Matthew 27:45-54
The last words Matthew records from the cross are a question from Psalm 22 — and the first person to name Jesus as God's Son afterwards is a Roman soldier.
45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Scripture first. Everything else is clearly labelled.
What the labels mean
- ScriptureThe King James Version, public domain, quoted exactly. Never edited, never paraphrased.
- Context / MeaningEditorial background and plain-language explanation written for this app.
- Modern interpretationPsychology, behaviour or science, shown only when it genuinely helps. Never proof of a theological claim.
- ReflectiveSymbolic and personal readings. Ways of thinking with the text, not what the author meant.
- PracticeSomething realistic you might do. An invitation you choose, not a command from God.
Written study
A curated study written for these verses: context, meaning, connections, reflection, alignment and practice.
Start here
The short version
- What is happening
- The death scene, framed by darkness and followed by a sequence of signs: the torn veil, the earthquake, the opened tombs.
- Why it matters here
- Darkness covers the land from the sixth to the ninth hour.
- One key idea
- The last words Matthew records from the cross are a question from Psalm 22 — and the first person to name Jesus as God's Son afterwards is a Roman soldier.
- One connection
- Jesus of Nazareth — Person
What does it change to know that a cry of abandonment is inside Scripture, not outside it?
A summary of what follows. Editorial, not Scripture.
New to the Bible?
Adds short explanations of the names, places and words in these verses, right where they come up.
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What would you like to understand?
Answers are drawn from what is written for Matthew 27:45-54, the people and places named in it, and this book's background. No AI service is connected in this build, so nothing here is machine-generated.
UnderstandWhat is happening herePlain language, faithful to the setting — plus who wrote it and why.
Darkness covers the land from the sixth to the ninth hour. Jesus cries out, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' Some bystanders misunderstand and think he is calling Elijah. He cries out again and dies. The temple veil tears from top to bottom, the earth shakes, rocks split and tombs open. The centurion and those with him, seeing the earthquake and what happened, say: truly this was the Son of God.
Who wrote this, to whom, and why
Editorial background written for this app. Not Scripture.
New to this? What “context” means here
Every part of the Bible was written by someone, for someone, in a particular time and place. Knowing who wrote it, who first read it and what came just before and after usually settles most questions about what it means.
Where we are not sure, we say so. “Traditional” means a long-standing attribution; “debated” means scholars genuinely disagree.
- Author
- Traditionally Matthew; the Gospel itself is anonymous (debated)
- Audience
- Readers who knew the psalms, and would hear verse 46 as the opening line of Psalm 22.
- Literary setting
- The death scene, framed by darkness and followed by a sequence of signs: the torn veil, the earthquake, the opened tombs.
- Surrounding argument
- The trials and mockery are over. Burial follows, then the guard at the tomb, then the resurrection.
- Historical background
- Crucifixion was a public, deliberately humiliating Roman execution. The temple veil separated the most holy place from the rest of the temple.
What remains uncertain
The raised saints in verses 52–53 are unique to Matthew and are read very differently — as historical report, as apocalyptic sign, or as both. Christians also differ on what the cry of dereliction means about the relationship between Father and Son at that moment; the text does not explain it.
References
- Matthew 27:45–54
- Psalm 22 — The psalm quoted from the cross.
ConnectWho and what this connects to4 people, places and ideas named in these verses — and where you are in the story.
Tap any of these to see who or what it is, why it matters here, and where else it appears in our library. Editorial material, not Scripture.
- PersonJesus of NazarethThe teacher from Nazareth who walked toward Jerusalem and defined greatness as service.Know the Bible
- PlaceJerusalemThe hill city where kingship, temple and the cross all converge.Know the Bible
- ObjectThe TempleThe one place that said: God is here, with his people.Know the Bible
- EventJesus' final days in JerusalemThe week the servant teaching became the thing he actually did.Know the Bible
AnglesSee it from a few anglesBiblical, human and — clearly marked — reflective readings, converging on one life.
These are ways of seeing, not competing theories to collect. They are editorial interpretation rather than Scripture, and they are here to meet in the alignment step below.
Biblical
What this contributes within Scripture
Quoting the first line of a psalm in this period invoked the whole psalm. Psalm 22 begins in abandonment and ends in vindication and worldwide worship — readers are meant to hear both.
Whole-Bible
Connection to the wider Christian story
The veil tears from the top down. Matthew places the sign immediately after the death, and Christian readers across traditions have taken it as access opened rather than merely a temple damaged.
ReflectWhat this brings up for youOpen questions that assume nothing about your situation. Answers stay on this device.
What does it change to know that a cry of abandonment is inside Scripture, not outside it?
Where have I assumed that feeling forsaken means I am doing something wrong?
What needs to come into alignment?
Is there something I have been unable to say to God because I thought it was not allowed?
- Notice
- Understand
- Choose
- Practise
Alignment is coherence between what you understand, believe, choose and do. It is not a score, and no one is measuring you. Anything suggested here is a possibility to weigh, never a command from God to you personally.
In your own words, what does this passage say?
In yourself, honestly, as you read it.
What you actually hold to be true here.
Your real behaviour, not your intentions.
Between what you believe and what you do.
Your own discernment — this app will not tell you what God requires of you.
One concrete action for the next 24 hours. Small and specific beats ambitious and vague.
Read the whole psalm
Read Psalm 22 slowly, start to finish, and notice where it turns. Let the turn be something you observe rather than something you force.
Today
RememberWhat to carry forwardOne takeaway, one memory hook, and anything you want to keep.
Build my understanding
Remember this much
- Who / what
- Matthew 27:45-54 — Gospel in Matthew
- Where
- Matthew · The life of Jesus
- What happened
- The death scene, framed by darkness and followed by a sequence of signs: the torn veil, the earthquake, the opened tombs.
- Why it matters
- Darkness covers the land from the sixth to the ninth hour.
- Key idea
- The last words Matthew records from the cross are a question from Psalm 22 — and the first person to name Jesus as God's Son afterwards is a Roman soldier.
“Is there something I have been unable to say to God because I thought it was not allowed?”
Optional, in your own words. Private to this device.
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You choose what the card says. Your notes and reflections stay on this device.
Community perspective
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Translation
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Prefer to read the surrounding chapter? Open Matthew 27.