Mark 15:23

15:23 Whether Jesus was offered a drink of wine drugged with myrrh in kindness (Prov 31:6) or in mockery is uncertain. Jesus refused the drink, for he had committed himself to drinking the cup that God had given him (Mark 10:38-39; 14:36). • Myrrh has been used since before Jesus’ time to treat wounds and infections and for digestive ailments.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 15:23. Οὐκ ἔλαβε, He took it not) He tasted, but did not drink it. Mat 27:34: comp. ch. Mat 26:29.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 15:23 . ἐδίδουν : the conative imperfect = they tried to give, offered. ἐσμυρνισμένον οἶνον , wine drugged with myrrh, here only in N. T. Cf. Mt.’s account. οὐκ ἔλαβεν : Mt. says Jesus tasted the drink. He would not take it because He knew that it was meant to stupefy.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(23) Wine mingled with myrrh.—Note this description as in part explaining St. Matthew’s “wine mingled with gall.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23. they gave him] More literally, they offered Him.

wine mingled with myrrh] It was a merciful custom of the Jews to give those condemned to crucifixion, with a view to producing stupefaction, a strong aromatic wine. Lightfoot tells us (Hor. Heb. ii. 366) it was the special task of wealthy ladies at Jerusalem to provide this potion. The custom was founded on Rabbinic gloss on Pro_31:6, “Give strong drink to him that is perishing, and wine to those whose soul is in bitterness.”

but he received it not] The two malefactors, who were led forth with Him, probably partook of it, but He would take nothing to cloud His faculties.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. The time of the daily sacrifice of the morning, at which the priests ought to have been; and the time when the sanhedrim usually began to sit (x); for

"the grand sanhedrim sat from the daily sacrifice of the morning, to the daily sacrifice of the evening:''

but this being an extraordinary case, and they in a hurry to put Jesus to death, had been sitting up all night; and early in the morning had procured the sentence of death on him, which they were going to execute by the time they used to sit: this was about nine o'clock in the morning, and takes in the time between that and twelve at noon. The Ethiopic version reads, "and it was the sixth hour", to make it agree with Joh 19:14; and for the reconciling of these two places; see Gill on Joh 19:14.

(x) Maimon. Hilch. Sanhedrin, c. 3, sect. 1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

Ver. 23. Wine mingled with myrrh] This was not the same potion with that in Mar 15:36; Mat 27:48, but another.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Wine mingled ... - Matthew says “vinegar.” It was probably “wine soured,” so that it might be called either. This was the common drink of the Roman soldiers.

Myrrh - See the notes at Mat 27:34.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

St. Matthew says mixed with gall; for gall is here used for bitterness, and wine that has myrrh in it is a very strong bitter; although, perhaps, both gall and myrrh might have been ingredients to increase the bitterness. (St. Augustine) --- Or, in the confusion that was occasioned, some might have offered him one thing, some another; one person giving vinegar and gall, another wine mixed with myrrh. (Theophylactus) --- Wine mingled with myrrh may perhaps be used for vinegar. (St. Jerome) --- This was given to criminals, to lessen their torments. Our Lord was pleased to taste the bitterness, but he would not permit the relief which the admittance of the same into his stomach might have afforded. Thus so were the scriptures fulfilled: they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Psalm lxviii.) (Ven. Bede)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. There were two occasions on which drink was offered to our Lord during the agonies of his crucifixion. The first occasion is that mentioned by St. Matthew, (Mat_27:34) when they offered him wine mingled with gall. This was a kind of stupefying liquor, a strong narcotic, made of the sour wine of the country, mingled with bitter herbs, and mercifully administered to dull the sense of pain. This was offered before the actual crucifixion took place. It is to this first occasion that St. Mark here refers. The words in the original are (kai edidoun autw esmurnismenon onion), "they were giving, they offered him." But he received it not. He would not seek alleviation of the agonies of the crucifixion by any drugged potion which might render him insensible. He would bear the full burden consciously. The second occasion on which drink was offered to him was after he had been some hours on his cross, and when the end was drawing near; and it was then given in answer to his exclamation, "I thirst." This drink does not appear to have been mingled with any stupefying drug; and we do not read that he refused it. St. Mark does not record this second occasion.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

drink

The stupefying drink usually given to those crucified.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23–32. THE CRUCIFIXION AND THE FIRST THREE HOURS

Mat 27:34-44. Luk 23:33 b–43. Joh 19:18-26

23. ἐδίδουν αὐτῷ. They offered Him (R.V.). “They tried to give Him”; the conative imperf. Cf. ἐκωλύομεν αὐτόν (Mar 9:38). Mt., as often, has the aor. where Mk has the imperf., and in this case is less accurate.

ἐσμυρνισμένον οἶνον. Wine medicated with myrrh and perhaps other drugs, to act as an anaesthetic. Syr-Sin. has “sweetened with spice.” Mt. has χολή, “gall,” instead of myrrh; both were bitter, and Mt. may have wished to recall Psa 69:22. Euthymius erroneously suggests that a nauseous drink was offered to Him in mockery to increase His sufferings. It is said that there was a women’s guild in Jerusalem which supplied condemned criminals with potions for deadening pain before execution. “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul; Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more” (Pro 31:6-7) may have suggested this custom. Christ refused to be stupefied and have His mental faculties obscured; His mind must be free to surrender His life by an act of will. Had He drunk the potion, Christendom might have lost the Words from the Cross. When Dr Johnson was told that without a miracle he could not recover, he said that he would take no more opiates, “for I have prayed that I may render up my soul to God unclouded.”

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23.] ἐσμ. οἶν. = ὄξος μετὰ χολῆς μεμ. Matt., which see.

ἐδίδουν, they were giving, i.e. ‘they offered.’

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23. Καὶ ἐδίδουν αὐτῳ ἐσμυρμισμένον οἶνον—And they gave him wine flavored with myrrh.

Omit πιεῖν, to drink, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BC* L Δ, one ms. Lat. Vet. Memph.

ἐσμυρμισμένον—mingled with myrrh. Mt. says, with gall. Myrrh seems to have been used by Greek and Roman women to remove its intoxicating quality. But that could not have been its intention here. The common account seems to be that the myrrh was used as a stupefying drug, but no evidence for this appears. The wine was evidently used as a stimulant, and the myrrh adds to this effect, bracing and warming the system.1

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They gave [εδιδουν] . The imperfect tense is used in the same sense as in Mt 3:14 (Rev.), "John would have hindered." They were for giving; attempted to give. So Rev., excellently, offered.

Wine mingled with myrrh [εσμυρνισμενον οινον] . Lit., myrrhed wine. See on Mt 27:34.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.