Discovery BoxLuke 23:1-12
Context23:1 Then 1 the whole group of them rose up and brought Jesus 2 before Pilate. 3 23:2 They 4 began to accuse 5 him, saying, “We found this man subverting 6 our nation, forbidding 7 us to pay the tribute tax 8 to Caesar 9 and claiming that he himself is Christ, 10 a king.” 23:3 So 11 Pilate asked Jesus, 12 “Are you the king 13 of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.” 14 23:4 Then 15 Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation 16 against this man.” 23:5 But they persisted 17 in saying, “He incites 18 the people by teaching throughout all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!” 19
23:6 Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 23:7 When 20 he learned that he was from Herod’s jurisdiction, 21 he sent him over to Herod, 22 who also happened to be in Jerusalem 23 at that time. 23:8 When 24 Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform 25 some miraculous sign. 26 23:9 So 27 Herod 28 questioned him at considerable length; Jesus 29 gave him no answer. 23:10 The chief priests and the experts in the law 30 were there, vehemently accusing him. 31 23:11 Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, 32 dressing him in elegant clothes, 33 Herod 34 sent him back to Pilate. 23:12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other, 35 for prior to this they had been enemies. 36
[23:1] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[23:1] 2 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:1] 3 sn Pilate was the Roman prefect (procurator) in charge of collecting taxes and keeping the peace. His immediate superior was the Roman governor (proconsul) of Syria, although the exact nature of this administrative relationship is unknown. Pilate’s relations with the Jews had been rocky (v. 12). Here he is especially sensitive to them.
[23:2] 4 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:2] 5 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] 6 tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.
[23:2] 7 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] 8 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] 9 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
[23:2] 10 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[23:3] 11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the charges brought in the previous verse.
[23:3] 12 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:3] 13 sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested only in the third charge, because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.
[23:3] 14 sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 22:70.
[23:4] 15 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[23:4] 16 tn Grk “find no cause.”
[23:5] 17 tn Or “were adamant.” For “persisted in saying,” see L&N 68.71.
[23:5] 18 sn He incites the people. The Jewish leadership claimed that Jesus was a political threat and had to be stopped. By reiterating this charge of stirring up rebellion, they pressured Pilate to act, or be accused of overlooking political threats to Rome.
[23:5] 19 tn Grk “beginning from Galilee until here.”
[23:7] 20 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[23:7] 21 sn Learning that Jesus was from Galilee and therefore part of Herod’s jurisdiction, Pilate decided to rid himself of the problem by sending him to Herod.
[23:7] 22 sn Herod was Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. See the note on Herod in 3:1.
[23:7] 23 sn Herod would probably have come to Jerusalem for the feast, although his father was only half Jewish (Josephus, Ant. 14.15.2 [14.403]). Josephus does mention Herod’s presence in Jerusalem during a feast (Ant. 18.5.3 [18.122]).
[23:8] 24 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:8] 25 tn Grk “to see some sign performed by him.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style.
[23:8] 26 sn Herod, hoping to see him perform some miraculous sign, seems to have treated Jesus as a curiosity (cf. 9:7-9).
[23:9] 27 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous statements in the narrative about Herod’s desire to see Jesus.
[23:9] 28 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:9] 29 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:10] 30 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
[23:10] 31 sn Luke portrays the Jewish leadership as driving events toward the cross by vehemently accusing Jesus.
[23:11] 32 tn This is a continuation of the previous Greek sentence, but because of its length and complexity, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying “then” to indicate the sequence of events.
[23:11] 33 sn This mockery involved putting elegant royal clothes on Jesus, either white or purple (the colors of royalty). This was no doubt a mockery of Jesus’ claim to be a king.
[23:11] 34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:12] 35 sn Herod and Pilate became friends with each other. It may be that Pilate’s change of heart was related to the death of his superior, Sejanus, who had a reputation for being anti-Jewish. To please his superior, Pilate may have ruled the Jews with insensitivity. Concerning Sejanus, see Philo, Embassy 24 (160-61) and Flaccus 1 (1).
