Mark 15:17
And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
Original Language Analysis
καὶ
And
G2532
καὶ
And
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
1 of 10
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
ἐνδύουσιν
they clothed
G1746
ἐνδύουσιν
they clothed
Strong's:
G1746
Word #:
2 of 10
to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively)
αὐτῷ
him
G846
αὐτῷ
him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
3 of 10
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
πορφύραν
with purple
G4209
πορφύραν
with purple
Strong's:
G4209
Word #:
4 of 10
the "purple" mussel, i.e., (by implication) the red-blue color itself, and finally a garment dyed with it
καὶ
And
G2532
καὶ
And
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
5 of 10
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
περιτιθέασιν
and put it about
G4060
περιτιθέασιν
and put it about
Strong's:
G4060
Word #:
6 of 10
to place around; by implication, to present
Historical Context
Roman soldiers routinely brutalized condemned prisoners for entertainment. Purple dye from murex shellfish was extraordinarily expensive (worth more than gold by weight), so soldiers likely used a faded military cloak to simulate royal robes. Mock coronations of prisoners were documented in Roman military culture, combining cruelty with political theater to ridicule messianic pretenders.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Jesus wearing humanity's curse (thorns) as a crown transform your understanding of His kingship?
- What does the soldiers' unwitting proclamation of truth reveal about God's sovereignty over human mockery?
- In what ways do you inadvertently mock Christ's kingship through how you live?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
They clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns—The Greek porphyra (πορφύρα) denotes royal purple, worn exclusively by emperors and kings. Roman soldiers mockingly invested Jesus with this imperial color while plekō (πλέκω, 'weave together') a stephanos (στέφανος, crown) from thorn branches—likely from the Ziziphus spina-christi plant, whose sharp spines could pierce three inches deep.
This grotesque coronation fulfills Isaiah 53:3's suffering servant imagery. While Pilate's soldiers mocked Jesus' claim to kingship, they unwittingly proclaimed cosmic truth: the King of Glory wore thorns (humanity's curse from Genesis 3:18) as His crown. The purple and thorns together declare substitutionary atonement—He bore our curse to restore our dominion.