Matthew 27:39

Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,

World English Bible
Learn

Your notes

Private to you. Anything you write on this verse, here or while reading, shows up here and in My study.

Other translations

WEBBE

Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads

BSB

And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads

KJV

And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

ASV

And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads,

BBE

And those who went by said bitter words to him, shaking their heads and saying,

Original Greek

Look up a word

Tap a word to see what it means and everywhere else it's used.

οἱ hoi Those G3588 δὲ de now G1161 παραπορευόμενοι paraporeuomenoi passing by G3899 ἐβλασφήμουν eblasphēmoun were denigrating G987 αὐτὸν auton Him G846 κινοῦντες kinountes wagging G2795 τὰς tas the G3588 κεφαλὰς kephalas heads G2776 αὐτῶν autōn of them G846

The early church

But nevertheless not even here doth their contumely stop, but after having stripped and crucified Him, and offered Him vinegar, they proceeded still further, and beholding Him impaled upon the cross, they revile Him, both they themselves and the passers by; and this was more grievous than all, that on the charge of being an impostor and deceiver He suffered these things, and as a boaster, and vainly pretending what He said. Therefore they both crucified Him publicly, that they might make a show of it in the sight of all; and therefore also they did it by the hands of the soldiers, that these things being perpetrated even by a public tribunal, the insult might be the greater.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Matthew
They revile him because they passed by that way, and would not walk in the true way of the Scriptures. They wagged their heads, because they had just before shifted their feet, and stood not upon a rock.
Jerome · d. 420Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
Had He then been prevailed on by their taunts to leave the cross, He would not have proved to us the power of endurance; but He waited enduring their mockery; and He who would not come down from the cross, rose again from the tomb.
Rabanus Maurus · d. 856Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 35–44

It was usual to put shame upon malefactors, by a writing to notify the crime for which they suffered. So they set up one over Christ's head. This they designed for his reproach, but God so overruled it, that even his accusation was to his honour. There were crucified with him at the same time, two robbers. He was, at his death, numbered among the transgressors, that we, at our death, might be numbered among the saints. The taunts and jeers he received are here recorded. The enemies of Christ labour to make others believe that of religion and of the people of God, which they themselves know to be false. The chief priests and scribes, and the elders, upbraid Jesus with being the King of Israel. Many people could like the King of Israel well enough, if he would but come down from the cross; if they could but have his kingdom without the tribulation through which they must enter into it. But if no cross, then no Christ, no crown. Those that would reign with him, must be willing to suffer with him. Thus our Lord Jesus, having undertaken to satisfy the justice of God, did it, by submitting to the punishment of the worst of men. And in every minute particular recorded about the sufferings of Christ, we find some prediction in the Prophets or the Psalms fulfilled.

Read Matthew Henry on Matthew 27 →

Parallel passages

2

The same words or events elsewhere.

Mark 15:29–30Luke 23:36–37

Cross-references

15

Topics

Jesus, The ChristPersecutionInfidelityMockingReviling

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.