Luke 22:41

And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed,

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Jesus withdraws from his disciples to pray alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, immediately after instructing them to pray against entering temptation.

The words — ἀπεσπὴσθη (apespasthē) means "withdrew," and ὡσεὶ λίθου βολὴν (hōsei lithou bolēn) translates literally as "about a stone’s throw."

The thread — This physical separation and solitary prayer run parallel to the accounts in Matthew 26:39 and Mark 14:35, where Jesus moves slightly apart from the disciples to face his impending suffering.

Why it lands — The text requires a reader to observe Jesus physically removing himself from his followers to confront his mission in solitude before submitting to the Father’s will.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

καὶkaiAnd αὐτὸςautosHe himself ἀπεσπάσθηapespasthēwithdrew ἀπ᾽ap᾽from αὐτῶνautōnthem ὡσεὶhōseiabout λίθουlithoua stone’s βολήν,bolēnthrow,καὶkaiand θεὶςtheishaving fallen on τὰtathe γόναταgonataknees προσηύχετοprosēuchetoHe was praying

King James Version

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Cross-references

Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Mark 14:35 Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him.
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.