Ecclesiastes 10:20

10:20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,

and do not curse the rich ¹  while in your bedroom; ² 

for a bird ³  might report what you are thinking, ⁴ 

or some winged creature ⁵  might repeat your ⁶  words. ⁷ 

Isaiah 8:21

8:21 They will pass through the land ⁸  destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, ⁹  and they will curse their king and their God ¹⁰  as they look upward.

Amos 7:10

Amos Confronts a Priest

7:10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel ¹¹  sent this message ¹²  to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel! ¹³  The land cannot endure all his prophecies. ¹⁴ 

Luke 23:2

23:2 They ¹⁵  began to accuse ¹⁶  him, saying, “We found this man subverting ¹⁷  our nation, forbidding ¹⁸  us to pay the tribute tax ¹⁹  to Caesar ²⁰  and claiming that he himself is Christ, ²¹  a king.”

John 19:12

19:12 From this point on, Pilate tried ²²  to release him. But the Jewish leaders ²³  shouted out, ²⁴  “If you release this man, ²⁵  you are no friend of Caesar! ²⁶  Everyone who claims to be a king ²⁷  opposes Caesar!”

Acts 24:5

24:5 For we have found ²⁸  this man to be a troublemaker, ²⁹  one who stirs up riots ³⁰  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ³¹  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ³² 

[10:20]  ¹ tn Perhaps the referent is people who are in authority because of their wealth.

[10:20]  ² tn Heb “in chambers of your bedroom.”

[10:20]  ³ tn Heb “a bird of the air.”

[10:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “might carry the voice.” The article is used here with the force of a possessive pronoun.

[10:20]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew phrase בַּעַל הַכְּנָפַיִם (ba’al hakkÿnafayim, “possessor of wings”) is an idiom for a winged creature, that is, a bird (e.g., Prov 1:17; see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל A.6; BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל 5.a). The term בַּעַל (“master; possessor”) is the construct governing the attributive genitive הַכְּנָפַיִם (“wings”); see IBHS 149-51 §9.5.3b.

[10:20]  ⁶ tn The term “your” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[10:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “tell the matter.”

[8:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “he will pass through it.” The subject of the collective singular verb is the nation. (See the preceding note.) The immediately preceding context supplies no antecedent for “it” (a third feminine singular suffix in the Hebrew text); the suffix may refer to the land, which would be a reasonable referent with a verb of motion. Note also that אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) does appear at the beginning of the next verse.

[8:21]  ⁹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[8:21]  ¹⁰ tn Or “gods” (NAB, NRSV, CEV).

[7:10]  ¹¹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:10]  ¹² tn The direct object of the verb translated “sent” is elided in the Hebrew text. The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[7:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “in the middle of the house of Israel.”

[7:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “words.”

[23:2]  ¹⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:2]  ¹⁶ sn They began to accuse him. There were three charges: (1) disturbing Jewish peace; (2) fomenting rebellion through advocating not paying taxes (a lie – 20:20-26); and (3) claiming to be a political threat to Rome, by claiming to be a king, an allusion to Jesus’ messianic claims. The second and third charges were a direct challenge to Roman authority. Pilate would be forced to do something about them.

[23:2]  ¹⁷ tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.

[23:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and forbidding.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated to suggest to the English reader that this and the following charge are specifics, while the previous charge was a summary one. See the note on the word “misleading” earlier in this verse.

[23:2]  ¹⁹ tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”

[23:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[23:2]  ²¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[19:12]  ²² tn Grk “sought.”

[19:12]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Grk “shouted out, saying.”

[19:12]  ²⁵ tn Grk “this one.”

[19:12]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Grk “who makes himself out to be a king.”

[24:5]  ²⁸ tn Grk “For having found.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:5]  ²⁹ tn L&N 22.6 has “(a figurative extension of meaning of λοιμός ‘plague,’ 23.158) one who causes all sorts of trouble – ‘troublemaker, pest.’ … ‘for we have found this man to be a troublemaker” Ac 24:5.”

[24:5]  ³⁰ tn Or “dissensions.” While BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3 translates this phrase “κινεῖν στάσεις (v.l. στάσιν) τισί create dissension among certain people Ac 24:5,” it is better on the basis of the actual results of Paul’s ministry to categorize this usage under section 2, “uprising, riot, revolt, rebellion” (cf. the use in Acts 19:40).

[24:5]  ³¹ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  ³² sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.