Arrested in the Garden
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. John 18:5 · Berean Standard Bible
'Jesus of Nazareth,' they answer. Jesus replies, 'I am He'—and John makes sure we notice that Judas is now standing with the enemy, not with his friends.
When Jesus says 'I am He,' there's more going on than a simple identification. It echoes God's own name. And Judas' position tells the whole story of his betrayal.
The soldiers answer Jesus' question; Jesus identifies Himself.
The soldiers name their target. Jesus steps up without hesitation. And there's Judas, standing on the wrong side—no longer among friends, but among captors.
The soldiers identify Jesus of Nazareth as their target, and Jesus responds with 'ego eimi' (I am He), while John notes Judas' presence among the captors.
The 'ego eimi' response carries deliberate overtones of the divine name (Exodus 3:14). John's mention of Judas 'standing with them' marks the complete severance of Judas from the community of disciples.
Both the soldiers and Jesus speak; the narrator adds that Judas stood with the arresting party.
When asked for Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus responds with the loaded phrase 'I am,' echoing the divine self-disclosure. Meanwhile, Judas stands with the enemy—his defection now physically visible.
3So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.
4Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
6When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?”
Read all of John 18 — Judas arrives with torches and soldiers. Jesus steps forward and identifies himself, and the entire cohort falls to the ground.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
NIV, NLT, NKJV, KJV and the Berean — plus the Catholic NLT-CE and Douay-Rheims, with the full deuterocanon in the reading order.
Tap any of the 31,102 for what it means, and any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, without leaving the chapter.
Start recording at church and put your phone away. You get the transcript, the key moments, and every verse referenced.
Say what's sitting on your heart and hear it back as a real prayer, in a warm voice. Keep the ones that land.
The whole Bible in a year — five chapters a day, five days a week, weekends off. Built to be finished.
A verse each morning with its meaning, how it lands today, something to sit with, and a prayer to close it.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad