The Meaning of Mark 15:23 Explained

Mark 15:23

KJV: And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

YLT: and they were giving him to drink wine mingled with myrrh, and he did not receive.

Darby: And they offered him wine to drink medicated with myrrh; but he did not take it.

ASV: And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  they gave  him  to drink  wine  mingled with myrrh:  but  he received  [it] not. 

What does Mark 15:23 Mean?

Study Notes

drink
The stupefying drink usually given to those crucified.

Context Summary

Mark 15:22-47 - A King Upon His Cross
Our Lord refused to drink the potion prepared by the women of Jerusalem, in order to stupefy those who were crucified and so deaden the sense of pain, because He would drain the cup to its dregs. It was nine o'clock in the morning when He was nailed to the cross. His persecutors were, as they thought, destroying the Temple of which He had spoken in John 2:19, and making its restoration impossible. In fact, however, they were giving Him the opportunity of fulfilling His great prediction. He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Nature veiled her face from that awful spectacle. Christ was not really forsaken, but as our Redeemer he passed under the dark shadow of human sin. The access to the Holy of Holies is now forever free through the entry of our great High Priest. See Hebrews 9:7-8. What love inspired the women, Mark 15:40, to brave the horrors of the scene! And how good to see that God cares for the body as well as for the spirit of His beloved! For Joseph, see Matthew 27:57 and Luke 23:50-51. Born of the Virgin's womb our Lord was buried in a virgin tomb. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 15

1  Jesus brought bound, and accused before Pilate
6  Upon the clamor of the people, the murderer Barabbas is released,
12  and Jesus delivered up to be crucified
16  He is crowned with thorns, spit on, and mocked;
21  faints in bearing his cross;
27  hangs between two thieves;
29  suffers the triumphing reproaches of the crowd;
39  but is confessed by the centurion to be the Son of God;
42  and is honorably buried by Joseph

Greek Commentary for Mark 15:23

They offered him [εδιδουν αυτωι]
Imperfect tense where Matthew has the aorist εδωκαν — edōkan with myrrh Perfect passive participle. The verb means flavoured with myrrh, myrrhed wine. It is not inconsistent with Matthew 27:34 “mingled with gall,” which see. [source]
But he received it not [ος δε ουκ ελαβεν]
Note the demonstrative ος — hos with δε — de Matthew has it that Jesus was not willing to take. Mark‘s statement is that he refused it. [source]
They gave [ἐδίδουν]
The imperfect tense is used in the same sense as in Matthew 3:14 (Rev.), “John would have hindered. ” They were for giving; attempted to give. So Rev., excellently, offered. [source]
Wine mingled with myrrh [ἐσμυρνισμένον οἶνον]
Lit., myrrhed wine. See on Matthew 27:34. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 15:23

Matthew 27:34 Wine mingled with gall [οινον μετα χολης μεμιγμενον]
Late MSS. read vinegar (οχος — oxos) instead of wine and Mark (Mark 15:23) has myrrh instead of gall. The myrrh gave the sour wine a better flavour and like the bitter gall had a narcotic and stupefying effect. Both elements may have been in the drink which Jesus tasted and refused to drink. Women provided the drink to deaden the sense of pain and the soldiers may have added the gall to make it disagreeable. Jesus desired to drink to the full the cup from his Father‘s hand (John 18:11). [source]
John 19:29 Hyssop []
Matthew and Mark have καλάμῳ , a reed. Luke says merely that they offered Him vinegar. The vinegar mingled with gall (Matthew 27:34), or the wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23) was offered to Jesus before his crucifixion as a stupefying draught. The hyssop gives a hint of the height of the cross, as the greatest length of the hyssop reed was not more than three or four feet. The vinegar in this case was offered in order to revive Christ. John does not mention the stupefying draught. [source]
John 19:29 Was set [εκειτο]
Imperfect middle. John, as eyewitness, had noticed it there. Of vinegar Not vinegar drugged with myrrh (Mark 15:23) and gall (Matthew 27:34) which Jesus had refused just before the crucifixion. Sponge Old word, in N.T. only here, Mark 15:36; Matthew 27:48, our “sponge.” They put Second aorist active participle of περιτιτημι — peritithēmi to place around. Upon hyssop A reed (καλαμωι — kalamōi) as Mark and Matthew have it. The reed of the hyssop bush was only three or four feet long. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 15:23 mean?

And they were offering Him having been mixed with myrrh wine He however not did take [it]
καὶ ἐδίδουν αὐτῷ ἐσμυρνισμένον οἶνον ὃς δὲ οὐκ ἔλαβεν

ἐδίδουν  they  were  offering 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
ἐσμυρνισμένον  having  been  mixed  with  myrrh 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: σμυρνίζω  
Sense: to be like myrrh.
οἶνον  wine 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: οἶνος  
Sense: wine.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ἔλαβεν  did  take  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λαμβάνω  
Sense: to take.