature are not conclusive, and the meaning “robber” is appropriate in all 24 examples of lēstēs in the NT and Septuagint; see note on John 18:40. Nothing more is known about the background of these men. Jesus' crucifixion with criminals fulfills Isa. 53:12.
Matt. 27:39–40 Since Heb. 13:12 says that Jesus was crucified “outside the gate” (the city gate), those who passed by probably included many pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover. derided. They mocked Jesus' claim of supernatural power. wagging their heads. An allusion to Ps. 22:7; see notes on Ps. 22:6–8 and Matt. 27:35.
Matt. 27:41–43 chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him. The highest levels of Israel's establishment seek one more opportunity to insult Jesus. The religious leaders do not address Jesus directly, but turn to one another as they mock him. let God deliver him. An allusion to Ps. 22:8; see note on Matt. 27:35.
Matt. 27:45–50 The Death of Jesus the Messiah. After being on the cross for about six hours (cf. v. 45 with Mark 15:25), Jesus dies.
Matt. 27:45 sixth hour . . . until the ninth hour. From noon until 3:00 p.m. Josephus says that the ninth hour was the time when Jews offered the daily evening sacrifice (Jewish Antiquities 14.65). darkness. Not a solar eclipse, since Passover occurred during a full moon, and a solar eclipse can occur only during a new moon; rather, it is a supernatural act of God, displaying his displeasure and judgment upon humanity for crucifying his Son.
Matt. 27:46 Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? Jesus quotes Ps. 22:1 (see note on Matt. 27:35). The last two words are Aramaic (the everyday language spoken by Jesus), and the first two could be either Aramaic or Hebrew. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Some of the most profoundly mysterious words in the entire Bible. In some sense Jesus had to be cut off from the favor of and fellowship with the Father that had been his eternally, because he was bearing the sins of his people and therefore enduring God's wrath (cf. Isa. 53:6, 10; Hab. 1:13; Rom. 3:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 1 John 2:2). And yet, in quoting Ps. 22:1 Jesus probably has in mind the remainder of the psalm as well, which moves on to a cry of victory (Ps. 22:21–31); and he expresses faith, calling God “my God.” Surely he knows why he is dying, for this was the purpose of his coming to earth (cf. Matt. 16:21; 20:18–19, 28). And surely his cry, uttered with a loud voice, is expressing, not bewilderment at his plight, but witness to the bystanders, and through them to the world, that he was experiencing God-forsakenness not for anything in himself but for the salvation of others. Surely Matthew, understanding this, quotes Jesus' words to challenge his readers. Jesus' torment, despite his anticipations of it in Gethsemane, was surely inconceivable in advance (cf. note on 24:36).
Matt. 27:47 Elijah. Jesus' call to God in Aramaic (’Eli, ’Eli) sounds similar to the Hebrew name for Elijah (’Eliyahu), which the bystanders misunderstand as a summons to the prophet.
Matt. 27:48 sour wine. Used as a daily drink with meals by common people and soldiers. It was cheaper than regular wine and effectively quenched thirst. Cf. Ps. 69:21.
Matt. 27:50 yielded up his spirit. Even in death, Jesus maintains authoritative control over his destiny (cf. John 10:17–18; Heb. 7:16). “His spirit” means his human spirit. While Jesus' body remained on the cross and was then put in the tomb, his spirit went into the presence of God his Father (cf. Luke 23:43, 46; also Eccles. 12:7) and in this way he became the pattern for believers who would die after him (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23).
Matt. 27:51–66 Testimonies, Women Followers, and Burial. A series of testimonies—from the temple (v. 51), the dead (vv. 51b–53), and Gentiles (v. 54)—indicate the historical and theological impact of Jesus' death. Matthew mentions the women who watched these scenes unfold (vv. 55–56) and recounts the burial of Jesus and the posting of the guard at his tomb (vv. 57–66).
Matt. 27:51 curtain of the temple. The curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was an elaborately woven fabric of 72 twisted plaits of 24 threads each. It was 60 feet (18 m) high and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. No one was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place behind the curtain except the high priest, and he only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Heb. 9:2–7). Torn in two signifies the removal of the separation between God and the people. An extended commentary on this event, and the heavenly reality that it symbolized, is found in Heb. 9:11–10:22; see especially Heb. 9:12, 24; 10:19–20. earth shook. Palestine sits on a major seismic rift, so earthquakes were not uncommon, but the splitting of rocks and opening of tombs (Matt. 27:52) make this a major testimony to the meaning of Jesus' resurrection.
