[21] et angariāvērunt praetereuntem quempiam Simōnem Cyreneum venientem dē vīllā patrem Alexandrī et Rūfī ut tolleret crucem eius
- And they forced one Simon, a Cyrenian, [who was] passing by [while] coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and of Rufus, to take up his cross.
[i] angariāvērunt … quempiam Simōnem Cyreneum … | and they forced a certain Simon, a Cyrenian [or: a certain man from Cyrene, Simon …]
quispiam: here, it functions as an indefinite adjective conveying the idea of ‘some … or other’. Who he actually was is not the focus of the narrative, but was simply somebody who happened to be passing by at the time.
26.11.25: Level 3; indefinites [9]: -piam
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/08/261125-level-3-indefinites-9-piam.html
[ii] angariāvērunt … Simōnem … ut tolleret crucem eius | and they forced … Simon … to take up his cross; subjunctive [indirect command]
angariō, -āre [1]: demand; compel
Jesus, like other victims of crucifixion, was required to carry his own heavy cross, but was presumably so weakened by the cruel treatment at the hands of the soldiers, that he was unable to do so. A Roman soldier could have compelled anybody to assist but, in an already highly tense situation – as evidenced during the trial – it could have been politically explosive to order a member of the Jewish or Roman population. That the account specifically refers to a certain Simon from Cyrene indicates that [i] he just happened to be there, and [ii] he was a foreigner from North Africa. It is feasible that he did not know who Jesus was. That he was forced may suggest that he was unwilling to become involved, but had no choice.
In Luke 23:26, ‘choice’ is not even a consideration:
et cum dūcerent eum adprehendērunt Simōnem quendam Cȳrēnēnsem venientem dē vīllā et inposuērunt illī crucem portāre post Iēsum
- And as they were leading him away, they laid hold of / seized one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country; and they laid the cross on him to carry after Jesus.
The specific reference in Mark to Alexander and Rufus suggests that the names were meaningful to at least part of the intended audience, perhaps as a way of identifying which Simon was meant, since Simon was a very common name. Some commentators have attempted to connect Rufus with the Rufus mentioned in Epistle to the Romans 16:13, but such identifications remain speculative. Caution is therefore needed against building elaborate historical or theological interpretations upon what is, in Mark’s account, a brief detail.
Matthew 27:32 and Luke 23:26 both refer to Simon of Cyrene, but with no additional information.
In John 19:17 the entire incident is not recounted at all: et baiulāns sibi crucem exīvit in eum quī dīcitur Calvāriae locum hebraīce Golgotha
- And bearing his own cross, he went forth to the place which is called Calvary, in Hebrew Golgotha.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_of_Cyrene
[22] et perdūcunt illum in Golgotha locum quod est interpretātum Calvāriae locus
- And they bring him into the place Golgotha, which, being interpreted, is The Place of Calvary / the Skull.
Golgotha, -ae [1/f] < Anc. Gk. Γολγοθᾶ [Golgothâ] and Aramaic גּוּלְגּוּלְתָּא [gulgultā]: skull
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1115/kjv/tr/0-1/
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/eastons-bible-dictionary/Golgotha
calvāria, -ae [1/f]: skull
The precise location and the reason for the name are debated.
[23] et dabant eī bibere murrātum vīnum et nōn accēpit
- And they gave him to drink wine mixed with myrrh: and he did not take (it).
murrātus, -a, -um: spiced or mixed with myrrh
myrrha, -ae [1/f] / murra, -ae [1/f]: myrrh
Mixed with wine, myrrh could have mildly sedative or analgesic effects.
Again, the use of the imperfect tense (dabant) suggests an action that was either repeated or attempted, the latter known in grammar as conative.
[24] et crucifīgentēs eum dīvīsērunt vestīmenta eius mittentēs sortem super eīs quis quid tolleret
- And crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting lots upon them to see what each should take. [literally: who should take what.]
…quis quid tolleret | who should take what; subjunctive [indirect question]
[25] erat autem hōra tertia et crucifīxērunt eum
- And it was the third hour: and they crucified him.
[26] et erat titulus causae eius īnscrīptus rēx Iūdaeōrum
- And a notice of his accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The accusation also serves as a warning against any Jewish attempt to assert authority over the territory.
[27] et cum eō crucifīgunt duōs latrōnēs ūnum ā dextrīs et alium ā sinistrīs eius
- And with him they crucify two thieves: one on his right, and the other on his left.
Translation can shape interpretation: latrō, -nis [3/m] can have a broader meaning than merely ‘thief’; the noun reflects the sense of Anc. Gk. λῃστής [lēistḗs], and it may also refer to a rebel or an insurgent, a crime for which crucifixion was a common Roman punishment.
Various translations of the Vulgate render latrōnēs as [i] robbers; thieves, and [ii] revolutionaries; rebels. They convey different ‘status’ in terms of the crimes committed. One version is cautious, merely describing them as ‘criminals’.
Again, we must avoid over-interpretation. On the one hand, Jesus is reduced to the humiliating status of a common criminal. Equally plausible, however, is that, placed between two rebels — together with the ‘warning sign’ above his head — he is being presented as a rebel leader.
“Scholars posit that these men are insurrectionists, possibly even Barabbas' accomplices, though we have no hard evidence of this.”
https://www.bibleref.com/Mark/15/Mark-15-27.html
The source of the suggestion that they are in some way associated with Barabbas is at:
Mark 15:7: erat autem quī dīcēbātur Barabbās quī cum sēditiōsīs erat vīnctūs quī in sēditiōne fēcerant homicīdium
- And there was one called Barabbas, who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the sedition had committed murder.
Luke 23:19: quī erat propter sēditiōnem quandam factam in cīvitāte et homicīdium missus in carcerem.
- And he had been sent to jail on account of a certain insurrection carried out in the city, and murder.
However, in John 18:40, there is no suggestion that Barabbas was an insurgent, nor is there any indication that he had accomplices:
Clāmāvērunt ergō rūrsum omnēs, dīcentēs: Nōn hunc, sed Barabbam. Erat autem Barabbās latrō.
- They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
[28] et adimplēta est scrīptūra quae dīcit et cum inīquīs reputātus est
- And the scripture was fulfilled, which says: and he was counted among the transgressors
Note: this line is sometimes missing from English translations, or included as a footnote since it is generally interpreted as a scribal addition. Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37:
dīcō enim vōbīs quoniam adhūc hoc quod scrīptum est oportet implērī in mē et quod cum iniūstīs dēputātus est
- For I say to you that what has been written must still be fulfilled in me. And with the wicked was he reckoned.
Lines [29] – [31] extend the mockery beyond the soldiers; Jesus is subjected to humiliation by the religious authorities and ordinary passers-by:
[29] et praetereuntēs blasphēmābant eum moventēs capita sua et dīcentēs: Vah! quī dēstruis templum Deī et in tribus diēbus reaedificās
- And those passing by blasphemed him, shaking their heads and saying: Ah, you who destroy the temple of God and build it again in three days:
[30] salvum fac tēmet ipsum dēscendēns dē cruce
- Save yourself, and come down from the cross [literally: (while) coming down from the cross]
It is a disdainful challenge expressed by a highly emphatic command: tē + -met | yourself, reinforced by ipsum.
[31] similiter et summī sacerdōtēs illūdentēs ad alterutrum cum scrībīs dīcēbant: aliōs salvōs fēcit sē ipsum nōn potest salvum facere
- In the same way the chief priests too, mocking, said to one another together with the scribes: He saved others [literally: he made others safe]; he cannot save himself.
ad alter¦utrum | literally: one … to the other i.e. it expresses a reciprocal action (one another):
alteruter, -tra, -trum: one or the other; one of two; either of two
[32] Chrīstus rēx Isrāhēl dēscendat nunc dē cruce ut videāmus et crēdāmus et quī cum eō crucifīxī erant convīciābantur eī
- Let Christ the king of Israel come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him, reviled him.
[i] Christus … dēscendat | Let Christ … come down; subjunctive [jussive]
[ii] ut videāmus et crēdāmus | (in order / so) that we may see and (may) believe; subjunctive [purpose]
