Quick answer: The main Palm Sunday Bible verses are Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, and John 12:12-19, which describe Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey while crowds wave branches and shout “Hosanna!” These passages fulfill Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118:26. Palm Sunday 2027 is March 21, one week before Easter.
What Is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week. It remembers Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem, five days before his crucifixion. Crowds welcomed him as King, but within the week many would turn against him. (See our Holy Week Timeline.)
Palm Sunday Verses in Luke
Luke 19:28-36: Jesus sends for a colt. Approaching Jerusalem from Bethphage and Bethany, Jesus sends two disciples to fetch a young colt no one has ridden. They throw their cloaks over the animal, and as he rides, people carpet the way ahead of him with their garments.
Every detail is deliberate. Jesus is staging a royal arrival, but on his own humble terms.
Luke 19:37-38: The disciples praise the King. Where the road starts its descent from the Mount of Olives, all his followers breaks into loud praise for the miracles they’ve witnessed, blessing the King arriving in the Lord’s name and proclaiming peace and glory in heaven.
Luke is the Gospel that calls Jesus “King” outright in this scene, and he stresses the disciples’ joy over everything they had seen Jesus do.
Luke 19:39-40: The stones would cry out. Some Pharisees tell Jesus to quiet his followers. He refuses: if the people went silent, the stones themselves would shout.
Jesus accepts the praise. All creation knows who he is.
Luke 19:41-44: Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. Seeing the city, Jesus weeps. He grieves that Jerusalem has missed what would bring it peace, and he foresees the destruction that will follow because it did not recognize God’s visit.
In the middle of the celebration, Jesus cries. He sees the hearts behind the shouts.
Palm Sunday Verses in Matthew
Matthew 21:1-7: A donkey and her colt. Matthew records that the disciples brought both a donkey and her colt, and he explains that this fulfilled the prophet’s word about a gentle king (Zechariah 9:9, quoted below).
Matthew, writing especially for Jewish readers, keeps pointing to fulfilled prophecy.
Matthew 21:8-9: Praise for David’s Son. Many spread their coats in his path, and others cut branches to scatter in front of him, while the crowds in front and behind kept shouting “Hosanna,” calling Jesus the Son of David who comes in the Lord’s name.
“Son of David” is a royal title for the promised Messiah.
Matthew 21:10-11: The whole city stirred. When Jesus enters Jerusalem, the city is shaken and people ask who he is. The crowds answer that this is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.
Who is Jesus? That is still the question of Holy Week, and every reader has to answer it.
Palm Sunday Verses in Mark
Mark 11:1-11: The coming kingdom. Mark’s short, fast account has the crowd hailing not only the one who comes in the Lord’s name but the coming kingdom of their father David. Then Jesus enters the temple, looks around at everything, and leaves for Bethany because it is late.
“Hosanna” is a Hebrew cry meaning “save now,” a plea for rescue that had become a shout of praise. Mark’s quiet ending hints at what Jesus will do in the temple the next day.
Palm Sunday Verses in John
John 12:12-13: Palm branches and the King of Israel. The key verse for the day comes from John:
“So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” (John 12:13, ESV)
Only John mentions palm branches, which is where the name “Palm Sunday” comes from. Palm branches were a symbol of victory and national hope.
John 12:14-16: Understanding came later. Jesus finds a young donkey and sits on it, fulfilling Scripture. John admits the disciples didn’t grasp the meaning at the time. Only after Jesus was glorified did they recall the Scriptures that spoke of him.
The disciples understood Palm Sunday only after the resurrection. Read more in our John 12 Bible Study: The Hour Has Come.
John 12:17-19: The raising of Lazarus draws the crowd. People who had seen Jesus call Lazarus from his grave kept telling others, and that drew even more people out to meet him. The frustrated Pharisees complained that everyone was now following him.
Palm Sunday is tied to Lazarus. The crowd came because Jesus had power over death.
Old Testament Palm Sunday Prophecies
Zechariah 9:9: The humble King on a donkey. This is the prophecy the Gospel writers point to:
Zechariah 9:9 calls Jerusalem to celebrate because her king is on his way: a righteous king who brings salvation, arriving humbly on a young donkey rather than a warhorse.
Written roughly 500 years earlier. Kings rode horses to war; a donkey signaled a king who comes in peace.
Psalm 118:25-26: The pilgrims’ song. This psalm begins with a plea for God to save and give success, then blesses the one who comes in the Lord’s name. Pilgrims sang it on the way up to Jerusalem for the festivals, so the crowd already knew these words by heart.
On Palm Sunday, a familiar festival song suddenly had a person attached to it.
Psalm 118:22-23: The rejected cornerstone. The same psalm says the stone the builders threw away became the cornerstone, and calls it something wonderful that the Lord has done. Jesus applied this to himself later that same week (Matthew 21:42).
The psalm predicts that the King would be rejected, and that God would make him the cornerstone.
Verses on Jesus the King
Philippians 2:9-11: Every knee will bow. Paul writes that God has highly exalted Jesus and given him the highest name of all, so that one day every person everywhere will kneel before him and openly acknowledge him as Lord, bringing glory to the Father.
One day the praise of Palm Sunday will be universal, and it will never fade the way the crowd’s did.
Revelation 7:9-10: Palm branches again. John sees a countless crowd from every nation standing before the throne, clothed in white and holding palm branches, praising God and the Lamb for their salvation.
The palm branches of Jerusalem point ahead to a crowd that will praise Jesus forever.
How to Use These Palm Sunday Verses
- Read one Gospel account each day in the week before Palm Sunday.
- Memorize Zechariah 9:9 and talk about why Jesus chose a donkey.
- Pray “Hosanna” as a real prayer: “Save us, Lord.”
- Ask the crowd’s question: Who is this? How would you answer?
- Keep reading through Holy Week with our Bible Verses About Easter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Bible verse is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is described in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19. A key verse is John 12:13, where the crowd took palm branches and cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (ESV). It fulfills Zechariah 9:9.
Where is Palm Sunday in the Book of Luke?
Palm Sunday is in Luke 19:28-44. Luke records the disciples praising Jesus as the King arriving in the Lord’s name (Luke 19:38), Jesus saying the stones would cry out if they were silent, and Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Luke doesn’t mention palm branches; John does.
What does Hosanna mean?
“Hosanna” is a Hebrew word meaning “save now” or “please save.” It comes from Psalm 118:25, where worshipers ask the Lord to save them. By Jesus’ day it had become a shout of praise. On Palm Sunday the crowd used it to welcome Jesus as the Messiah who saves.
Why did Jesus ride a donkey on Palm Sunday?
Jesus rode a donkey to fulfill Zechariah 9:9, which foretold a righteous, humble king riding a young donkey. Conquering kings rode war horses, but a donkey signaled a humble king who comes in peace. Jesus came to save through sacrifice, not to win a political battle.
What Old Testament verses predict Palm Sunday?
The main Old Testament prophecies are Zechariah 9:9, which foretells the King riding a donkey, and Psalm 118:25-26, which supplies the crowd’s words of blessing for the one who comes in the Lord’s name. Psalm 118:22 also predicts the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone, pointing ahead to the cross and resurrection.
A Palm Sunday Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the humble King who came riding on a donkey. Hosanna! Save us, we pray. Don’t let my praise be shallow like the crowd’s, but make it lasting. Rule in my heart this Holy Week and always. Amen.
Keep Reading: Easter 2027
- every Easter reading (Easter hub)
- Bible Verses About Easter
- Holy Week Timeline
- John 20 Bible Study: The Empty Tomb
- Why the Resurrection Matters
- It Is Finished Meaning (John 19)
Want a devotional and Gospel study in your inbox? Join Narrow Gate JC.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Related: Palm Sunday Devotional (devotional)
Related: our topical verse index