Devine Scripture

Matthew 27:48

What does Matthew 27:48 mean?

A plain-English look at Matthew 27:48 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Matthew 27:48 means

One person runs to give Jesus vinegar on a sponge placed on a reed. This act responds to the crowd’s misinterpretation; vinegar was a common sour drink offered to the condemned. The gesture may be meant as charity or to mock, but it also fulfills the practical need of the suffering man. The action has ambiguous motive—some intend kindness, others derision. In Matthew’s account it interrupts the scene of mockery and suffering, adding detail to Jesus’ physical agony at the end.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And straight away one of them went quickly, and took a sponge, and made it full of bitter wine, and put it on a rod and gave him drink.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and immediately, one of them having run, and having taken a spunge, having filled <FI>it<Fi> with vinegar, and having put <FI>it<Fi> on a reed, was giving him to drink,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And immediately one of them running took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed and gave him to drink.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And immediately one of them running and getting a sponge, having filled [it] with vinegar and fixed [it] on a reed, gave him to drink.

Context

This verse follows the crowd’s claim that Jesus calls for Elijah (v. 47). It shows a real, if ambiguous, human response: offering a drink. The scene prepares for the soldiers’ debate over whether to give him more (v. 49) and then for Jesus’ final cry and death (v. 50).

v.47And some of them that stood there, when they heard it, said, This man calleth Elijah.

v.48This passage

v.49And the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • John 19:29

    There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.

  • Matthew 27:34

    they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink.

  • Psalms 69:21

    They gave me also gall for my food; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

  • Luke 23:36

    And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, offering him vinegar,

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