Mark 14:43

The Judas Kiss

43 While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

Mark 14:43 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 14:43

And immediately, while he yet spake
The above words:

cometh Judas one of the twelve:
apostles of Christ, and which was an aggravation of his wickedness; the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic, versions add, "Iscariot"; and so it is read in one of Beza's copies. The Ethiopic version reads, "one of the ten", very wrongly:

and with him a great multitude;
a band of men and officers, with many of the chief priests and captains of the temple, and elders of the people, that mixed themselves with the crowd, to see how things would issue:

with swords and staves;
which they intended to make use of, should any resistance be made in apprehending him, or any attempt to rescue him:

from the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders;
from the Jewish sanhedrim, which consisted of these; (See Gill on Matthew 26:47).

Mark 14:43 In-Context

41 Then He came a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. Look, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 Get up; let's go! See-My betrayer is near."

43 While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

44 His betrayer had given them a signal. "The One I kiss," he said, "He's the One; arrest Him and take Him away under guard."

45 So when he came, he went right up to Him and said, "Rabbi!"-and kissed Him.