The Meaning of Mark 14:40 Explained

Mark 14:40

KJV: And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

YLT: and having returned, he found them again sleeping, for their eyes were heavy, and they had not known what they might answer him.

Darby: And returning, he found them again sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and they knew not what they should answer him.

ASV: And again he came, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they knew not what to answer him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when he returned,  he found  them  asleep  again,  (for  their  eyes  were  heavy,  ) neither  wist they  what  to answer  him. 

What does Mark 14:40 Mean?

Context Summary

Mark 14:32-52 - Alone In The Hour Of Trial
When the soul is overwhelmed, it seeks to be alone, and yet not too far from human sympathy and help. The three most trusted might enter the enclosure, but even they could not share the depth of the Master's anguish, which was so great as to threaten His very life. He cried to Him who could save Him from dying before His trial and sentence, and was saved from what He feared. Our Lord did not shrink from physical suffering, but from the horror of becoming sin-bearer for the race, and putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. His disciples failed Him, but as He submitted to the Father's will His spirit rose triumphant. Sleep on now-the past is irrevocable. The disciples fled as fast as their feet would carry them. If only they had prayed, they would have been steadfast and unmovable. There are good reasons for supposing that the young man mentioned here was Mark himself. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 14

1  A conspiracy against Jesus
3  Expensive perfume is poured on his head by a woman
10  Judas sells his Master for money
12  Jesus himself foretells how he will be betrayed by one of his disciples;
22  after the passover prepared, and eaten, institutes his last supper;
26  declares beforehand the flight of all his disciples, and Peter's denial
43  Judas betrays him with a kiss
46  Jesus is apprehended in the garden;
53  falsely accused and impiously condemned of the council;
65  shamefully abused by them;
66  and thrice denied by Peter

Greek Commentary for Mark 14:40

Very heavy [καταβαρυνομενοι]
Perfective use of κατα — katȧ with the participle. Matthew has the simple verb. Mark‘s word is only here in the N.T. and is rare in Greek writers. Mark has the vivid present passive participle, while Matthew has the perfect passive βεβαρημενοι — bebarēmenoi they wist not what to answer him Deliberative subjunctive retained in the indirect question. Alone in Mark and reminds one of the like embarrassment of these same three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:6). On both occasions weakness of the flesh prevented their real sympathy with Jesus in his highest and deepest experiences. “Both their shame and their drowsiness would make them dumb” (Gould). [source]
Heavy [καταβαρυνόμενοι]
Lit., weighed down: very heavy. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 14:40 mean?

And again having returned he found them sleeping Were for of them the eyes heavy not they knew what they should answer Him
καὶ πάλιν ἐλθὼν εὗρεν αὐτοὺς καθεύδοντας ἦσαν γὰρ αὐτῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ καταβαρυνόμενοι οὐκ ᾔδεισαν τί ἀποκριθῶσιν αὐτῷ

πάλιν  again 
Parse: Adverb
Root: πάλιν  
Sense: anew, again.
ἐλθὼν  having  returned 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
εὗρεν  he  found 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εὑρίσκω  
Sense: to come upon, hit upon, to meet with.
καθεύδοντας  sleeping 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: καθεύδω  
Sense: to fall asleep, drop off to sleep.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ὀφθαλμοὶ  eyes 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ὀφθαλμός  
Sense: the eye.
καταβαρυνόμενοι  heavy 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: καταβαρέω  
Sense: to press down by an imposing weight.
ᾔδεισαν  they  knew 
Parse: Verb, Pluperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: οἶδα  
Sense: to see.
ἀποκριθῶσιν  they  should  answer 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.

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