New King James Version
Mark 15:21
21Then 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)
Context of Mark 15:21
19Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. 20And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. 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. 22And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
Read all of Mark 15Mark 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 came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.
- Luke 23:26Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
- Acts 2:10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
- Acts 6:9Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.
- Acts 11:20But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.
- Acts 13:1Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
- Romans 16:13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
- Luke 14:27And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
- John 15:18“If the world hates you, you know that it 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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries