Esther 3:8-10

3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people ¹  that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants ²  throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. ³  3:9 If the king is so inclined, ⁴  let an edict be issued ⁵  to destroy them. I will pay ten thousand talents of silver ⁶  to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business.”

3:10 So the king removed his signet ring ⁷  from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, who was hostile toward the Jews.

Daniel 6:4-9

6:4 Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find ⁸  some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. ⁹  But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence, ¹⁰  because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption. ¹¹  6:5 So these men concluded, ¹²  “We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel unless it is ¹³  in connection with the law of his God.”

6:6 So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion ¹⁴  to the king and said ¹⁵  to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 6:7 To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays ¹⁶  to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions. 6:8 Now let the king issue a written interdict ¹⁷  so that it cannot be altered, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed. ¹⁸  6:9 So King Darius issued the written interdict.

John 19:12-16

19:12 From this point on, Pilate tried ¹⁹  to release him. But the Jewish leaders ²⁰  shouted out, ²¹  “If you release this man, ²²  you are no friend of Caesar! ²³  Everyone who claims to be a king ²⁴  opposes Caesar!” 19:13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat ²⁵  in the place called “The Stone Pavement” ²⁶  (Gabbatha in ²⁷  Aramaic). ²⁸  19:14 (Now it was the day of preparation ²⁹  for the Passover, about noon. ³⁰ ) ³¹  Pilate ³²  said to the Jewish leaders, ³³  “Look, here is your king!”

19:15 Then they ³⁴  shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! ³⁵  Crucify ³⁶  him!” Pilate asked, ³⁷  “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” 19:16 Then Pilate ³⁸  handed him over ³⁹  to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus,

Revelation 16:13-14

16:13 Then ⁴⁰  I saw three unclean spirits ⁴¹  that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 16:14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth ⁴²  to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. ⁴³ 

Revelation 17:2

17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality and the earth’s inhabitants got drunk with the wine of her immorality.” ⁴⁴ 

[3:8]  ¹ tn Heb “one people.” Note the subtle absence at this point of a specific mention of the Jewish people by name.

[3:8]  ² tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “nations”

[3:8]  ³ tn Heb “to cause them to rest”; NASB “to let them remain”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “to tolerate them.”

[3:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; KJV “If it please the king.”

[3:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “let it be written” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “let it be decreed.”

[3:9]  ⁶ sn The enormity of the monetary sum referred to here can be grasped by comparing this amount (10,000 talents of silver) to the annual income of the empire, which according to Herodotus (Histories 3.95) was 14,500 Euboic talents. In other words Haman is offering the king a bribe equal to two-thirds of the royal income. Doubtless this huge sum of money was to come (in large measure) from the anticipated confiscation of Jewish property and assets once the Jews had been destroyed. That such a large sum of money is mentioned may indicate something of the economic standing of the Jewish population in the empire of King Ahasuerus.

[3:10]  ⁷ sn Possessing the king’s signet ring would enable Haman to act with full royal authority. The king’s ring would be used to impress the royal seal on edicts, making them as binding as if the king himself had enacted them.

[6:4]  ⁸ tn Aram “looking to find.”

[6:4]  ⁹ tn Aram “from the side of the kingdom.”

[6:4]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “pretext and corruption.”

[6:4]  ¹¹ tn Aram “no negligence or corruption was found in him.” The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the phrase “and no negligence or corruption was found in him.”

[6:5]  ¹² tn Aram “were saying.”

[6:5]  ¹³ tn Aram “unless we find [it] against him.”

[6:6]  ¹⁴ tn The Aramaic verb רְגַשׁ (rÿgash) occurs three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12, 16). Its meaning is widely disputed by commentators, and the versions vary considerably in how they render the word. The suggestion that it means “to come thronging” (BDB 1112 s.v.; cf. NAB) seems inappropriate, since it is unlikely that subordinates would enter a royal court in such a reckless fashion. The ancient versions struggled with the word and are not in agreement in their understanding of its meaning. In this chapter the word apparently means to act in agreement with other parties in the pursuit of a duplicitous goal, namely the entrapment of Daniel. Cf. NIV, NCV “went as a group”; NRSV “conspired and came to the king.”

[6:6]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “thus they were saying.”

[6:7]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “prays a prayer.”

[6:8]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “establish a written interdict and inscribe a written decree.”

[6:8]  ¹⁸ tn Or “removed.”

[19:12]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “sought.”

[19:12]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Grk “shouted out, saying.”

[19:12]  ²² tn Grk “this one.”

[19:12]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Grk “who makes himself out to be a king.”

[19:13]  ²⁵ tn Or “the judge’s seat.”

[19:13]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:13]  ²⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[19:14]  ³¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Grk “Then these.”

[19:15]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:15]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Then he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:16]  ³⁹ tn Or “delivered him over.”

[16:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:13]  ⁴¹ sn According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.

[16:14]  ⁴² tn BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the world…ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth…Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”

[16:14]  ⁴³ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[17:2]  ⁴⁴ tn This is the same word translated “sexual immorality” earlier in the verse, but here the qualifier “sexual” has not been repeated for stylistic reasons.