14:35a

In some languages, it will be natural to begin this verse with a time word or phrase. For example:

Then
-or-
Afterwards he left them and

Connect the events in 14:34 and 14:35 in a natural way in your language.

Going a little farther: The phrase Going a little farther indicates a distance that is about as far as someone could throw a stone. The specific expression “a stone’s throw” is used in another Gospel, but you should not use it here. Use an appropriate general term for this distance in your language.

You may also need to indicate the direction Jesus went. He continued to go in the same direction that he had been going. That is, he continued “going ahead,” or “going forward,” “or going away from the three disciples.”

14:35b–c

He fell to the ground: In this context the clause He fell to the ground is an idiom. It indicates that Jesus deliberately knelt or lay face downward on the ground to pray to God. This expression does not indicate that Jesus accidentally fell down. In Jewish culture, people knelt or lay prostrate like this to humble themselves before God in prayer.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

lay/knelt face downward on the ground to pray
-or-
prostrated himself on the ground

and prayed: The word prayed here implies that Jesus prayed to God.

If it is not natural in your language to use a conjunction to connect these two verbs, you may need to omit and. For example:

…he knelt on the ground. He prayed to God…

prayed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prayed means “spoke to God.” Some languages use different words to refer to specific kinds of prayer, such as requests, thanks, or praise. If your language has different words for pray, here you should use the word that means “requested.” For example:

asked/begged God
-or-
requested from/of God

Avoid a term that may imply magical or meaningless words.

prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him: This part of the verse expresses the content of Jesus’ prayer. If you begin a new sentence here you may need to repeat “prayed.” For example:

He prayed to God that if possible

See the General Comment on 14:35–36 at the end of 14:36d for a suggestion about expressing this as a direct quote.

if it were possible: The words if it were possible express a humble request. Jesus implied that God was the one who knew what should be done. He prayed that God would grant his request only if God knew that it would be good or possible to grant it.

Here are some ways to translate this in indirect speech:

that if God thought it was good
-or-
that if God could give permission

prayed that…the hour would pass from Him: The phrase prayed that…the hour would pass from Him is an idiom. It indicates that Jesus prayed that…he would not have to endure the time of suffering.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

that…he might not have to suffer what was ahead of him (God’s Word)
-or-
that…he would not need to endure that day of suffering
-or-
that…the suffering that he was going to know would not arrive

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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