Bible Strands
Matthew 27:36
And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Roman soldiers, having just crucified Jesus and divided His garments, sit down to maintain a watch over Him at the execution site.
The words — καθήμενοι (kathēmenoi) translates to "sitting down," and ἐτήρουν (etēroun) means "they were guarding" or "keeping watch."
The thread — This scene of armed supervision at a crucifixion site connects to Matthew 27:54 and Mark 15:44, where centurions and their men respond to the earthquake and verify Jesus' death.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of the deliberate, unbroken vigilance maintained over a condemned man, leaving the reader to assess the weight of that sustained observation without adding emotional commentary.
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 sitting down they watched him there;
Cross-references
- Matthew 27:54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
- Mark 15:39 When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
- Mark 15:44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so.