Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Greek present tense used for "betraying" suggests Judas's betrayal wasn't a sudden act but an ongoing process he was committed to. This detail highlights how familiar places, like this garden, can become entangled with betrayal when we're deeply involved in a destructive path.
Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having just shared the Passover meal and given his final teachings, Jesus leads his disciples out into the night, across the Kidron Valley to a garden on the Mount of Olives. This familiar spot, where they often met for prayer and private time, is precisely where Judas knows he can find Jesus with his closest followers.
Judas knew exactly where to find Jesus. Why would Jesus go to a place so familiar, a place of comfort and private prayer, knowing it would be the very spot of his capture?
This verse highlights a profound irony. The garden wasn't just any location; it was a place of frequent gathering and intimacy for Jesus and his disciples. It was a sanctuary for prayer and private communion with God and his closest friends.
The Greek word used for Judas's betrayal isn't in the past tense, but the present. What does this subtle linguistic choice reveal about Judas and the moment of Jesus' arrest?
The original Greek text uses a present participle for "who betrayed him" (ὁ παραδιδούς). This isn't a simple statement of a past event; it portrays the betrayal as an ongoing action, a process in motion at that very moment.
Ask a follow-up
Instead of hiding in this familiar spot, Jesus walks out to meet his captors. What does this bold move tell us about his mission?
The familiar nature of the garden, known so well by Judas, actually becomes a stage for Jesus' voluntary surrender. He didn't go there to conceal himself but to meet the inevitable.
Understand the original words
paradidōmi · Greek Verb
A hand over, a delivery to an enemy, or an act of treachery. Biblically, it often carries the weight of delivering someone into the hands of those who intend them harm.
The specific mention of Judas knowing the garden highlights Jesus' voluntary submission to arrest, as he willingly went to a familiar place where he knew he could be found, rather than hiding.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem
During Jesus' last week before his crucifixion, he often taught in the Temple during the day and retired to the Mount of Olives at night with his disciples.
c. AD 30
The Last Supper
Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper and foretelling Judas's betrayal.
c. AD 30
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
After the Last Supper, Jesus withdrew to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives to pray, a place familiar to him and his disciples.
c. AD 30
Judas Leads Arresters to Gethsemane
Judas, knowing Jesus' custom of retiring to the garden, led a contingent of soldiers and officers to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Arrest and Trial
Jesus was arrested in the garden, then subjected to a series of trials before Jewish and Roman authorities.
c. AD 30
The Crucifixion
Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, fulfilling the events that began with his arrest in the garden.
This passage describes a 'locked garden' as a metaphor for intimacy and privacy, mirroring the specific, familiar garden Jesus chose for communion with His disciples before His arrest.
Genesis 3:23-24Just as humanity was expelled from the Garden of Eden, initiating a history of sin and separation, Jesus enters a garden to confront sin and pave the way for reconciliation.
Luke 21:37This verse confirms Jesus' habit of spending nights on the Mount of Olives, providing context for why Judas would know the specific garden as a likely place for Jesus to be.
John 10:17-18These verses highlight Jesus' voluntary surrender of His life, underscoring that His presence in the familiar garden was not an accident but a deliberate act of fulfilling His mission.
vincentJohn 18:2: "And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples."
Which betrayed (ὁ παραδιδοὺς)The present participle, marking the betrayal as in progress. Literally, who is betraying.Resorted (συνήχθη)Literally, assembled. The items of this verse are peculiar to John.
jfbJohn 18:2: "And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples."
- Judas … knew the place, for Jesus ofttimes—see Joh 8:1; Lu 21:37.resorted thither with his disciples—The baseness of this abuse of knowledge in Judas, derived from admission to the closest privacies of his Master, is most touchingly conveyed here, though nothing beyond bare narrative is expressed. Jesus, however, knowing that in this spot Judas would expect to find Him, in…
The Greek present tense used for "betraying" suggests Judas's betrayal wasn't a sudden act but an ongoing process he was committed to. This detail highlights how familiar places, like this garden, can become entangled with betrayal when we're deeply involved in a destructive path.
Having just shared the Passover meal and given his final teachings, Jesus leads his disciples out into the night, across the Kidron Valley to a garden on the Mount of Olives. This familiar spot, where they often met for prayer and private time, is precisely where Judas knows he can find Jesus with his closest followers.
Having just shared the Passover meal and given his final teachings, Jesus leads his disciples out into the night, across the Kidron Valley to a garden on the Mount of Olives. This familiar spot, where they often met for prayer and private time, is precisely where Judas knows he can find Jesus with his closest followers.
"Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples." — The Greek present tense used for "betraying" suggests Judas's betrayal wasn't a sudden act but an ongoing process he was committed to. This detail highlights how familiar places, like this garden, ca…
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Last reviewed October 2026