John 19:1-25

Pilate Tries to Release Jesus

19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. ¹  19:2 The soldiers ²  braided ³  a crown of thorns ⁴  and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe. ⁵  19:3 They ⁶  came up to him again and again ⁷  and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” ⁸  And they struck him repeatedly ⁹  in the face.

19:4 Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders, ¹⁰  “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation ¹¹  against him.” 19:5 So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. ¹²  Pilate ¹³  said to them, “Look, here is the man!” ¹⁴  19:6 When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucify ¹⁵  him! Crucify him!” ¹⁶  Pilate said, ¹⁷  “You take him and crucify him! ¹⁸  Certainly ¹⁹  I find no reason for an accusation ²⁰  against him!” 19:7 The Jewish leaders ²¹  replied, ²²  “We have a law, ²³  and according to our law he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God!” ²⁴ 

19:8 When Pilate heard what they said, ²⁵  he was more afraid than ever, ²⁶  19:9 and he went back into the governor’s residence ²⁷  and said to Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 19:10 So Pilate said, ²⁸  “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have the authority ²⁹  to release you, and to crucify you?” ³⁰  19:11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority ³¹  over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you ³²  is guilty of greater sin.” ³³ 

19:12 From this point on, Pilate tried ³⁴  to release him. But the Jewish leaders ³⁵  shouted out, ³⁶  “If you release this man, ³⁷  you are no friend of Caesar! ³⁸  Everyone who claims to be a king ³⁹  opposes Caesar!” 19:13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat ⁴⁰  in the place called “The Stone Pavement” ⁴¹  (Gabbatha in ⁴²  Aramaic). ⁴³  19:14 (Now it was the day of preparation ⁴⁴  for the Passover, about noon. ⁴⁵ ) ⁴⁶  Pilate ⁴⁷  said to the Jewish leaders, ⁴⁸  “Look, here is your king!”

19:15 Then they ⁴⁹  shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! ⁵⁰  Crucify ⁵¹  him!” Pilate asked, ⁵²  “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” 19:16 Then Pilate ⁵³  handed him over ⁵⁴  to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, 19:17 and carrying his own cross ⁵⁵  he went out to the place called “The Place of the Skull” ⁵⁶  (called in Aramaic ⁵⁷  Golgotha). ⁵⁸  19:18 There they ⁵⁹  crucified ⁶⁰  him along with two others, ⁶¹  one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. 19:19 Pilate also had a notice ⁶²  written and fastened to the cross, ⁶³  which read: ⁶⁴  “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” 19:20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem ⁶⁵  read this notice, ⁶⁶  because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic, ⁶⁷  Latin, and Greek. 19:21 Then the chief priests of the Jews ⁶⁸  said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The king of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am king of the Jews.’” 19:22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

19:23 Now when the soldiers crucified ⁶⁹  Jesus, they took his clothes and made four shares, one for each soldier, ⁷⁰  and the tunic ⁷¹  remained. (Now the tunic ⁷²  was seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.) ⁷³  19:24 So the soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but throw dice ⁷⁴  to see who will get it.” ⁷⁵  This took place ⁷⁶  to fulfill the scripture that says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they threw dice.” ⁷⁷  So the soldiers did these things.

19:25 Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ⁷⁸ 

[19:1]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “wove.”

[19:2]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ sn The purple color of the robe indicated royal status. This was further mockery of Jesus, along with the crown of thorns.

[19:3]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn The words “again and again” are implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἤρχοντο (hrconto).

[19:3]  ⁸ tn Or “Long live the King of the Jews!”

[19:3]  ⁹ tn The word “repeatedly” is implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἐδιδοσαν (edidosan).

[19:4]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to them.” The words “the Jewish leaders” are supplied from John 18:38 for clarity.

[19:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”

[19:5]  ¹² sn See the note on the purple robe in 19:2.

[19:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:5]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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 b.c.) called it “a cruel and disgusting penalty” (Against Verres 2.5.63-66 §§163-70); Josephus (J. W. 7.6.4 [7.203]) called it the worst of deaths.

[19:6]  ¹⁶ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from context.

[19:6]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.

[19:6]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn On this use of γάρ (gar) used in exclamations and strong affirmations, see BDAG 190 s.v. γάρ 3.

[19:6]  ²⁰ tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”

[19:7]  ²¹ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) 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).

[19:7]  ²² tn Grk “answered him.”

[19:7]  ²³ sn This law is not the entire Pentateuch, but Lev 24:16.

[19:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”

[19:8]  ²⁵ tn Grk “heard this word.”

[19:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “became more afraid.”

[19:9]  ²⁷ tn Grk “into the praetorium.”

[19:10]  ²⁸ tn Grk “said to him.” The words “to him” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.

[19:10]  ²⁹ tn Or “the power.”

[19:10]  ³⁰ tn Grk “know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you.” Repetition of “the authority” is unnecessarily redundant English style.

[19:11]  ³¹ tn Or “power.”

[19:11]  ³² tn Or “who delivered me over to you.”

[19:11]  ³³ tn Grk “has the greater sin” (an idiom).

[19:12]  ³⁴ tn Grk “sought.”

[19:12]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Grk “shouted out, saying.”

[19:12]  ³⁷ tn Grk “this one.”

[19:12]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn Grk “who makes himself out to be a king.”

[19:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “the judge’s seat.”

[19:13]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:13]  ⁴³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[19:14]  ⁴⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “Then these.”

[19:15]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:15]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ tn Grk “Then he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:16]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “delivered him over.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “carrying the cross by himself.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁶ sn Jesus was led out to the place called “The Place of the Skull” where he was to be crucified. It is clear from v. 20 that this was outside the city. The Latin word for the Greek κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria. Thus the English word “Calvary” is a transliteration of the Latin rather than a NT place name (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).

[19:17]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:18]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “where they.” This is a continuation of the previous verse in Greek, but contemporary English style tends toward shorter sentences. A literal translation would result in a lengthy and awkward English sentence.

[19:18]  ⁶⁰ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:18]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “and with him two others.”

[19:19]  ⁶² tn Or “an inscription.”

[19:19]  ⁶³ tn Grk “Pilate also wrote a notice and placed it on the cross.” The two verbs should be read as causatives, since it is highly unlikely that the Roman governor would perform either of these actions himself. He ordered them to be done.

[19:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Now it was written.”

[19:20]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem in general. See also the note on the phrase Jewish religious leaders” in v. 7.

[19:20]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “this inscription.”

[19:20]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:21]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “the Jewish chief priests.” Nowhere else in the Fourth Gospel are the two expressions οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (Joi arcierei" twn Ioudaiwn) combined. Earlier in 19:15 the chief priests were simply referred to as οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς. It seems likely that this is another example of Johannine irony, to be seen in contrast to the inscription on the cross which read ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (Jo basileu" twn Ioudaiwn). For this reason the phrase has been translated “the chief priests of the Jews” (which preserves in the translation the connection with “King of the Jews”) rather than “the Jewish chief priests.”

[19:23]  ⁶⁹ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:23]  ⁷⁰ sn Four shares, one for each soldier. The Gospel of John is the only one to specify the number of soldiers involved in the crucifixion. This was a quaternion, a squad of four soldiers. It was accepted Roman practice for the soldiers who performed a crucifixion to divide the possessions of the person executed among themselves.

[19:23]  ⁷¹ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[19:23]  ⁷² tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). See the note on the same word earlier in this verse.

[19:23]  ⁷³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:24]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “but choose by lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throw dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.

[19:24]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “to see whose it will be.”

[19:24]  ⁷⁶ tn The words “This took place” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[19:24]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “cast lots.” See the note on “throw dice” earlier in the verse.

[19:25]  ⁷⁸ sn Several women are mentioned, but it is not easy to determine how many. It is not clear whether his mother’s sister and Mary the wife of Clopas are to be understood as the same individual (in which case only three women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene) or as two different individuals (in which case four women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Clopas’ wife, and Mary Magdalene). It is impossible to be certain, but when John’s account is compared to the synoptics it is easier to reconcile the accounts if four women were present than if there were only three. It also seems that if there were four women present, this would have been seen by the author to be in juxtaposition to the four soldiers present who performed the crucifixion, and this may explain the transition from the one incident in 23-24 to the other in 25-27. Finally, if only three were present, this would mean that both Jesus’ mother and her sister were named Mary, and this is highly improbable in a Jewish family of that time. If there were four women present, the name of the second, the sister of Jesus’ mother, is not mentioned. It is entirely possible that the sister of Jesus’ mother mentioned here is to be identified with the woman named Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40 and also with the woman identified as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” mentioned in Matt 27:56. If so, and if John the Apostle is to be identified as the beloved disciple, then the reason for the omission of the second woman’s name becomes clear; she would have been John’s own mother, and he consistently omitted direct reference to himself or his brother James or any other members of his family in the Fourth Gospel.