“Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
My Notes
What Does John 12:13 Mean?
The crowd takes palm branches and goes out to meet Jesus, crying: Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord! The triumphal entry is a coronation march — palm branches (symbols of victory and royalty), Hosanna (save us now!), and the title: King of Israel. The crowd crowns Jesus with their voices.
The palm branches (phoinikōn — from the palm trees) were the national symbol of Jewish independence. Palm imagery appeared on Maccabean coins and was associated with military victory and national liberation. The crowd waving palms is making a political statement: this is our liberator. Our king. Our deliverer from Rome.
"Hosanna" (hōshia-na — save now, save please) is from Psalm 118:25-26 — the psalm sung at Passover and Tabernacles. The crowd is applying the Passover psalm to Jesus. The salvation they're requesting is immediate (now!) and their identification is specific: the King of Israel. Not just a prophet. Not just a healer. The King.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the crowd's misunderstanding (expecting a political liberator, getting a suffering servant) describe any way you've misunderstood Jesus' kingship?
- 2.How do palm branches (political independence) and Hosanna (Passover salvation) together create an expectation Jesus both fulfills and subverts?
- 3.Does the same crowd shouting 'Hosanna' and later 'Crucify Him' describe the volatility of faith based on expectations rather than submission?
- 4.Is your 'coronation' of Jesus genuine — or conditional on Him being the kind of king you want?
Devotional
Palms. Hosanna. Blessed is the King of Israel. The crowd crowns Jesus with branches and shouts.
The triumphal entry is a coronation the establishment didn't authorize: the people grab palm branches (symbols of national independence and military victory), flood out of the city to meet Jesus, and shout the words of Psalm 118: Hosanna — save us now! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD!
The palms are the political statement: palm branches appeared on Maccabean coins celebrating Jewish independence from the Greeks. Waving palms means: we're declaring independence again. This time from Rome. Through this man. Our liberator has arrived.
"Hosanna" — the cry is both worship and demand: save us! Now! The psalm they're quoting (118:25) was sung at Passover — the festival celebrating liberation from Egypt. The crowd is layering: the Passover liberation + the palm independence + the Hosanna urgency = this man is the king who saves us now.
"The King of Israel" — the title is explicit. Not the Teacher of Israel. Not the Healer of Israel. The King. The political identification is complete. The crowd has decided: Jesus is the king. And the entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (verse 14 — fulfilling Zechariah 9:9) confirms the identification. The king arrives humbly. On a donkey. As prophesied.
The same crowd will cry "crucify Him" within the week (19:15). The coronation with palms and the condemnation with shouts come from the same throats. The King they crown on Sunday they kill on Friday. The hosannas turn to hostility when the king they wanted (military liberator) turns out to be the king God sent (suffering servant).
The palm branches are waving. The hosannas are echoing. And the king rides through them toward a cross the crowd didn't authorize.
The coronation was real. The crowd just didn't understand what they were coronating.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Took branches of palm trees,.... The Ethiopic version adds, "and young shoots from Jerusalem"; these grew in great…
See this passage explained in the notes at Mat. 21:1-16. Also Mar 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44. Joh 12:16 Was glorified - Was…
Took branches - See on Mat 21:1 (note), etc., and Mar 11:1-6 (note), where this transaction is largely explained.
This story of Christ's riding in triumph to Jerusalem is recorded by all the evangelists, as worthy of special remark;…
branches of palm trees More literally, the palm-branches of the palm-trees; i.e. those which grew there, or which were…
Cross References
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