Mark 15 :: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Jesus before Pilate

(Mat 27:1, 2, 11–14; Luk 23:1–5; Jhn 18:28–38 )

Early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), immediately consulted together; and they bound Jesus, they took Him away [violently] and handed Him over to Pilate.

Mar 15:2

Mar 15:2Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He replied to him, “It is as you say.”

Mar 15:3

Mar 15:3The chief priests began accusing Him of many things.

Mar 15:4

Mar 15:4Then Pilate again asked Him, “Have You no answer [to give]? See how many charges they are bringing against You!”

Mar 15:5

Mar 15:5But Jesus gave no further answer; so Pilate was perplexed.

(Mat 27:15–26; Luk 23:17–25; Jhn 18:39—19:16 )

Mar 15:6

Now at the [Passover] feast Pilate used to set free for them any one prisoner whom they requested.

Mar 15:7

Mar 15:7The man called Barabbas was imprisoned with the insurrectionists (revolutionaries) who had committed murder in the civil rebellion.

Mar 15:8

Mar 15:8The crowd came up and began asking Pilate to do as he usually did for them.

Mar 15:9

Mar 15:9Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?”

Mar 15:10

Mar 15:10For he was aware that the chief priests had turned Jesus over to him because of envy and resentment.

Mar 15:11

Mar 15:11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get him to release Barabbas for them instead.

Mar 15:12

Mar 15:12Again Pilate answered, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”

Mar 15:13

Mar 15:13They screamed back, “Crucify Him!”

Mar 15:14

Mar 15:14But Pilate asked them, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they screamed all the more, “Crucify Him!”

Mar 15:15

Mar 15:15So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, set Barabbas free for them; and after having Jesus [fn]scourged, he handed Him over [to his soldiers] to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

(Mat 27:27–31 )

Mar 15:16

The soldiers led Him away into the palace (that is, the [fn]Praetorium), and they called together the entire [Roman] battalion [of 600 soldiers].

Mar 15:17

Mar 15:17They dressed Him up in [a ranking Roman officer’s robe of] purple, and after twisting [together] a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him;

Mar 15:18

Mar 15:18and they began saluting and mocking Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Mar 15:19

Mar 15:19They kept beating Him on the head with a [fn]reed and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing in [mock] homage to Him.

Mar 15:20

Mar 15:20After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.

(Mat 27:32–44; Luk 23:26–43; Jhn 19:17–27 )

Mar 15:21

They forced into service a passer-by coming in from the countryside, Simon of [fn]Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), [fn]to carry His cross.

The Crucifixion

Mar 15:22

Then they brought Him to the place [called] Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a [fn]Skull.

Mar 15:23

Mar 15:23They tried to give Him [fn]wine mixed with myrrh [to dull the pain], but He would not take it.

Mar 15:24

Mar 15:24And they crucified Him, and [fn]divided up His clothes among themselves, casting lots for them to see who should take what.

Mar 15:25

Mar 15:25It was the third hour (9:00 a.m.) when they crucified Him.

Mar 15:26

Mar 15:26The inscription of the accusation against Him had been written [above Him]: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Mar 15:27

They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.

Mar 15:28

Mar 15:28 [fn][And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was counted with the transgressors.”]

Mar 15:29

Mar 15:29Those who were passing by were insulting Him with abusive and insolent language, wagging their heads [as a sign of contempt], and saying, “Ha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in [only] three days,

Mar 15:30

Mar 15:30save Yourself by coming down from the cross!”

Mar 15:31

Mar 15:31In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were ridiculing and mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself!

Mar 15:32

Mar 15:32“Let the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe and trust [in Him]!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

(Mat 27:45–56; Luk 23:44–49; Jhn 19:28–30 )

Mar 15:33

When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

Mar 15:34

Mar 15:34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?”—which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

Mar 15:35

Mar 15:35Some of the bystanders heard Him and said, “Look! He is calling for [fn]Elijah!”

Mar 15:36

Mar 15:36Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah is coming to take Him down.”

Mar 15:37

Mar 15:37But Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His last [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan].

Mar 15:38

Mar 15:38And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from [fn]top to bottom.

Mar 15:39

Mar 15:39When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Mar 15:40

Now some women also were watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and [fn]Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and [fn]Salome.

Mar 15:41

Mar 15:41When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to accompany him and minister to Him; and there were also many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

(Mat 27:57–61; Luk 23:50–56; Jhn 19:38–42 )

Mar 15:42

When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

Mar 15:43

Mar 15:43Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent and respected member of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God—and he courageously dared to go in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

Mar 15:44

Mar 15:44Pilate [fn]wondered if He was dead by this time [only six hours after being crucified], and he summoned the centurion and asked him whether He was already dead.

Mar 15:45

Mar 15:45And when he learned from the centurion [that Jesus was in fact dead], he gave the body to Joseph [by granting him permission to remove it].

Mar 15:46

Mar 15:46So Joseph purchased a [fine] linen cloth [for [fn]wrapping the body], and after taking Jesus down [from the cross], he wrapped Him in the linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb which had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a [large, wheel-shaped] stone against the entrance of the tomb.

Mar 15:47

Mar 15:47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were [carefully] watching to see where He was laid.

See the AMP Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

AMP Footnotes

(15:15)

I.e. whipped with a short whip of metal-tipped leather thongs. There was no limit to the number of lashings. Frequently, the body was so lacerated that the intestines gushed out. It was not uncommon for a prisoner to die from scourging.

(15:16)

The residence of the Roman provincial governor.

(15:19)

I.e. a long bamboo-like stick.

(15:21)

A port city in north Africa.

(15:21)

The crossbeam was usually placed on the nape of the neck like a yoke.

(15:22)

Latin: Calvaria; or Calvary; Aram: Golgotha; Greek: Kranion.

(15:23)

The myrrh had a narcotic effect and was added to dull the senses.

(15:24)

See note Matt 27:35.

(15:28)

Early mss do not contain this verse.

(15:35)

The Jews believed that the prophet Elijah would return before the Messiah appeared.

(15:38)

This act of God signified that the death of Jesus ended the need for temple sacrifices and intermediaries, and opened the way for free and direct access to God.

(15:40)

Gr Maria. She is believed to be a sister or sister-in-law of Jesus’ mother, Mary (Gr Mariam).

(15:40)

Matt 27:56 indicates that Salome was the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Salome is believed to be one of the sisters of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

(15:44)

Death by crucifixion was usually a slow process, sometimes lasting two or three days.

(15:46)

It was Jewish custom to wash the body of a deceased person, then wrap it tightly in linen, placing spices or pouring aromatic perfumes between the successive layers of cloth to mitigate the stench of decay (see John 19:39, 40).

For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

Mark Chapter 15 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras