Chapter

Matthew 26:36

ESV Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”
NIV Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.'
NASB Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *told His disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.'
CSB Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he told the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
NLT Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, 'Sit here while I go over there to pray.'
KJV Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

What does Matthew 26:36 mean?

Jesus and His remaining 11 disciples (John 13:29–30) have been walking from the place where they ate the Passover meal (Matthew 26:17–19) toward the Mount of Olives. Now they come to a place called Gethsemane on the mountain's western side. John describes it as a garden near a brook called Kidron and a place the group often went together (John 18:1–2). They are still inside the boundaries of Jerusalem, as the Passover rules required. It may now be as late as 10 or 11 p.m.

The name Gethsemane literally means "oil press," suggesting that the spot was among the olive groves on the mountain. This title is ironic, at least, in that Jesus will experience intense spiritual pressure as He prays there (Mark 14:34; Luke 22:44).

Jesus tells eight of the disciples to sit down while He goes over to another area to pray. The following verse (Matthew 26:37) shows that He takes Peter, James, and John with Him farther into the garden. He may have wanted them to protect His solitude and privacy while He prayed.
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