Sweating Blood

Q

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Bible says that Jesus was so anguished He sweat blood through His pores. Is this a biological possibility? Even if it isn’t, is the Bible’s account meant to be literal?

A

A primary rule of Biblical interpretation is to read each verse literally unless there’s good reason not to, usually found in the context of the passage in which the verse appears. No such reason can be found in Luke 22:44 where sweating blood is mentioned.

It is biologically possible to sweat blood. According to Wikipedia, the clinical term is “hematohidrosis.” There are multiple blood vessels around the sweat glands. Under the pressure of great stress the blood vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. Blood from the ruptured vessels goes into the sweat glands, which push it to the surface of the skin- coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.