Matthew 26:38
Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jesus, in His human nature, is experiencing an overwhelming anguish that feels like the weight of death itself, not merely out of fear, but in anticipation of bearing humanity's sins. He asks for the simple companionship of His closest friends, not for assistance, but for a shared vigil in His moment of profound suffering.
{ "hasHistoricalBackground": true, "events": [ { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus Prays in Gethsemane", "description": "Jesus and his disciples go to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives after the Last Supper. Jesus withdraws to pray intensely, experiencing immense sorrow.", "isCurrentContext": true }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested", "description": "Judas Iscariot leads temple guards to Gethsemane, identifying Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is then arrested by the authorities.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Denied by Peter", "description": "While Jesus is being questioned, Peter, one of his closest disciples, denies knowing Jesus three times, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Tried by the Sanhedrin", "description": "Jesus is brought before the Jewish high council (Sanhedrin) and is interrogated, condemned, and then handed over to the Roman authorities.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Tried by Pilate", "description": "Jesus is brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who, despite finding no fault, eventually succumbs to the crowd's pressure and sentences Jesus to crucifixion.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Crucified", "description": "Jesus is crucified at a place called Golgotha, alongside two criminals, fulfilling prophecies and completing his atoning sacrifice.", "isCurrentContext": false } ], "summaryInsight": "This verse captures Jesus' profound human anguish as he faces the weight of sin and divine wrath, a critical moment before his arrest and crucifixion." }
Jesus’ cry, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death,” reveals a depth of suffering beyond anything we can comprehend. What was so heavy it brought the Son of God to this point?
Jesus wasn't just facing the physical pain of crucifixion; He was confronting the spiritual reality of sin itself.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Matthew 26:38 is available in the Sola app.
In His moment of deepest anguish, Jesus turned to His closest friends and asked them to simply “remain here, and watch with me.” What does this reveal about His humanity and our role?
Jesus, fully God and fully human, experienced the need for companionship even in His most divine mission.
Understand the original words
psychē · Greek Noun
The immaterial part of a human being; the seat of personality, emotions, and life, which survives physical death and is the object of God's redemptive work.
grēgoreō · Greek Verb
To remain alert, vigilant, and spiritually attentive; often used in the context of resisting temptation or awaiting the Lord's return.
Jesus' agony in Gethsemane wasn't just fear of physical suffering, but a profound spiritual struggle with the weight of sin and God's judgment, a burden he bore willingly for humanity's salvation.
c. AD 30
Jesus enters Jerusalem
Jesus makes a triumphal entry into Jerusalem during Passover, a time of nationalistic fervor and Roman occupation. This event signals the escalating tension between Jesus' growing popularity and the religious authorities.
c. AD 30
The Last Supper
Jesus shares a final meal with his disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper and predicting his betrayal and the disciples' abandonment. This intimate gathering sets the stage for the events to follow.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus prays in Gethsemane
Jesus withdraws to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, experiencing profound anguish and sorrow as he anticipates his crucifixion. He asks his closest disciples to watch with him, but they fall asleep.
c. AD 30
Jesus is arrested
Judas Iscariot leads a group of soldiers and temple guards to Gethsemane, betraying Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is then arrested, marking the beginning of his trial and Passion.
c. AD 30
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
Jesus is interrogated by the Jewish high council (Sanhedrin), facing accusations of blasphemy. This trial leads to his condemnation by the religious leaders.
c. AD 30
Jesus before Pilate and Herod
Jesus is brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and briefly before Herod Antipas, facing charges of sedition. Pilate ultimately hands Jesus over to be crucified.
c. AD 30
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus is crucified at Golgotha, a site outside Jerusalem. This culminates the events of his Passion, fulfilling prophecies and establishing the atonement for sins.
This verse describes Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, echoing the profound sorrow and submission to God's will expressed in Matthew 26:38.
Isaiah 53:10This prophecy speaks of the 'suffering servant' whose soul would be made an offering for sin, connecting to the deep anguish Jesus felt as He bore the weight of sin in Matthew 26:38.
Psalm 22:1Jesus' cry, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death,' mirrors the deep desolation and seeming abandonment expressed in Psalm 22:1, revealing the intensity of His suffering.
Hebrews 5:7This passage speaks of Jesus offering 'prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears' to the one who could save him from death, directly relating to the agony and prayer in Gethsemane described in Matthew 26:38.
John 12:27Jesus declares, 'Now is my soul troubled,' in a moment before His suffering, resonating with the immense sorrow He expressed to His disciples in Matthew 26:38.
clarkeMatthew 26:38: "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me."
Then saith he - Then saith - Jesus: - I have added the word Jesus, ὁ Ιησους, on the authority of a multitude of eminent MSS. See them in Griesbach. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, (or, is surrounded with exceeding sorrow), even unto death - This latter word explains the two former: My soul is so dissolved in sorrow, my spirit is filled with such agony and anguish, that,…
barnesMatthew 26:38: "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me."
My soul is exceeding sorrowful - His human nature - his soul - was much and deeply affected and pressed down. Even unto death - This denotes extreme sorrow and agony. The sufferings of death are the greatest of which we have any knowledge; they are the most feared and dreaded by man; and those sufferings are therefore put for extreme and indescribable anguish. The meaning…
Jesus, in His human nature, is experiencing an overwhelming anguish that feels like the weight of death itself, not merely out of fear, but in anticipation of bearing humanity's sins. He asks for the simple companionship of His closest friends, not for assistance, but for a shared vigil in His moment of profound suffering.
{ "hasHistoricalBackground": true, "events": [ { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus Prays in Gethsemane", "description": "Jesus and his disciples go to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives after the Last Supper. Jesus withdraws to pray intensely, experiencing immense sorrow.", "isCurrentContext": true }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested", "description": "Judas Iscariot leads temple guards to Gethsemane, identifying Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is then arrested by the authorities.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Denied by Peter", "description": "While Jesus is being questioned, Peter, one of his closest disciples, denies knowing Jesus three times, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Tried by the Sanhedrin", "description": "Jesus is brought before the Jewish high council (Sanhedrin) and is interrogated, condemned, and then handed over to the Roman authorities.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Tried by Pilate", "description": "Jesus is brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who, despite finding no fault, eventually succumbs to the crowd's pressure and sentences Jesus to crucifixion.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Crucified", "description": "Jesus is crucified at a place called Golgotha, alongside two criminals, fulfilling prophecies and completing his atoning sacrifice.", "isCurrentContext": false } ], "summaryInsight": "This verse captures Jesus' profound human anguish as he faces the weight of sin and divine wrath, a critical moment before his arrest and crucifixion." }
{ "hasHistoricalBackground": true, "events": [ { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus Prays in Gethsemane", "description": "Jesus and his disciples go to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives after the Last Supper. Jesus withdraws to pray intensely, experiencing immense sorrow.", "isCurrentContext": true }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested", "description": "Judas Iscariot leads temple guards to Gethsemane, identifying Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is then arrested by the authorities.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Denied by Peter", "description": "While Jesus is being questioned, Peter, one of his closest disciples, denies knowing Jesus three times, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Tried by the Sanhedrin", "description": "Jesus is brought before the Jewish high council (Sanhedrin) and is interrogated, condemned, and then handed over to the Roman authorities.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Tried by Pilate", "description": "Jesus is brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who, despite finding no fault, eventually succumbs to the crowd's pressure and sentences Jesus to crucifixion.", "isCurrentContext": false }, { "date": "c. AD 30", "title": "Jesus is Crucified", "description": "Jesus is crucified at a place called Golgotha, alongside two criminals, fulfilling prophecies and completing his atoning sacrifice.", "isCurrentContext": false } ], "summaryInsight": "This verse captures Jesus' profound human anguish as he faces the weight of sin and divine wrath, a critical moment before his arrest and crucifixion." }
"Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”" — Jesus, in His human nature, is experiencing an overwhelming anguish that feels like the weight of death itself, not merely out of fear, but in anticipation of bearing humanity's sins. He asks for the…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
