Bible Strands
Mark 14:47
And one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes a bystander acting during the arrest of Jesus, occurring immediately after the men seize Him and before Jesus addresses the armed crowd.
The words — The Greek παρεστηκότων (parestēkotōn) literally means "having stood by," identifying the actor as an onlooker, while σπάσας (spasas) translates to "drawing," marking the sudden motion of the weapon.
The thread — This strike is recorded in Matthew 26:51 and John 18:10, while Luke 22:49 only records the bystanders' question about using swords, not the physical act.
Why it lands — The text places uncontrolled violence at the moment of divine arrest, requiring the reader to note the immediate contrast between human escalation and Jesus' subsequent rebuke of armed resistance.
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
King James Version
And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
Cross-references
- Matthew 26:51 At this, one of Jesus’ companions drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
- Luke 22:49 Those around Jesus saw what was about to happen and said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”
- John 18:10 Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.