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Legacy Standard Bible Translation Notes
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NOTES

BIBLE

John 19

1

Pilate then took Jesus and flogged Him.

Τότε οὖν ἔλαβεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἐμαστίγωσεν.

flogged
The verb translated “flogged” here is μαστίγοω (mastigoō), which is used in the New Testament in reference to punishment or discipline by being beaten with a whip (and is rendered consistently with “flog” in this translation; e.g., Acts 22:24; Heb 11:36). It is more severe than other Greek words generally used for beating and was usually warranted by a capital offense. Thus, Jesus, though innocent, is being treated like one of the worst of criminals before being killed. Pilate knows Jesus is innocent, so it is likely that by flogging Him, he is hoping to appease the crowd.

 
2

And when the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him;

καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται πλέξαντες στέφανον ἐξ ἀκανθῶν ἐπέθηκαν αὐτοῦ τῇ κεφαλῇ, καὶ ἱμάτιον πορφυροῦν περιέβαλον αὐτόν,

 
3

and they were coming to Him and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and were giving Him slaps in the face.

καὶ ἤρχοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλεγον· Χαῖρε, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων· καὶ ἐδίδοσαν αὐτῷ ῥαπίσματα.

were coming…were giving
The phrases “were coming” and “were giving” bring out the imperfect tense of the Greek verbs ἤρχοντο (ērchonto) and ἐδίδοσαν (edidosan). Because the imperfect tense usually communicates continual or ongoing action, the use of this tense provides a more vivid narrative as the mocking soldiers continue to deride and abuse Jesus, repeatedly slapping Him in the face.

 
4

And Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.”

καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πάλιν ἔξω ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ἴδε ἄγω ὑμῖν αὐτὸν ἔξω, ἵνα γνῶτε ὅτι οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ.

 
5

Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!”

ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔξω, φορῶν τὸν ἀκάνθινον στέφανον καὶ τὸ πορφυροῦν ἱμάτιον. καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

 
6

So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”

ὅτε οὖν εἶδον αὐτὸν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται ἐκραύγασαν λέγοντες· Σταύρωσον σταύρωσον. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς καὶ σταυρώσατε, ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐχ εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ αἰτίαν.

 
7

The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Ἡμεῖς νόμον ἔχομεν, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὀφείλει ἀποθανεῖν, ὅτι υἱὸν θεοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἐποίησεν.

 
8

Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he became more afraid;

Ὅτε οὖν ἤκουσεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, μᾶλλον ἐφοβήθη,

 
9

and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον πάλιν καὶ λέγει τῷ Ἰησοῦ· Πόθεν εἶ σύ; ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀπόκρισιν οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ.

 
10

So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”

λέγει οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Ἐμοὶ οὐ λαλεῖς; οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχω ἀπολῦσαί σε καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω σταυρῶσαί σε;

 
11

Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς· Οὐκ εἶχες ἐξουσίαν κατʼ ἐμοῦ οὐδεμίαν εἰ μὴ ἦν δεδομένον σοι ἄνωθεν· διὰ τοῦτο ὁ παραδούς μέ σοι μείζονα ἁμαρτίαν ἔχει.

 
12

As a result of this Pilate kept seeking to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself to be a king opposes Caesar.”

ἐκ τούτου ὁ Πιλᾶτος ἐζήτει ἀπολῦσαι αὐτόν· οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐκραύγασαν λέγοντες· Ἐὰν τοῦτον ἀπολύσῃς, οὐκ εἶ φίλος τοῦ Καίσαρος· πᾶς ὁ βασιλέα ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν ἀντιλέγει τῷ Καίσαρι.

kept seeking
The phrase “kept seeking” brings out the tense of the imperfect verb ἐζήτει (ezētei) here. Because the imperfect tense is usually used to communicate continual or ongoing action, here, it shows that Pilate is desperately and repeatedly trying to find an opportunity to exonerate Jesus, as he does not see a legitimate accusation for which to condemn Him. Even so, the threat that releasing Jesus would make him look like an enemy to Caesar was enough to persuade Pilate to continue the trial (cf. v. 13).

makes
The phrase “makes himself to be a king” literally translates the Greek phrase ὁ βασιλέα ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν (ho basilea heauton poiōn). The verb ποιέω (poieō; “make”) used in this phrase often communicates the idea of producing something or bringing about a certain state. It is more than simply causing something to seem or appear a certain way. Thus, this translation carries over the meaning of this accusation of the Jews. They accuse Him of essentially crowning Himself as an earthly king in opposition to Caesar. The translation “makes himself to be a king” conveys the seriousness of this accusation. However, this accusation was false, as Jesus had both ordered to render proper respect to Caesar (cf. Matt 22:21) and stated that His kingdom is not from here (John 18:36).

 
13

Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

Ὁ οὖν Πιλᾶτος ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων τούτων ἤγαγεν ἔξω τὸν Ἰησοῦν, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐπὶ βήματος εἰς τόπον λεγόμενον Λιθόστρωτον, Ἑβραϊστὶ δὲ Γαββαθα.

 
14

Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

ἦν δὲ παρασκευὴ τοῦ πάσχα, ὥρα ἦν ὡς ἕκτη. καὶ λέγει τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· Ἴδε ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑμῶν.

 
15

So they cried out, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

ἐκραύγασαν οὖν ἐκεῖνοι· Ἆρον ἆρον, σταύρωσον αὐτόν. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Τὸν βασιλέα ὑμῶν σταυρώσω; ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς· Οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα.

 
16

So he then delivered Him over to them to be crucified.

τότε οὖν παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σταυρωθῇ.

 
17

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

Παρέλαβον οὖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν· καὶ βαστάζων αὑτῷ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὸν λεγόμενον Κρανίου Τόπον, ὃ λέγεται Ἑβραϊστὶ Γολγοθα,

 
18

There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

ὅπου αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν, καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἄλλους δύο ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν, μέσον δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν.

 
19

And Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

ἔγραψεν δὲ καὶ τίτλον ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ ἔθηκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ· ἦν δὲ γεγραμμένον· Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων.

 
20

Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek.

τοῦτον οὖν τὸν τίτλον πολλοὶ ἀνέγνωσαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἦν ὁ τόπος τῆς πόλεως ὅπου ἐσταυρώθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς· καὶ ἦν γεγραμμένον Ἑβραϊστί, Ῥωμαϊστί, Ἑλληνιστί.

 
21

So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews;’ but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”

ἔλεγον οὖν τῷ Πιλάτῳ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων· Μὴ γράφε· Ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων εἰμί.

 
22

Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Ὃ γέγραφα γέγραφα.

 
23

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, a part to each soldier and also His tunic; now that tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.

οἱ οὖν στρατιῶται ὅτε ἐσταύρωσαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἔλαβον τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐποίησαν τέσσαρα μέρη, ἑκάστῳ στρατιώτῃ μέρος, καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα. ἦν δὲ ὁ χιτὼν ἄραφος, ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸς διʼ ὅλου·

 
24

So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be;” this was in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “THEY DIVIDED MY GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.”

εἶπαν οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους· Μὴ σχίσωμεν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λάχωμεν περὶ αὐτοῦ τίνος ἔσται· ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ ἡ λέγουσα· Διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον.

GARMENTS…CLOTHING
The words rendered “GARMENTS” and “CLOTHING” here are ἱμάτιον (himation) and ἱματισμός (himatismos), respectively. While very similar, these are two distinct words in Greek. The first word (ἱμάτιον; himation) is the familiar word commonly rendered as “garment” in this translation. (The translation here is “garments” rather than “outer garments” to preserve consistency across the New Testament for this term). The second word (ἱματισμός; himatismos) is derived from the verb ἱματίζω (himatizō; lit. to “wear” or “be clothed”). By using these similar but distinct words, John skillfully translates the Hebrew of Psalm 22:18, where the Hebrew words בֶּגֶד (beged; “garment”) and לְבוּשׁ (levush; “clothing”; from the verb לבשׁ [lavash, to “wear” or “be clothed”]) are used. John is thus quoting Psalm 22:18 word for word. This translation renders both passages with “garments” and “clothing” to bring out John’s point that Jesus’ suffering here is a fulfillment of David’s prophecy of the suffering Messiah in Psalm 22.

 
25

Therefore the soldiers did these things.
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται ταῦτα ἐποίησαν.
Εἱστήκεισαν δὲ παρὰ τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Κλωπᾶ καὶ Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή.

 
26

When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

Ἰησοῦς οὖν ἰδὼν τὴν μητέρα καὶ τὸν μαθητὴν παρεστῶτα ὃν ἠγάπα λέγει τῇ μητρί· Γύναι, ἴδε ὁ υἱός σου·

 
27

Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his home.

εἶτα λέγει τῷ μαθητῇ· Ἴδε ἡ μήτηρ σου. καὶ ἀπʼ ἐκείνης τῆς ὥρας ἔλαβεν ὁ μαθητὴς αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ ἴδια.

 
28

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been finished, in order to finish the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”

Μετὰ τοῦτο εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἤδη πάντα τετέλεσται ἵνα τελειωθῇ ἡ γραφὴ λέγει· Διψῶ.

finished…finish
The two words translated with “finish” here—τελέω (teleō) and τελειόω (teleioō), respectively—show that Jesus is at the climax of His earthly mission to finish what the Father sent Him to do (cf. 4:34; 17:4). This also distinguishes τελ (tel) root words in the New Testament from πληρόω (plēroō), which is usually translated as “fulfill” (cf. vv. 24, 36).

 
29

A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

σκεῦος ἔκειτο ὄξους μεστόν· σπόγγον οὖν μεστὸν τοῦ ὄξους ὑσσώπῳ περιθέντες προσήνεγκαν αὐτοῦ τῷ στόματι.

 
30

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

ὅτε οὖν ἔλαβεν τὸ ὄξος ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· Τετέλεσται, καὶ κλίνας τὴν κεφαλὴν παρέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦμα.

 
31

Then the Jews, because it was the day of Preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Οἱ οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἐπεὶ παρασκευὴ ἦν, ἵνα μὴ μείνῃ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὰ σώματα ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ, ἦν γὰρ μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνου τοῦ σαββάτου, ἠρώτησαν τὸν Πιλᾶτον ἵνα κατεαγῶσιν αὐτῶν τὰ σκέλη καὶ ἀρθῶσιν.

 
32

So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him;

ἦλθον οὖν οἱ στρατιῶται, καὶ τοῦ μὲν πρώτου κατέαξαν τὰ σκέλη καὶ τοῦ ἄλλου τοῦ συσταυρωθέντος αὐτῷ·

 
33

but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐλθόντες, ὡς εἶδον ἤδη αὐτὸν τεθνηκότα, οὐ κατέαξαν αὐτοῦ τὰ σκέλη,

 
34

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

ἀλλʼ εἷς τῶν στρατιωτῶν λόγχῃ αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν ἔνυξεν, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν εὐθὺς αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ.

 
35

And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

καὶ ὁ ἑωρακὼς μεμαρτύρηκεν, καὶ ἀληθινὴ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία, καὶ ἐκεῖνος οἶδεν ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγει, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς πιστεύητε.

 
36

For these things came to pass in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.”

ἐγένετο γὰρ ταῦτα ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ· Ὀστοῦν οὐ συντριβήσεται αὐτοῦ.

 
37

And again another Scripture says, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.”

καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρα γραφὴ λέγει· Ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν.

 
38

Now after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.

Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἠρώτησεν τὸν Πιλᾶτον Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ Ἁριμαθαίας, ὢν μαθητὴς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ κεκρυμμένος δὲ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἵνα ἄρῃ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· καὶ ἐπέτρεψεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος. ἦλθεν οὖν καὶ ἦρεν τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ.

secretly
The word “secretly” translates the Greek participle κεκρυμμένος (kekrymmenos), which is working together with the previous participle, “being” (in “being a disciple”). In this verse, “secretly” seems to modify “being,” while “being” modifies the main verb “asked.” Translating κεκρυμμένος (kekrymmenos) with the English adverb “secretly” helps to show this. Thus, the main idea of this verse is that Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body. John wants his readers to know not just that Joseph was a disciple at the time of his asking, but that he was a disciple secretly. In a strange mixture, both boldness and fear are seen here. Joseph is bold enough to approach Pilate himself with this request, but for fear of the Jews, was afraid to show publicly that he was a disciple of Jesus. The fact that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin (cf. Mark 15:43), who themselves called for Jesus’ crucifixion, magnifies the boldness of his request and explains the source of his fear.

because of his fear
The phrase “because of his fear” literally translates the Greek phrase διὰ τὸν φόβον (dia ton phobon), where the article τὸν (ton) functions as a personal pronoun. Accurately translating διὰ (dia) as “because” helps to clearly show that Joseph of Arimathea’s fear was why he kept his discipleship secret. Though not applauded, God used this fear and secrecy beautifully in His perfect providence. It allowed Joseph to remain a prominent member of the Sanhedrin (cf. Mark 15:43), thus providing him the unique opportunity and legitimacy to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body, which led to the precise fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9, “He was with a rich man in His death.”

 
39

And Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about one hundred litras.

ἦλθεν δὲ καὶ Νικόδημος, ὁ ἐλθὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς τὸ πρῶτον, φέρων μίγμα σμύρνης καὶ ἀλόης ὡς λίτρας ἑκατόν.

 
40

So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

ἔλαβον οὖν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἔδησαν αὐτὸ ὀθονίοις μετὰ τῶν ἀρωμάτων, καθὼς ἔθος ἐστὶν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐνταφιάζειν.

 
41

Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

ἦν δὲ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ὅπου ἐσταυρώθη κῆπος, καὶ ἐν τῷ κήπῳ μνημεῖον καινόν, ἐν ᾧ οὐδέπω οὐδεὶς ἦν τεθειμένος·

 
42

Therefore because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

ἐκεῖ οὖν διὰ τὴν παρασκευὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἦν τὸ μνημεῖον, ἔθηκαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν.

 
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