Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

JOHN 18:11KJV
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John 18:11 (KJV)

What does John 18:11 mean?

John 18:11 shows Jesus stopping Peter from defending him with a sword. Jesus speaks of the suffering ahead as a cup his Father has given him, and his question expresses his readiness to accept it.

After Peter has struck the high priest’s servant, Jesus addresses him directly. The image of drinking a cup pictures taking in what has been given to him. Jesus’ question, “shall I not drink it?” expects a yes: he will accept what lies ahead.

The Greek behind John 18:11

  • “cup” — ποτήριον (potērion): A drinking cup or its contents. Here Jesus uses an ordinary object as an image for what his Father has given him to face.
  • “drink” — πίνω (pinō): To drink or take in a liquid. Joined with “cup,” the word completes the picture of accepting what is ahead.

Why John 18:11 matters

  • Jesus takes charge of the response to Peter’s action. His command, “Put up thy sword into the sheath,” comes after Peter has wounded the servant, named Malchus in John 18:10.
  • Jesus describes what is ahead as coming from his Father, even as people arrive to arrest him. The words “my Father hath given me” show how Jesus understands the events unfolding around him.
  • Jesus’ words fit his earlier statement about his arrest. In John 18:4–8, he identifies himself to the group seeking him and asks them to let his companions go. Here he continues to speak and act rather than leave Peter to decide how the group will respond.

Where else these words appear

“not” Greek G3378 · used in 6 verses

  • Romans 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
  • Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
  • 1 Corinthians 9:5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

“sword” Greek G3162 · used in 26 verses

  • Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
  • Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
  • Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

“cup” Greek G4221 · used in 30 verses

  • Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
  • Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

“I” Greek G4095 · used in 66 verses

  • Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
  • Luke 5:33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?
  • John 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.