Matthew 27:39 Meaning and Explanation
“And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Matthew records more than the official actions of rulers, soldiers, and religious leaders. He also notices the people who merely passed the cross and chose to join the mockery. The verse matters because it shows how easily suffering can become a spectacle, and how the Son of God received contempt from those who had no power to alter His mission.
As Jesus hangs on the cross, passersby add public contempt to His suffering. Their insults and head-wagging fulfill the pattern of the righteous sufferer scorned in Scripture and expose the hardness of human judgment.
The Context of Matthew 27:39
Matthew 27 moves from the council's decision to kill Jesus through Pilate's judgment, the soldiers' mockery, and the crucifixion at Golgotha. Jesus has been placed between two thieves, with the accusation over His head calling Him the King of the Jews. Verse 39 begins a concentrated account of the abuse spoken around the cross. The passersby speak in verses 39-40, then chief priests, scribes, elders, and the crucified thieves join the derision. After these scenes, darkness covers the land, Jesus cries out to God, dies, and events at the temple and tomb testify to the weight of this hour.
What Does Matthew 27:39 Mean?
"They that passed by" were people moving along the place of crucifixion. Matthew does not identify them individually, because the point is the broad, public character of the scorn. They "reviled him," treating Jesus with abusive speech, and they expressed the same contempt bodily by "wagging their heads." Their gesture was deliberate ridicule. Jesus was already wounded, exposed, and under guard; these travelers used His visible weakness as an occasion to shame Him. The verse therefore names a real human sin: responding to another person's suffering with derision. Matthew lets us see the cruelty clearly, without excusing it or turning the crowd into a faceless force beyond moral responsibility.
The next verse reveals the content of their abuse. They repeat and distort Jesus' words concerning the temple, then demand that He save Himself by coming down from the cross. Their challenge assumes that apparent helplessness disproves His identity. Yet the chapter has repeatedly shown Jesus acting with purpose within a path of suffering. He stands silently before false accusation, receives the mockery of soldiers, and goes to crucifixion. The passersby's contempt becomes part of the chapter's contrast between what people think they see and what God is accomplishing. The King bears rejection in the very place where His kingship is publicly proclaimed above His head.
This scene strongly echoes the righteous sufferer in Psalm 22, where enemies mock and shake their heads. Matthew's account later includes words of that psalm on Jesus' lips in verse 46, making the connection especially weighty within the crucifixion narrative. The echo does not make the passersby's actions harmless or predetermined apart from their own choices. It shows that Scripture had already given faithful language for suffering surrounded by hostile speech. Jesus enters that scriptural pattern fully. His endurance at the cross opens before us the depth of His faithfulness to the Father and His solidarity with those who have endured unjust shame.
Bible Verses Related to Matthew 27:39
“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,”
- Psalm 22:7
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
- Isaiah 53:3
“And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
- Matthew 27:40
“For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”
- Hebrews 12:3
Where Matthew 27:39 Echoes in Scripture
Psalm 22:7 is a particularly close canonical echo: it portrays observers mocking the afflicted righteous person and shaking their heads. Matthew 27:39 uses that same recognizable pattern at the cross, and Jesus' cry in Matthew 27:46 draws directly from the opening of Psalm 22. Read together, these passages show that the crucifixion includes both real public rejection and the faithful suffering Scripture had long voiced before God.
How to Apply Matthew 27:39 Today
This verse invites us to consider how we respond when another person's pain, failure, or public humiliation is visible. Passing comments, jokes, gestures, and shared outrage can deepen a burden even when we feel distant from the central event. We can cultivate the opposite habit: restraint in speech, careful attention to facts, prayer for those who suffer, and practical mercy where it is possible. The cross also gives courage to people who have been mocked unfairly. Jesus knows the particular pain of being treated as an object of contempt, and His faithfulness was not erased by the judgment of the crowd.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might our words, reactions, or silence be shaped by the crowd's appetite for contempt? Consider one situation in which someone is carrying public shame or private pain, and ask how mercy could take a concrete form. Suggested prayer: Father, keep our hearts from scorn. Teach us to honor the suffering of others, and help us remain faithful when human judgment is harsh.