Mark 15:21

Mark 15:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
• New International Version (NIV)A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

Context of Mark 15:21

19They kept beating Him on the head with a reed and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing in [mock] homage to Him. 20After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him. They forced into service a passer-by coming in from the countryside, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to carry His cross. 22Then they brought Him to the place [called] Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh [to dull the pain], but He would not take it.

Mark 15:21 word by word

καὶ ἀγγαρεύουσιν παράγοντά τινα Σίμωνα Κυρηναῖον ἐρχόμενον ἀπ᾽ ἀγροῦ, τὸν πατέρα Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Ῥούφου, ἵνα ἄρῃ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• they compelἀγγαρεύωaggareuō · to forceG29
• oneτιςtis · oneG5100
• SimonΣίμωνSimōn · SimonG4613
• a CyrenianΚυρηναῖοςKurēnaios · CyreneG2956
• who passed byπαράγωparagō · to passG3855
• coming outἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
• the countryἀγρόςagros · fieldG68
• the fatherὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the fatherπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
• of AlexanderἈλέξανδροςAlexandros · AlexanderG223
• RufusῬοῦφοςRhouphos · RufusG4504
• toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• bearαἴρωairō · to take upG142
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• crossσταυρόςstauros · crossG4716

Cross-references for Mark 15:21

• Matthew 27:32Now as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced into service to carry the cross of Jesus.
• Luke 23:26When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in [to the city] from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
• Acts 2:10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and the visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism),
• Acts 6:9However, some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, rose up and questioned and argued with Stephen.
• Acts 11:20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming [to them] the good news about the Lord Jesus.
• Acts 13:1Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets [who spoke a new message of God to the people] and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch, and Saul.
• Romans 16:13Greet Rufus, an eminent and choice man in the Lord, also his mother [who has been] a mother to me as well.
• Luke 14:27Whoever does not carry his own cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow after Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] cannot be My disciple.
• John 15:18“If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

Commentaries on Mark 15:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21A Cyrenian - One of Cyrene, a celebrated city in the Pentapolis of Libya. The father of Alexander and Rufus - It appears that these two persons were well known among the first disciples of our Lord. It is not unlikely that this is the same Alexander who is mentioned, Acts 19:33, and that the other is the Rufus spoken of by St. Paul, Romans 16:13.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-21Verses 15-21 Christ met death in its greatest terror. It was the death of the vilest malefactors. Thus the cross and the shame are put together. God having been dishonoured by the sin of man, Christ made satisfaction by submitting to the greatest disgrace human nature could be loaded with. It was a cursed death; thus it was branded by the Jewish law, De 21:23. The Roman soldiers mocked our Lord Jesus as a King; thus in the high priest's hall the servants…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-22After they left the walled city of Jerusalem, Jesus became too weak to carry his cross. The Roman soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene (a city in northern Africa) to carry it (see Matthew 5:41). Usually, a person being crucified had to carry the horizontal crossbeam (called the patibulum) to the place of execution. The vertical post (called the stipes) was often left in the ground as a warning to others (like a hangman’s scaffold in a public square). Simon of…Read the comment

Topics related to Mark 15:21

• Alexander
• Cross
• Cyrene
• Jesus, the Christ
• Judge
• Persecution
• Rufus
• Simon
• Soldiers

In the dictionaries

• Alexander
• Compel
• Consultation
• Content
• Cyrene
• Mark, Gospel according to
• Release
• Rufus
• Superscription
• Witness

Commentaries on Mark 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings