Mark 14:43

43 Immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came and with him a crowd of men armed with swords and cudgels, sent by the High Priests and Scribes and 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 A third time He came, and then He said, "Sleep on and rest. Enough! the hour has come. Even now they are betraying the Son of Man into the hands of sinful men.

42 Rouse yourselves, let us be going: my betrayer is close at hand."

43 Immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came and with him a crowd of men armed with swords and cudgels, sent by the High Priests and Scribes and Elders.

44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them. "The one I kiss," he said, "is the man: lay hold of him, and take him safely away."

45 So he came, and going straight to Jesus he said, "Rabbi!" and kissed Him with seeming affection;