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Mark 14:32

...Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

After the Last Supper, at Gethsemane.

Spoken to:
Apostles
KJV issues:
2
KJV

Mark 14:32 ...Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

NIV

Mark 14:32 Sit here while I pray

What His Listeners Heard

Sit here in order that I might pray by myself.

Greek

Greek Word Order

Καθίσατε ὧδε ἕως      προσεύξωμαι.
Sit           here while   I should pray by myself.

We should all pray by ourselves at certain times.

Lost in Translation

Jesus offers a much better explanation of what is happening in the Greek. He says, "sit here in order that I might pray by myself." The verb "pray" is in a form that means "might pray by myself." This is a shortened version of Matthew 26:36 and somewhat easier to understand. The word "pray" is usually in the middle voice. The "pray" is also in the form of possibility, which requires a "should" or "might" when not appearing in a when/if" type clause, to the sense is "I should pray by myself."

Vocabulary (Greek word by word)

Καθίσατε [15 verses](verb 2nd pl aor imperat act) "Sit ye" is from kathizô, which means "to make sit down", "to seat", "to place", "to sit", "to post", "to take seats", "to convene", "to appoint", "to establish", "to put in a certain condition", "to reside", "to sink down", "to run aground [for ships]," "to recline at meals," and "to settle." From the Greek kata ("down") hedraios ("to settle") .

ὧδε [29 verses] (pron) "Here" is hode, the demonstrative pronoun which means "this" in the sense of "what is present" and "what can be seen." With verbs of action and with a person, it means "here" as in "here I am" in the sense of "I am present." --

ἕως [63 verses](conj) "While" is from heos which means "until", "till," and "in order that" and "up to the point that."

προσεύξωμαι. [26 verses](verb 1st sg aor subj mid) "Shall pray" is from proseuchomai, which means "to offer prayers or vows", "to worship," and "to pray for a thing. It is the combination of two Greek word, pros, meaning "towards" or "by reason of," and euchomai, meaning "to pray to God."

KJV — word by word

Sit -- "Sit" is a verb that means "to make sit down", "to seat", "to place", but has a strong sense of "sit down."

ye - This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.

here, -- "Here" is from a pronoun that means "what is present" or "here it is".

while -- The word translated as "while" means "until" but it also means "in order that."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.

shall -- (CW) This helping verb "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but that the following verb describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "might" or "should" in English is more appropriate, but is assumed in an "if" or "when" clause. Helping verbs are not needed in Greek since the main verb carries this information in its form.

pray."Pray" is the verb that means "to offer prayers or vows," and "to pray for a thing." It is in the form of possibly doing something for oneself, so "I might pray for myself."

missing "by/for myself"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the previous verb is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to  act on "myself," "for myself" or "by myself."

NIV — word by word

Sit -- "Sit" is a verb that means "to make sit down", "to seat", "to place", but has a strong sense of "sit down."

here, -- "Here" is from a pronoun that means "what is present" or "here it is".

while -- The word translated as "while" means "until" but it also means "in order that."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.

missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if," "when," "whoever" and other conditional clauses.

pray. "Pray" is the verb that means "to offer prayers or vows," and "to pray for a thing." It is in the form of possibly doing something for oneself, so "I might pray for myself."

missing "by/for myself"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the previous verb is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to  act on "myself," "for myself" or "by myself."

Related Verses

Matthew 26:36 Sit you here, while I go and pray yonder. ›