Mark 15:25

²⁴And they crucified Him. They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take. ²⁵It was the third hour when they crucified Him. ²⁶And the charge inscribed against Him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Summary

Mark 15:25 describes the moment when Jesus was crucified, stating that it was the third hour when they crucified Him. This verse highlights the historical accuracy and specificity of the events surrounding Jesus' death, emphasizing the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. The mention of the exact hour adds a sense of solemnity and significance to the crucifixion, underscoring the sacrificial nature of Jesus' death for the redemption of humanity. It serves as a reminder of the precise timing and divine orchestration of God's plan for salvation through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

The third hour - It has been before observed, that the Jews divided their night into four watches, of three hours each. They also divided the day into four general parts. The first began at sunrise. The second three hours after. The third at mid-day. The fourth three hours after, and continued till sunset. Christ having been nailed to the cross a little after mid-day, Joh 19:14-16, Joh 19:17, and having expired about three o'clock, Mar 15:33, the whole business of the crucifixion was finished within the space of this third division of the day, which Mark calls here the third hour. Commentators and critics have found it very difficult to reconcile this third hour of Mark, with the sixth hour of John, Joh 19:14. It is supposed that the true reading, in Joh 19:14, should be τριτη, the third, instead of ἑκτη the sixth; a mistake which might have readily taken place in ancient times, when the character γ gamma, which was put for τριτη, three, might have been mistaken for Ϛ episema, or sigma tau, which signifies six. And τριτη, the third, instead of ἑκτη, the sixth, is the reading of some very eminent MSS. in the place in question, Joh 19:14. See Bengel, Newcome, Macknight, Lightfoot, Rosenmuller, etc., on this perplexing point.