Matthew 27:34

"When they came to a place called “Golgotha”, that is to say, “The place of a skull,”"

Key Reflection

When they arrived at Golgotha, which means "the place of a skull," this location was likely chosen for its topography that resembled a human skull from above. For the original audience, such a name would have been both vivid and macabre, evoking images of death and judgment. The choice of such a site underscores the gravity of Jesus' crucifixion, emphasizing his role as the sacrificial lamb destined to bear the sins of humanity.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 34. They gave him vinegar, etc. Mark says that "they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh." The two evangelists mean the same thing. Vinegar was made of light wine rendered acid, and was the common drink of the Roman soldiers; and this might be called either vinegar or wine, in common language. Myrrh is a bitter substance, produced in Arabia, but is used often to denote anything bitter. The meaning of the name is bitterness. See Barnes "Mt 2:11". Gall is, properly, a bitter secretion from the liver; but the word is also used to denote anything exceedingly bitter, as wormwood, etc.

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