John 19:14-16

19:14 (Now it was the day of preparation ¹  for the Passover, about noon. ² ) ³  Pilate ⁴  said to the Jewish leaders, ⁵  “Look, here is your king!”

19:15 Then they ⁶  shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! ⁷  Crucify ⁸  him!” Pilate asked, ⁹  “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” 19:16 Then Pilate ¹⁰  handed him over ¹¹  to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus,

[19:14]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[19:14]  ³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Grk “Then these.”

[19:15]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:15]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Then he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:16]  ¹¹ tn Or “delivered him over.”