14:33a
In Greek this verse begins with a conjunction that introduces the next event. Connect the events in 14:32 and 14:33 in a natural way in your language.
He took with Him Peter, James, and John: Among the disciples, Peter, James and John were special friends of Jesus. The text implies here that Jesus took them a little farther toward the middle of the olive grove in Gethsemane.
took with Him: Here the verb took indicates that Jesus asked his friends to accompany him.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
caused/told them to go along with him
-or-
had them accompany him
-or-
said to them, “Come with me.”
In some languages you may need to specify the destination or direction. If possible, use a general word, such as “ahead” or “a little ahead.” For example:
He invited Peter, James and John to go with him; they went off together ahead
14:33b
and began to be deeply troubled: Mark used the verb began here to describe an action that started at this time and continued for some time.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Jesus entered time of deep distress
-or-
Distress overwhelmed him/Jesus
deeply troubled and distressed: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deeply troubled and distressed have a similar meaning. Together they emphasize that Jesus was very sorrowful and distressed. Some languages may have a single expression for this idea. Other languages may use an idiom. Here is another way to translate this phrase:
filled with horror and deep distress (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
In some languages it may be necessary to specify the reason that Jesus was troubled and distressed. You may make this explicit in a general way only if it is necessary to avoid a wrong meaning. For example:
Jesus began to be deeply distressed…because of what he was going to endure.
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