Matthew 27:11

Jesus and Pilate

27:11 Then ¹  Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, ²  “Are you the king ³  of the Jews?” Jesus ⁴  said, “You say so.” ⁵ 

Matthew 27:29

27:29 and after braiding ⁶  a crown of thorns, ⁷  they put it on his head. They ⁸  put a staff ⁹  in his right hand, and kneeling down before him, they mocked him: ¹⁰  “Hail, king of the Jews!” ¹¹ 

[27:11]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[27:11]  ² tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[27:11]  ³ sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested in this charge because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.

[27:11]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:11]  ⁵ sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 26:64.

[27:29]  ⁶ tn Or “weaving.”

[27:29]  ⁷ sn The crown may have been made from palm spines or some other thorny plant common in Israel. In placing the crown of thorns on his head, the soldiers were unwittingly symbolizing God’s curse on humanity (cf. Gen 3:18) being placed on Jesus. Their purpose would have been to mock Jesus’ claim to be a king; the crown of thorns would have represented the “radiant corona” portrayed on the heads of rulers on coins and other artifacts in the 1st century.

[27:29]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:29]  ⁹ tn Or “a reed.” The Greek term can mean either “staff” or “reed.” See BDAG 502 s.v. κάλαμος 2.

[27:29]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “they mocked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

[27:29]  ¹¹ tn Or “Long live the King of the Jews!”