23:36a
The soldiers also mocked Him and came up: In Greek this clause is more literally, “And the soldiers also ridiculed him, approaching.” It indicates that the soldiers also mocked Jesus, as the leaders did in 23:35. The phrase came up means “came to, approached.” It indicates that they came to Jesus. Several English versions supply the word up because it is natural here in English.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him (King James Version)
-or-
The soldiers also made fun of him. They approached
-or-
The soldiers joined in the mockery and came forward (Revised English Bible)
mocked: The word mocked indicates that they ridiculed Jesus. They insulted him with both words and actions. Some other ways to translate this word are:
ridiculed him
-or-
made fun of him (God’s Word)
The same Greek word was used in 22:63b and 23:11b. You can translate it in the same or a similar way here.
23:36b
to offer Him sour wine: This clause implies that the soldiers took the wine vinegar to Jesus and offered it to him. It is not clear whether they actually gave it to him. Since his arms were nailed to the cross, he could not reach out and take it. They may have dipped a sponge in the wine vinegar and offered it to him, as one person did in Mark 15.
In this context the soldiers offered Jesus wine vinegar as a way to mock him. Psalm 69:21 says, “For my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
In some languages it may be more natural to use direct speech for the soldiers’ offer. For example:
They brought wine vinegar and said to him, “Drink some.”
sour wine: Scholars are not sure exactly what this sour wine was. It may have been a cheap sort of sour wine. The term may have referred to a drink made from vinegar, water, and egg. Some ways to translate it here are:
cheap wine (Good News Translation)
-or-
sour wine (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
some vinegar (God’s Word)
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