Discovery BoxJohn 18:39--19:6
Context18:39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner 1 for you at the Passover. 2 So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 18:40 Then they shouted back, 3 “Not this man, 4 but Barabbas!” 5 (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. 6 ) 7
19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. 8 19:2 The soldiers 9 braided 10 a crown of thorns 11 and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe. 12 19:3 They 13 came up to him again and again 14 and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 15 And they struck him repeatedly 16 in the face.
19:4 Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders, 17 “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation 18 against him.” 19:5 So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. 19 Pilate 20 said to them, “Look, here is the man!” 21 19:6 When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucify 22 him! Crucify him!” 23 Pilate said, 24 “You take him and crucify him! 25 Certainly 26 I find no reason for an accusation 27 against him!”
[18:39] 1 tn The word “prisoner” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
[18:39] 2 sn Pilate then offered to release Jesus, reminding the Jewish authorities that they had a custom that he release one prisoner for them at the Passover. There is no extra-biblical evidence alluding to the practice. It is, however, mentioned in Matthew and Mark, described either as a practice of Pilate (Mark 15:6) or of the Roman governor (Matt 27:15). These references may explain the lack of extra-biblical attestation: The custom to which Pilate refers here (18:39) is not a permanent one acknowledged by all the Roman governors, but one peculiar to Pilate as a means of appeasement, meant to better relations with his subjects. Such a limited meaning is certainly possible and consistent with the statement here.
[18:40] 3 tn Or “they shouted again,” or “they shouted in turn.” On the difficulty of translating πάλιν (palin) see BDAG 753 s.v. 5. It is simplest in the context of John’s Gospel to understand the phrase to mean “they shouted back” as a reply to Pilate’s question.
[18:40] 5 sn The name Barabbas in Aramaic means “son of abba,” that is, “son of the father,” and presumably the man in question had another name (it may also have been Jesus, according to the textual variant in Matt 27:16, although this is uncertain). For the author this name held ironic significance: The crowd was asking for the release of a man called Barabbas, “son of the father,” while Jesus, who was truly the Son of the Father, was condemned to die instead.
[18:40] 6 tn Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lhsth") in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. See both R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:857) and K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 4:258) for more information. The word λῃστής was used a number of times by Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]) to describe the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.
[18:40] 7 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[19:1] 8 tn Or “had him flogged,” or (traditional), “scourged him.” The verb should be read as causative. Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged. A Roman governor would not carry out such a sentence in person. BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1. states, “If J refers to the ‘verberatio’ given those condemned to death (TMommsen, Röm. Strafrecht 1899, 938f; Jos., Bell. 2, 308; 5, 449), it is odd that Pilate subsequently claims no cause for action (vs. 6); but if the latter statement refers only to the penalty of crucifixion, μ. vs. 1 may be equivalent to παιδεύω (q.v. 2bγ) in Lk 23:16, 22 (for μ. of a non-capital offense PFlor I, 61, 61 [85ad]=Mitt-Wilck. II/2, 80 II, 61).”
[19:2] 9 tn Grk “And the soldiers.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
[19:2] 11 sn The crown of thorns was a crown plaited of some thorny material, intended as a mockery of Jesus’ “kingship.” Traditionally it has been regarded as an additional instrument of torture, but it seems more probable the purpose of the thorns was not necessarily to inflict more physical suffering but to imitate the spikes of the “radiant corona,” a type of crown portrayed on ruler’s heads on many coins of the period; the spikes on this type of crown represented rays of light pointing outward (the best contemporary illustration is the crown on the head of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor).
[19:2] 12 sn The purple color of the robe indicated royal status. This was further mockery of Jesus, along with the crown of thorns.
[19:3] 13 tn Grk “And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
[19:3] 14 tn The words “again and again” are implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἤρχοντο (hrconto).
[19:3] 15 tn Or “Long live the King of the Jews!”
[19:3] 16 tn The word “repeatedly” is implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἐδιδοσαν (edidosan).
[19:4] 17 tn Grk “to them.” The words “the Jewish leaders” are supplied from John 18:38 for clarity.
[19:4] 18 tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”
[19:5] 19 sn See the note on the purple robe in 19:2.
[19:5] 20 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:5] 21 sn Look, here is the man! Pilate may have meant no more than something like “Here is the accused!” or in a contemptuous way, “Here is your king!” Others have taken Pilate’s statement as intended to evoke pity from Jesus’ accusers: “Look at this poor fellow!” (Jesus would certainly not have looked very impressive after the scourging). For the author, however, Pilate’s words constituted an unconscious allusion to Zech 6:12, “Look, here is the man whose name is the Branch.” In this case Pilate (unknowingly and ironically) presented Jesus to the nation under a messianic title.
[19:6] 22 sn Crucifixion was the cruelest form of punishment practiced by the Romans. Roman citizens could not normally undergo it. It was reserved for the worst crimes, like treason and evasion of due process in a capital case. The Roman statesman and orator Cicero (106-43
[19:6] 23 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from context.
[19:6] 24 tn Grk “said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.
[19:6] 25 sn How are Pilate’s words “You take him and crucify him” to be understood? Was he offering a serious alternative to the priests who wanted Jesus crucified? Was he offering them an exception to the statement in 18:31 that the Jewish authorities did not have the power to carry out a death penalty? Although a few scholars have suggested that the situation was at this point so far out of Pilate’s control that he really was telling the high priests they could go ahead and crucify a man he had found to be innocent, this seems unlikely. It is far more likely that Pilate’s statement should be understood as one of frustration and perhaps sarcasm. This seems to be supported by the context, for the Jewish authorities make no attempt at this point to seize Jesus and crucify him. Rather they continue to pester Pilate to order the crucifixion.
[19:6] 26 tn On this use of γάρ (gar) used in exclamations and strong affirmations, see BDAG 190 s.v. γάρ 3.
[19:6] 27 tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”
