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?”

Luke 22:49-51

22:49 When ⁶  those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said, “Lord, should ⁷  we use our swords?” ⁸  22:50 Then ⁹  one of them ¹⁰  struck the high priest’s slave, ¹¹  cutting off his right ear. 22:51 But Jesus said, ¹²  “Enough of this!” And he touched the man’s ¹³  ear and healed ¹⁴  him.

John 18:10-11

18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest’s slave, ¹⁵  cutting off his right ear. ¹⁶  (Now the slave’s name was Malchus.) ¹⁷  18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” ¹⁸ 

[26:51]  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).

[26:51]  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.

[26:51]  ³ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[26:52]  ⁴ tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.

[26:53]  ⁵ sn A legion was a Roman army unit of about 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions would be 72,000.

[22:49]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:49]  ⁷ tn The direct question using “if” in Greek is not unusual (BDF §440.3).

[22:49]  ⁸ sn “Should we use our swords?” The disciples’ effort to defend Jesus recalls Luke 22:35-38. One individual did not wait for the answer.

[22:50]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[22:50]  ¹⁰ sn One of them. The unnamed disciple is Peter according to John 18:10 (cf. also Matt 26:51; Mark 14:47).

[22:50]  ¹¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[22:51]  ¹² tn Grk “But answering, Jesus said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[22:51]  ¹³ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the slave of the high priest mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:51]  ¹⁴ sn When Jesus healed the man’s ear he showed grace even to those who hated him, following his own teaching (Luke 6:27-36).

[18:10]  ¹⁵ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[18:10]  ¹⁶ sn The account of the attack on the high priest’s slave contains details which suggest eyewitness testimony. It is also mentioned in all three synoptic gospels, but only John records that the disciple involved was Peter, whose impulsive behavior has already been alluded to (John 13:37). Likewise only John gives the name of the victim, Malchus, who is described as the high priest’s slave. John and Mark (14:47) both use the word ὠτάριον (wtarion, a double diminutive) to describe what was cut off, and this may indicate only part of the right ear (for example, the earlobe).

[18:10]  ¹⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “The cup that the Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.