Matthew 2:2

2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ¹  and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 27:11

Jesus and Pilate

27:11 Then ²  Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, ³  “Are you the king ⁴  of the Jews?” Jesus ⁵  said, “You say so.” ⁶ 

Luke 23:3

23:3 So ⁷  Pilate asked Jesus, ⁸  “Are you the king ⁹  of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.” ¹⁰ 

John 18:33-37

Pilate Questions Jesus

18:33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence, ¹¹  summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” ¹²  18:34 Jesus replied, ¹³  “Are you saying this on your own initiative, ¹⁴  or have others told you about me?” 18:35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? ¹⁵  Your own people ¹⁶  and your chief priests handed you over ¹⁷  to me. What have you done?”

18:36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being ¹⁸  handed over ¹⁹  to the Jewish authorities. ²⁰  But as it is, ²¹  my kingdom is not from here.” 18:37 Then Pilate said, ²²  “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to ²³  my voice.”

John 19:19-22

19:19 Pilate also had a notice ²⁴  written and fastened to the cross, ²⁵  which read: ²⁶  “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” 19:20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem ²⁷  read this notice, ²⁸  because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic, ²⁹  Latin, and Greek. 19:21 Then the chief priests of the Jews ³⁰  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.”

John 19:1

Pilate Tries to Release Jesus

19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. ³¹ 

John 6:13

6:13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves ³²  left over by the people who had eaten.

[2:2]  ¹ tn Or “in its rising,” referring to the astrological significance of a star in a particular portion of the sky. The term used for the “East” in v. 1 is ἀνατολαί (anatolai, a plural form that is used typically of the rising of the sun), while in vv. 2 and 9 the singular ἀνατολή (anatolh) is used. The singular is typically used of the rising of a star and as such should not normally be translated “in the east” (cf. BDAG 74 s.v. 1: “because of the sg. and the article in contrast to ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, vs. 1, [it is] prob. not a geograph. expr. like the latter, but rather astronomical…likew. vs. 9”).

[27:11]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[27:11]  ³ tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[27:11]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:11]  ⁶ sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 26:64.

[23:3]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the charges brought in the previous verse.

[23:3]  ⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:3]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 22:70.

[18:33]  ¹¹ tn Grk “into the praetorium.”

[18:33]  ¹² sn It is difficult to discern Pilate’s attitude when he asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Some have believed the remark to be sarcastic or incredulous as Pilate looked at this lowly and humble prisoner: “So you’re the king of the Jews, are you?” Others have thought the Roman governor to have been impressed by Jesus’ regal disposition and dignity, and to have sincerely asked, “Are you really the king of the Jews?” Since it will later become apparent (v. 38) that Pilate considered Jesus innocent (and therefore probably also harmless) an attitude of incredulity is perhaps most likely, but this is far from certain in the absence of clear contextual clues.

[18:34]  ¹³ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:34]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “saying this from yourself.”

[18:35]  ¹⁵ sn Many have seen in Pilate’s reply “I am not a Jew, am I?” the Roman contempt for the Jewish people. Some of that may indeed be present, but strictly speaking, all Pilate affirms is that he, as a Roman, has no firsthand knowledge of Jewish custom or belief. What he knows of Jesus must have come from the Jewish authorities. They are the ones (your own people and your chief priests) who have handed Jesus over to Pilate.

[18:35]  ¹⁶ tn Or “your own nation.”

[18:35]  ¹⁷ tn Or “delivered you over.”

[18:36]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “so that I may not be.”

[18:36]  ¹⁹ tn Or “delivered over.”

[18:36]  ²⁰ tn Or “the Jewish leaders”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. In the translation “authorities” was preferred over “leaders” for stylistic reasons.

[18:36]  ²¹ tn Grk “now.”

[18:37]  ²² tn Grk “said to him.”

[18:37]  ²³ tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”

[19:19]  ²⁴ tn Or “an inscription.”

[19:19]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Now it was written.”

[19:20]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Or “this inscription.”

[19:20]  ²⁹ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:21]  ³⁰ 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.”

[19:1]  ³¹ 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).”

[6:13]  ³² sn Note that the fish mentioned previously (in John 6:9) are not emphasized here, only the five barley loaves. This is easy to understand, however, because the bread is of primary importance for the author in view of Jesus’ upcoming discourse on the Bread of Life.