TRV
Translation
King James Version
And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
KJV (with Strong's)
And G1161 one G1520 ran G5143 and G2532 filled G1072 a spunge G4699 full G1072 of vinegar G3690, and G5037 put it on G4060 a reed G2563, and gave G4222 him G846 to drink G4222, saying G3004, Let alone G863; let us see G1492 whether G1487 Elias G2243 will come G2064 to take G2507 him G846 down G2507.
Complete Jewish Bible
One ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar, put it on a stick and gave it to him to drink. "Wait!" he said, "Let's see if Eliyahu will come and take him down."
Berean Standard Bible
And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”
American Standard Version
And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take him down.
World English Bible Messianic
One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
And one ranne, and filled a spondge full of vineger, and put it on a reede, and gaue him to drinke, saying, Let him alone: let vs see if Elias will come, and take him downe.
Young's Literal Translation
and one having run, and having filled a spunge with vinegar, having put it also on a reed, was giving him to drink, saying, `Let alone, let us see if Elijah doth come to take him down.'
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In the KJVVerse 24,863 of 31,102
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Commentary on Mark 15 verses 33–41
33 ¶ And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
Here we have an account of Christ's dying, how his enemies abused him, and God honoured him at his death.
I. There was a thick darkness over the whole land (some think over the whole earth), for three hours, from noon till three of the clock. Now the scripture was fulfilled (Amo 8:9), I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day; and Jer 15:9, Her sun is gone down while it is yet day. The Jews have often demanded of Christ a sign from heaven; and now they had one, but such a one as signified the blinding of their eyes. It was a sign of the darkness that was come, and coming, upon the Jewish church and nation. They were doing their utmost to extinguish the Sun of righteousness, which was now setting, and the rising again of which they would never own; and what then might be expected among them but a worse than Egyptian darkness? This intimated to them, that the things which belonged to their peace, were now hid from their eyes, and that the day of the Lord was at hand, which should be to them a day of darkness and gloominess, Joe 2:1, Joe 2:2. It was the power of darkness that they were now under, the works of darkness that they were now doing; and such as this should their doom justly be, who loved darkness rather than light.
II. Toward the close of this darkness, our Lord Jesus, in the agony of his soul, cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mar 15:34. The darkness signified the present cloud which the human soul of Christ was under, when he was making it an offering for sin. Mr. Fox, in his Acts and Monuments (vol. 3, p. 160), tells of one Dr. Hunter, a martyr in queen Mary's time, who, being fastened to the stake, to be burnt, put up this short prayer, Son of God, shine upon me; and immediately the sun in the firmament shone out of the dark cloud, so full in his face, that he was forced to look another way, which was very comfortable to him. But our Lord Jesus, on the contrary, was denied the light of the sun, when he was in his sufferings, to signifying the withdrawing of the light of God's countenance. And this he complained of more than any thing; he did not complain of his disciples' forsaking him, but of his Father's, 1. Because this wounded his spirit; and that is a thing hard to bear (Pro 18:14); brought the waters into his soul, Psa 69:1-3. 2. Because in this especially he was made sin for us; our iniquities had deserved indignation and wrath upon the soul (Rom 2:8), and therefore, Christ, being made a sacrifice, underwent as much of it as he was capable of; and it could not but bear hard indeed upon him who had lain in the bosom of the Father from eternity, and was always his light. These symptoms of divine wrath, which Christ was under in his sufferings, were like that fire from heaven which had been sent sometimes, in extraordinary cases, to consume the sacrifices (as Lev 9:24; Ch2 7:1; Kg1 18:38); and it was always a token of God's acceptance. The fire that should have fallen upon the sinner, if God had not been pacified, fell upon the sacrifice, as a token that he was so; therefore it now fell upon Christ, and extorted him from this loud and bitter cry. When Paul was to be offered as a sacrifice for the service of saints, he could joy and rejoice (Phi 2:17); but it is another thing to be offered as a sacrifice for the sin of sinners. Now, at the sixth hour, and so to the ninth, the sun was darkened by an extraordinary eclipse; and if it be true, as some astronomers compute, that in the evening of this day on which Christ died there was an eclipse of the moon, that was natural and expected, in which seven digits of the moon were darkened, and it continued from five o'clock till seven, it is remarkable, and yet further significant of the darkness of the time that then was. When the sun shall be darkened, the moon also shall not give her light.
III. Christ's prayer was bantered by them that stood by (Mar 15:35, Mar 15:36); because he cried, Eli, Eli, or (as Mark has it, according to the Syriac dialect) Eloi, Eloi, they said, He calls for Elias, though they knew very well what he said, and what it signified, My God, My God. Thus did they represent him as praying to saints, either because he had abandoned God, or God had abandoned him; and hereby they would make him more and more odious to the people. One of them filled a sponge with vinegar, and reached it up to him upon a reed; "Let him cool his mouth with that, it is a drink good enough for him," Mar 15:36. This was intended for a further affront and abuse to him; and whoever it was that checked him who did it, did but add to the reproach; "Let him alone; he has called for Elias: let us see whether Elias will come take him down; and if not, we may conclude that he also hath abandoned him."
IV. Christ did again cry with a loud voice, and so gave up the ghost, Mar 15:37. He was now commending his soul into his Father's hand; and though God is not moved with any bodily exercise, yet this loud voice signified the great strength and ardency of affection wherewith he did it; to teach us, in every thing wherein we have to do with God, to put forth our utmost vigour, and to perform all the duties of religion, particularly that of self-resignation, with our whole heart and whole soul; and then, though speech fails, that we cannot cry with a loud voice, as Christ did, yet if God be the strength of the heart, that will not fail. Christ was really and truly dead, for he gave up the ghost; his human soul departed to the world of spirits, and left his body a breathless clod of clay.
V. Just at that instant that Christ died upon mount Calvary, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, Mar 15:38. This bespoke a great deal, 1. Of the terror of the unbelieving Jews; for it was a presage of the utter destruction of their church and nation, which followed not long after; it was like the cutting asunder of the staff of beauty (for this veil was exceedingly splendid and glorious, Exo 26:31), and that was done at the same time when they gave for his price thirty pieces of silver (Zac 11:10, Zac 11:12), to break the covenant which he had made with that people. Now it was time to cry, Ichabod, The glory is departed from Israel. Some think that the story which Josephus relates, of the temple door opening of its own accord, with that voice, Let us depart hence, some years before the destruction of Jerusalem, is the same with this; but that is not probable: however, this had the same signification, according to that (Hos 5:14), I will tear, and go away. 2. It bespeaks a great deal of comfort to all believing Christians, for it signifies the consecrating and laying open to us of a new and living way into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
VI. The centurion who commanded the detachment which had the oversight of the execution was convinced, and confessed that this Jesus was the Son of God, Mar 15:39. One thing that satisfied him, was, that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost: that one who was ready to give up the ghost, should be able to cry out so, was very surprising. Of all the sad spectacles of this kind he never observed the like; and that one who had strength to cry so loud, should yet immediately give up the ghost, this also made him wonder; and he said, to the honour of Christ, and the shame of those that abused him, Truly this man was the Son of God. But what reason had he to say so? I answer, 1. He had reason to say that he suffered unjustly, and had a great deal of wrong done him. Note, He suffered for saying that he was the Son of God; and it was true, he did say so, so that if he suffered unjustly, as it was plain by all the circumstances of his suffering that he did, then what he said was true, and he was indeed the Son of God. 2. He had reason to say that he was a favourite of heaven, and one for whom the almighty power was particularly engaged, seeing how Heaven did him honour at his death, and frowned upon his persecutors. "Surely," thinks he, "this must be some divine person, highly beloved of God." This he expresses by such words as denote his eternal generation as God, and his special designation to the office of Mediator, though he meant not so. Our Lord Jesus, even in the depth of his sufferings and humiliation, was the Son of God, and was declared to be so with power.
VII. There were some of his friends, the good women especially, that attended him (Mar 15:40, Mar 15:41); There were women looking on afar off: the men durst not be seen at all, the mob was so very outrageous; Currenti cede furori - Give way to the raging torrent, they thought, was good counsel now. The women durst not come near, but stood at a distance, overwhelmed with grief. Some of these women are here named. Mary Magdalene was one; she had been his patient, and owed all her comfort to his power and goodness, which rescued her out of the possession of seven devils, in gratitude for which she thought she could never do enough for him. Mary also was there, the mother of James the little, Jacobus parvus, so the word is; probably, he was so called because he was, like Zaccheus, little of stature. This Mary was the wife of Cleophas or Alpheus, sister to the virgin Mary. These women had followed Christ from Galilee, though they were not required to attend the feast, as the males were; but it is probably that they came, in expectation that his temporal kingdom would now shortly be set up, and big with hopes of preferment for themselves, and their relations under him. It is plain that the mother of Zebedee's children was so (Mat 20:21); and now to see him upon a cross, whom they thought to have seen upon a throne, could not but be a great disappointment to them. Note, Those that follow Christ, in expectation of great things in this world by him, and by the profession of his religion, may probably live to see themselves sadly disappointed.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 33–41. Public domain.
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Pseudo-Jerome (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
At the ninth hour, the tenth piece of money which had been lost is found, by the overturning of the house.
Here he points out a similitude for the Jews; a sponge on a reed, weak, dry, fit for burning; they fill it with vinegar, that is, with wickedness and guile.
Though the flesh was weak, yet the heavenly voice, which said, Open me the gates of righteousness, (Ps. 117:19) waxed strong. Wherefore there follows: And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. We who are of the earth die with a very low voice, or with no voice at all; but He who descended from heaven breathed His last with a loud voice.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
TRACTATES ON JOHN 37.9
Among the other things prophesied about him, it was also written, “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” We know in the gospel how these things happened. First, they gave him gall. He took it, tasted it, and spit it out. Later while hanging on the cross, that all prophecies might be fulfilled, he said, “I thirst.” They took a sponge full of vinegar, fastened it on a reed, and offered it to him as he hung there. He took it and said, “It is finished.” What does “It is finished” mean? All that had been prophesied before my passion has been fulfilled. What then is there still for me to do?
Augustine of Hippo (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 430
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(ubi sup.) Matthew has not related, that the man who brought the sponge filled with vinegar, but that the others spoke about Elias; from whence we gather that both said it.
Bede (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 735
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(ubi sup.) This most glorious light took away its rays from the world, lest it should see the Lord hanging, and lest the blasphemers should have the benefit of its light. Wherefore it goes on: And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
(ubi sup.) For when Adam sinned, it is also written that he heard the voice of the Lord, walking in paradise, in the cool after mid-day; (Gen. 3:8.) and in that hour when the first Adam by sinning brought death into the world, in that same hour the second Adam by dying destroyed death. And we must observe, that our Lord was crucified, when the sun was going away from the centre of the world; but at sunrise He celebrated the mysteries of His resurrection; because He died for our sins, but rose again for our justification. Nor need you wonder at the lowliness of His words, at the complaints as of one forsaken, when you look on the offence of the cross, knowing the form of a servant. For as hunger, and thirst, and fatigue were not things proper to the Divinity, but bodily affections; so His saying, Why hast thou forsaken me? was proper to a bodily voice, for the body is never naturally wont to wish to be separated from the life which is joined to it. For although our Saviour Himself said this, He really showed the weakness of His body; He spoke therefore as man, bearing about with Him my feelings, for when placed in danger we fancy that we are deserted by God.
(ubi sup.) These however I suppose were Roman soldiers who did not understand the peculiarity of the Hebrew tongue, but, from His calling Eloi, thought that Elias was called by Him. But if the Jews are understood to have said this, they must be supposed to do this, as accusing Him of folly in calling for the aid of Elias. It goes on: And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone: let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. John shows more fully the reason why the vinegar was given to the Lord to drink, saying, that Jesus said, I thirst, (John 19:28.) that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. They however applied a sponge full of vinegar to His mouth.
BedeAD 735
On the Gospel of Mark
But running, one of them, and filling a sponge with vinegar, and putting it around a reed, offered him a drink, saying: Wait, let us see if Elijah will come to take him down. For which cause the Lord was given vinegar for drink, John shows more fully, saying: Afterward Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, says: I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar. So they filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting it upon hyssop, offered it to his mouth. Seeing then that all things were accomplished which were necessary to be done, before he received the vinegar and gave up the ghost, and that this also might be fulfilled which he said: And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm 118), he says: I thirst. As though he said: This you have left undone; give what you have. Certainly, the Jews themselves were the vinegar, degenerate from the wine of the patriarchs and prophets; as it were, from a full vessel, filled with the iniquity of this world, having a heart like a sponge, in a way crooked and deceitful with hollow and tortuous cavities. The hyssop, around which they put the sponge full of vinegar, since it is a lowly herb and cleanses the flock, we fittingly take to mean the humility of Christ himself, which they surrounded, and thought they had circumvented. Whence it is said in the Psalm: Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be clean (Psalm 50); for we are cleansed by the humility of Christ, since unless he had humbled himself, made obedient to the Father even unto death of the cross (Philippians 2), surely his blood would not have been shed for the remission of sins, that is, for our cleansing. But by the reed upon which the sponge was placed, Scripture is signified, which was fulfilled by this act. For just as a tongue is said to be either Greek, or Latin, or any other, signifying the sound which the tongue utters, so a reed can be said to be the letter which is written with a reed. Yet we more commonly call the sounds of the human voice tongues; but for Scripture to be called a reed, though less usual, is more mysteriously symbolic.
Theophylact of Ohrid (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1107
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
If this had been the time for an eclipse, some one might have said that this that happened was natural, but it was the fourteenth moon, when no eclipse can take place. There follows: And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.
Or, He speaks this as man crucified by God for me, for we men have been forsaken by the Father, but He never has. For hear what He says; I am not alone, because the Father is with me. (John 16:32) Though He may also have said this as being a Jew, according to the flesh, as though He had said, Why hast thou forsaken the Jewish people, so that they have crucified Thy Son? For as we sometimes say, God has put on me, that is, my human nature, so here also we must understand thou hast forsaken me, to mean my nature, or the Jewish people. It goes on: And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
He who both rules over death and commands it dies with power, as its Lord. But what this voice was is declared by Luke: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. For Christ would have us understand by this, that from that time the souls of the saints go up into the hands of God. (v. note u, p. 217) For at first the souls of all were held in hell, till He came, who preached the opening of the prison to the captives.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Mark 15:36 captures a poignant moment during Jesus' crucifixion, just before His death, where a bystander offers Him sour wine on a reed. This act, whether intended as meager relief or further humiliation, is immediately followed by the onlookers' sarcastic challenge, urging the man to "let alone" so they might witness if Elijah would miraculously appear to rescue Jesus, reflecting the deep-seated misunderstanding and mockery surrounding His final moments.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Mark 15:36 is rich with literary devices that amplify its theological weight. The most prominent is Irony, as the act of offering a drink, which might typically be seen as compassionate, is immediately subverted by the cruel and sarcastic challenge that follows. This creates a stark contrast between a potential act of mercy and the actual intent of mockery. There is also Symbolism present; the "vinegar" (sour wine) can symbolize the bitterness of Jesus' suffering and the humiliation He endured, a stark contrast to the "new wine" of the kingdom He proclaimed. The "reed" itself, a fragile and common plant, might subtly symbolize Jesus' perceived weakness and vulnerability in the eyes of His tormentors, yet it paradoxically serves as the instrument through which a prophecy is fulfilled. The bystanders' words also employ Sarcasm, feigning a desire to see a divine intervention while clearly doubting Jesus' divine status. This scene also functions as a form of Dramatic Irony, as the audience knows that Elijah will not come to "take him down" in the way the crowd expects, but that Jesus' "taking down" from the cross will be the ultimate act of salvation.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 15:36 serves as a powerful theological statement about the nature of Jesus' suffering and the human response to divine truth. It underscores that Jesus' agony was not merely physical but deeply spiritual and emotional, compounded by relentless scorn and misunderstanding. Even in His final moments, He faced not compassion, but a cynical challenge to His identity and mission. This scene highlights the profound spiritual blindness of those who witnessed the Messiah's ultimate act of love, demonstrating humanity's capacity for hardened hearts and unbelief in the face of undeniable truth. Yet, paradoxically, this very act of mockery, including the offering of sour wine, fulfills ancient prophecies, affirming God's sovereign control over every detail of Christ's passion, ensuring that even human wickedness served His redemptive plan.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Mark 15:36 calls us to a profound reflection on the nature of suffering, both our own and that of others, and our response to it. In this scene, Jesus, the innocent Son of God, endures not only excruciating physical pain but also the psychological torment of relentless mockery and spiritual blindness from those He came to save. This challenges us to examine our own hearts: Do we, like the bystanders, stand by with skepticism, contributing to others' pain through indifference, cynicism, or judgment? Or do we offer genuine compassion and understanding, even when it is difficult or inconvenient? The verse also deepens our appreciation for the immense cost of our salvation. Jesus' willingness to endure such humiliation and agony, even to the point of being mocked with a basic drink, reveals the boundless depth of His love and commitment to fulfilling His redemptive mission. It compels us to respond with gratitude, humility, and a renewed commitment to living lives that honor His sacrifice, extending grace and truth to a world that often misunderstands and rejects the very source of its hope.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was the vinegar offered to Jesus an act of compassion?
Answer: While the act of offering a drink might appear compassionate on the surface, the context in Mark 15:36 strongly suggests it was part of the ongoing mockery and cruelty Jesus endured. The "vinegar" (Greek: oxos) was a cheap, sour wine, a common drink for soldiers and laborers, not a refined or comforting beverage. Crucially, the offer is immediately followed by the sarcastic challenge, "Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down." This accompanying taunt reveals the true intent: not to alleviate suffering, but to prolong the spectacle and further ridicule Jesus' claims, particularly after His cry of dereliction in Mark 15:34. While one individual might have had a flicker of pity, the collective sentiment was clearly one of scorn.
Why did the bystanders mention Elijah?
Answer: The bystanders mentioned Elijah (Elias) because they either genuinely misunderstood Jesus' cry of "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?") as a call for Elijah, or, more likely, they deliberately twisted it for mocking purposes. In Jewish tradition, based on Malachi 4:5, Elijah was expected to return before the Messiah or in a time of great distress to perform miraculous interventions. By challenging, "Let us see whether Elias will come to take him down," they were sarcastically daring Jesus to prove His divine connection or messianic claims by summoning a legendary prophet to rescue Him from the cross. It was a taunt designed to highlight His perceived helplessness and expose what they believed to be His false claims.
Does this verse fulfill any Old Testament prophecy?
Answer: Yes, the offering of sour wine to Jesus on the cross is widely understood to be a subtle fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, specifically Psalm 69:21. This messianic psalm, which vividly describes the suffering of the righteous one, states, "They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." The detail in Mark 15:36, along with accounts in other Gospels, aligns precisely with this prophetic utterance. This fulfillment underscores the divine sovereignty over every detail of Jesus' passion, demonstrating that even the cruelest acts of humanity were part of God's predetermined plan for redemption.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Mark 15:36, depicting Jesus' final moments of humiliation on the cross, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment not in a miraculous rescue by Elijah, but in Jesus' ultimate, self-sacrificial act of atonement. The bystanders' cynical challenge to "see whether Elias will come to take him down" utterly misses the point of Jesus' mission. He did not come to be taken down from the cross by an earthly prophet, but to willingly lay down His life as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His endurance of the vinegar and the mockery, amidst profound physical and spiritual agony, underscores His complete identification with humanity in its suffering and sin, yet without sin Himself. This moment is a testament to the depths of His humility, as described in Philippians 2:5-8, where He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, even to death on a cross. His apparent weakness and abandonment on the cross were, in fact, the very means by which He triumphed over sin and death, becoming the perfect High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted in every way, yet without sin (Hebrews 2:14-18). Thus, the "taking down" that truly mattered was not a rescue from the cross, but His voluntary descent into death, only to be gloriously raised, ultimately "taking down" the power of sin and death for all who believe, demonstrating God's love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.