Bible Strands
Matthew 26:54
But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to the armed crowd arresting him in Gethsemane, immediately after noting his capacity to summon twelve legions of angels. He addresses the precise moment of his capture and impending trial.
The words — πῶς (pōs) means "how" and οὖν (oun) means "then," structuring a rhetorical inquiry into necessity. πληρωθῶσιν (plērōthōsin) translates literally as "may be fulfilled," anchoring the event to written revelation.
The thread — The compulsion of scripture appears in Matthew 26:24 concerning the betrayer and Luke 24:25 regarding the prophetic word. Zechariah 13:7 mirrors the scene by commanding the sword against the Shepherd.
Why it lands — The text records Jesus framing his arrest as a required fulfillment rather than a tactical defeat. It asks the reader to acknowledge that human opposition does not override written divine mandate.
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
But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Cross-references
- Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.
- Matthew 26:24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
- Luke 24:25 Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
- Acts 1:16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.
- Psalms 22:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?
- Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
- Luke 24:44 Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
- John 10:35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
- Psalms 69:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck.
- Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.