2 Samuel 3:39

3:39 Today I am weak, even though I am anointed as king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too much for me to bear! ¹  May the Lord punish appropriately the one who has done this evil thing!” ² 

Proverbs 29:25

29:25 The fear of people ³  becomes ⁴  a snare, ⁵ 

but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. ⁶ 

Jeremiah 26:14

26:14 As to my case, I am in your power. ⁷  Do to me what you deem fair and proper.

Jeremiah 38:5

38:5 King Zedekiah said to them, “Very well, you can do what you want with him. ⁸  For I cannot do anything to stop you.” ⁹ 

Matthew 14:8-10

14:8 Instructed by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 14:9 Although it grieved the king, ¹⁰  because of his oath and the dinner guests he commanded it to be given. 14:10 So ¹¹  he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

Matthew 27:23-26

27:23 He asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!”

Jesus is Condemned and Mocked

27:24 When ¹²  Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!” ¹³  27:25 In ¹⁴  reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” 27:26 Then he released Barabbas for them. But after he had Jesus flogged, ¹⁵  he handed him over ¹⁶  to be crucified. ¹⁷ 

Mark 6:25-28

6:25 Immediately she hurried back to the king and made her request: ¹⁸  “I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.” 6:26 Although it grieved the king deeply, ¹⁹  he did not want to reject her request because of his oath and his guests. 6:27 So ²⁰  the king sent an executioner at once to bring John’s ²¹  head, and he went and beheaded John in prison. 6:28 He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

Mark 15:14-15

15:14 Pilate asked them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” 15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, ²²  after he had Jesus flogged, ²³  he handed him over ²⁴  to be crucified.

John 19:12-16

19:12 From this point on, Pilate tried ²⁵  to release him. But the Jewish leaders ²⁶  shouted out, ²⁷  “If you release this man, ²⁸  you are no friend of Caesar! ²⁹  Everyone who claims to be a king ³⁰  opposes Caesar!” 19:13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat ³¹  in the place called “The Stone Pavement” ³²  (Gabbatha in ³³  Aramaic). ³⁴  19:14 (Now it was the day of preparation ³⁵  for the Passover, about noon. ³⁶ ) ³⁷  Pilate ³⁸  said to the Jewish leaders, ³⁹  “Look, here is your king!”

19:15 Then they ⁴⁰  shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! ⁴¹  Crucify ⁴²  him!” Pilate asked, ⁴³  “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” 19:16 Then Pilate ⁴⁴  handed him over ⁴⁵  to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus,

Acts 24:27

24:27 After two years ⁴⁶  had passed, Porcius Festus ⁴⁷  succeeded Felix, ⁴⁸  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ⁴⁹ 

Acts 25:9

25:9 But Festus, ⁵⁰  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ⁵¹  before me there on these charges?” ⁵² 

Acts 25:11

25:11 If then I am in the wrong ⁵³  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ⁵⁴  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ⁵⁵  no one can hand me over to them. ⁵⁶  I appeal to Caesar!” ⁵⁷ 

Romans 13:3

13:3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation,

[3:39]  ¹ tn Heb “are hard from me.”

[3:39]  ² tn Heb “May the Lord repay the doer of the evil according to his evil” (NASB similar).

[29:25]  ³ tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.

[29:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”

[29:25]  ⁵ sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap – there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.

[29:25]  ⁶ sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the Lord sets people free and gives them a sense of safety and security (e.g, Prov 10:27; 12:2).

[26:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “And I, behold I am in your hand.” Hand is quite commonly used for “power” or “control” in biblical contexts.

[38:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “Behold, he is in your hands [= power/control].”

[38:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “For the king cannot do a thing with/against you.” The personal pronoun “I” is substituted in the English translation due to differences in style; Hebrew style often uses the third person or the title in speaking of oneself but English rarely if ever does. Compare the common paraphrasis of “your servant” for “I” in Hebrew (cf. BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד 6 and usage in 1 Sam 20:7, 8) and compare the usage in Pss 63:11 (63:12 HT); 61:6 (61:7 HT) where the king is praying for himself. For the meaning of יָכֹל (yakhol) as “to be able to do anything,” see BDB 407 s.v. יָכֹל 1.g.

[14:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and being grieved, the king commanded.”

[14:10]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[27:24]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:24]  ¹³ sn You take care of it yourselves! Compare the response of the chief priests and elders to Judas in 27:4. The expression is identical except that in 27:4 it is singular and here it is plural.

[27:25]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answering, all the people said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[27:26]  ¹⁵ tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”

[27:26]  ¹⁶ tn Or “delivered him up.”

[27:26]  ¹⁷ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[6:25]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “she asked, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant and has not been translated.

[6:26]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “and being deeply grieved, the king did not want.”

[6:27]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[6:27]  ²¹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:15]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:15]  ²³ tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”

[15:15]  ²⁴ tn Or “delivered him up.”

[19:12]  ²⁵ tn Grk “sought.”

[19:12]  ²⁶ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin, and their servants (mentioned specifically as “the chief priests and their servants” in John 19:6). See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.

[19:12]  ²⁷ tn Grk “shouted out, saying.”

[19:12]  ²⁸ tn Grk “this one.”

[19:12]  ²⁹ sn Is the author using the phrase Friend of Caesar in a technical sense, as a title bestowed on people for loyal service to the Emperor, or in a more general sense merely describing a person as loyal to the Emperor? L. Morris (John [NICNT], 798) thinks it is “unlikely” that the title is used in the technical sense, and J. H. Bernard (St. John [ICC], 2:621) argues that the technical sense of the phrase as an official title was not used before the time of Vespasian (a.d. 69-79). But there appears to be significant evidence for much earlier usage. Some of this is given in BDAG 498-99 s.v. Καῖσαρ. E. Bammel (“φίλος τοῦ καίσαρος (John 19:12),” TLZ 77 [1952]: 205-10) listed significant and convincing arguments that the official title was indeed in use at the time. Granting that the title was in use during this period, what is the likelihood that it had been bestowed on Pilate? Pilate was of the equestrian order, that is, of lower nobility as opposed to senatorial rank. As such he would have been eligible to receive such an honor. It also appears that the powerful Sejanus was his patron in Rome, and Sejanus held considerable influence with Tiberius. Tacitus (Annals 6.8) quotes Marcus Terentius in his defense before the Senate as saying that close friendship with Sejanus “was in every case a powerful recommendation to the Emperor’s friendship.” Thus it is possible that Pilate held this honor. Therefore it appears that the Jewish authorities were putting a good deal of psychological pressure on Pilate to convict Jesus. They had, in effect, finally specified the charge against Jesus as treason: “Everyone who makes himself to be king opposes Caesar.” If Pilate now failed to convict Jesus the Jewish authorities could complain to Rome that Pilate had released a traitor. This possibility carried more weight with Pilate than might at first be evident: (1) Pilate’s record as governor was not entirely above reproach; (2) Tiberius, who lived away from Rome as a virtual recluse on the island of Capri, was known for his suspicious nature, especially toward rivals or those who posed a political threat; and (3) worst of all, Pilate’s patron in Rome, Sejanus, had recently come under suspicion of plotting to seize the imperial succession for himself. Sejanus was deposed in October of a.d. 31. It may have been to Sejanus that Pilate owed his appointment in Judea. Pilate was now in a very delicate position. The Jewish authorities may have known something of this and deliberately used it as leverage against him. Whether or not they knew just how potent their veiled threat was, it had the desired effect. Pilate went directly to the judgment seat to pronounce his judgment.

[19:12]  ³⁰ tn Grk “who makes himself out to be a king.”

[19:13]  ³¹ tn Or “the judge’s seat.”

[19:13]  ³² sn The precise location of the place called ‘The Stone Pavement’ is still uncertain, although a paved court on the lower level of the Fortress Antonia has been suggested. It is not certain whether it was laid prior to a.d. 135, however.

[19:13]  ³³ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:13]  ³⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ³⁵ sn The term day of preparation (παρασκευή, paraskeuh) appears in all the gospels as a description of the day on which Jesus died. It could refer to any Friday as the day of preparation for the Sabbath (Saturday), and this is the way the synoptic gospels use the term (Matt 27:62, Mark 15:42, and Luke 23:54). John, however, specifies in addition that this was not only the day of preparation of the Sabbath, but also the day of preparation of the Passover, so that the Sabbath on the following day was the Passover (cf. 19:31).

[19:14]  ³⁶ tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[19:14]  ³⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[19:14]  ³⁹ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin, and their servants (mentioned specifically as “the chief priests and their servants” in John 19:6). See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.

[19:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “Then these.”

[19:15]  ⁴¹ tn The words “with him” (twice) are not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[19:15]  ⁴² sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:15]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Pilate said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because it is clear in English who Pilate is addressing.

[19:16]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “Then he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:16]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “delivered him over.”

[24:27]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ⁴⁷ sn Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in a.d. 57 or 58, and Festus was appointed to his vacant office in a.d. 57, 58, or 59. According to Josephus (Ant. 20.8.9-10 [20.182-188]; J. W. 2.14.1 [2.271-272]), his administration was better than that of his predecessor Felix or his successor Albinus, but Luke in Acts portrays him in a less favorable light: He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (v. 9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence. The one characteristic for which Festus was noted is that he dealt harshly with those who disturbed the peace.

[24:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[25:9]  ⁵⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ⁵¹ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ⁵² tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:11]  ⁵³ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ⁵⁴ tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11]  ⁵⁶ sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).