Luke 23:2-4

23:2 They ¹  began to accuse ²  him, saying, “We found this man subverting ³  our nation, forbidding ⁴  us to pay the tribute tax ⁵  to Caesar ⁶  and claiming that he himself is Christ, ⁷  a king.” 23:3 So ⁸  Pilate asked Jesus, ⁹  “Are you the king ¹⁰  of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.” ¹¹  23:4 Then ¹²  Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation ¹³  against this man.”

[23:2]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:2]  ² 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]  ³ tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.

[23:2]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[23:2]  ⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[23:3]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the charges brought in the previous verse.

[23:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:3]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 22:70.

[23:4]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “find no cause.”