Bible Strands
Matthew 26:55
At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses an armed crowd at the moment of His arrest. He contrasts their violent nighttime raid with His daily public teaching in the temple courts.
The words — ὥρᾳ (hōra) marks the specific hour of His arrest, and εἶπεν (eipen) records His deliberate speech to the arresting party.
The thread — The identical question about swords and clubs appears in Mark 14:48. His daily temple teaching aligns with the public ministry noted in Mark 12:35 and John 8:2.
Why it lands — The text states that Jesus allowed Himself to be taken despite His open, daily presence. It requires readers to acknowledge His voluntary submission rather than viewing Him as a fugitive.
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
In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
Cross-references
- Mark 12:35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?
- John 8:2 Early in the morning He went back into the temple courts. All the people came to Him, and He sat down to teach them.
- Mark 14:48 Jesus asked the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw?
- Luke 21:37 Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.
- Luke 22:52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?
- John 7:14 About halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach.
- John 7:28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him,
- John 18:20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.