Luke 9:32

Were heavy with sleep (hsan bebarhmenoi upnwi). Periphrastic past perfect of barew, a late form for the ancient barunw (not in N.T. save Textus Receptus in Luke 21:34 ). This form, rare and only in passive (present, aorist, perfect) in the N.T., is like barunw, from baru, and that from baro, weight, burden ( Galatians 6:2 ). Hupnwi is in the instrumental case. They had apparently climbed the mountain in the early part of the night and were now overcome with sleep as Jesus prolonged his prayer. Luke alone tells of their sleep. The same word is used of the eyes of these three disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane ( Matthew 26:43 ) and of the hearts of many ( Luke 21:34 ). But when they were fully awake (diagrhgorhsante de). First aorist active participle of this late (Herodian) and rare compound verb (here alone in the N.T.), diagrhgorew (Luke is fond of compounds with dia). The simple verb grhgorew (from the second perfect active egrhgora) is also late, but common in the LXX and the N.T. The effect of dia can be either to remain awake in spite of desire to sleep (margin of Revised Version) or to become thoroughly awake (ingressive aorist tense also) as Revised Version has it. This is most likely correct. The Syriac Sinaitic has it "When they awoke." Certainly they had been through a strain. His glory (thn doxan autou). See also verse Luke 26 in the words of Jesus.