· Translation: KJV

Luke 22:40When he was at the place, he said to them, "Pray that you don't enter into temptation."

The setting

Jerusalem, ~30 AD. Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knows He's about to face the cross and that His disciples will soon face their greatest test of faith. He warns them to pray first.

The emotion here: urgent love, knowing His friends are about to fail and wanting to protect them

The original word

peirasmos (πειρασμός) — testing, trial, temptation that reveals true character

Why it matters

Within hours, all the disciples except John would abandon Jesus and flee

Read with care

What most readers miss in Luke 22:40

Jesus isn't asking them to pray for Him — He's warning them to pray for themselves before they fail

Common misconceptionPeople think this is general advice about prayer, but Jesus is giving specific emergency instructions — 'Pray NOW or you'll fall in the next few hours.'

Bible Genome reading

Luke 22:40 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerJesus
Eragospel
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typenarrative
MarkCommand

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability70%
Memorability75%
Crisis relevance85%
Standalone50%
Themes:temptationprayer

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Luke 22

Luke 22:40 comes from the book of Luke, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to Jesus. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include temptation, prayer. Notable phrases: pray that you don't enter into temptation. This verse contains a command.

Your reflection

What does Luke 22:40 mean to you, today?

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