Matthew 26:51-54

26:51 But ¹  one of those with Jesus grabbed ²  his sword, drew it out, and struck the high priest’s slave, ³  cutting off his ear. 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! ⁴  For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword. 26:53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions ⁵  of angels right now? 26:54 How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?”

¹ tn Grk “And behold one.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

² tn Grk “extending his hand, drew out his sword, and struck.” Because rapid motion is implied in the circumstances, the translation “grabbed” was used.

³ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

⁴ tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.

⁵ sn A legion was a Roman army unit of about 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions would be 72,000.