◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Isaiah 52:13—53:12 (The suffering servant); Psalm 22 (Why have you forsaken me?); Hebrews 10:16-25 (The way to God is opened); or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 (The merciful high priest); John 18:1—19:42 (The passion and death of Jesus) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

April 18, 2025

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

April 2025
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

Return to today's reading

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

The Lord Will Vindicate His Servant

¹³Look, my servant will succeed!^[a]
He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted^[b]—
¹⁴(just as many were horrified by the sight of you)^[c]
he was so disfigured^[d] he no longer looked like a man;^[e]
his form was so marred he no longer looked human^[f]—
¹⁵so now^[g] he will startle^[h] many nations.
Kings will be shocked by his exaltation,^[i]
for they will witness something unannounced to them,
and they will understand something they had not heard about.
53 Who would have believed^[j] what we^[k] just heard?^[l]
When^[m] was the Lord’s power^[n] revealed through him?
²He sprouted up like a twig before God,^[o]
like a root out of parched soil;^[p]
he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention,^[q]
no special appearance that we should want to follow him.^[r]
³He was despised and rejected by people,^[s]
one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;
people hid their faces from him;^[t]
he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.^[u]
⁴But he lifted up our illnesses,
he carried our pain;^[v]
even though we thought he was being punished,
attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.^[w]
⁵He was wounded because of^[x] our rebellious deeds,
crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that made us well;^[y]
because of his wounds we have been healed.^[z]
⁶All of us had wandered off like sheep;
each of us had strayed off on his own path,
but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him.^[aa]
⁷He was treated harshly and afflicted,^[ab]
but he did not even open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,
like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not even open his mouth.^[ac]
⁸He was led away after an unjust trial^[ad]—
but who even cared?^[ae]
Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living;^[af]
because of the rebellion of his own^[ag] people he was wounded.
⁹They intended to bury him with criminals,^[ah]
but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb,^[ai]
because^[aj] he had committed no violent deeds,
nor had he spoken deceitfully.
¹⁰Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,
once restitution is made,^[ak]
he will see descendants and enjoy long life,^[al]
and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.
¹¹Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,
he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done.^[am]
“My servant^[an] will acquit many,^[ao]
for he carried their sins.^[ap]
¹²So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes,^[aq]
he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful,^[ar]
because he willingly submitted^[as] to death
and was numbered with the rebels,
when he lifted up the sin of many
and intervened^[at] on behalf of the rebels.”

Footnotes

Isaiah 52:13 tn Heb “act wisely,” which by metonymy means “succeed.”
Isaiah 52:13 tn This piling up of synonyms emphasizes the degree of the servant’s coming exaltation.
Isaiah 52:14 tn Some witnesses read “him,” which is more consistent with the context, where the servant is spoken about, not addressed. However, it is possible that the Lord briefly addresses the servant here. The present translation assumes the latter view and places the phrase in parentheses.
Isaiah 52:14 tn Heb “such was the disfigurement.” The noun מִשְׁחַת (mishkhat) occurs only here. It may be derived from the verbal root שָׁחַת (shakhat, “be ruined”; see BDB 1007-8 s.v. שָׁחַת). The construct form appears here before a prepositional phrase (cf. GKC 421 §130.a).
Isaiah 52:14 tn Heb “from a man his appearance.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.” See BDB 583 s.v.
Isaiah 52:14 tn Heb “and his form from the sons of men.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.”
Isaiah 52:15 tn This statement completes the sentence begun in v. 14a. The introductory כֵּן (ken) answers to the introductory כַּאֲשֶׁר (kaʾasher) of v. 14a. Verses 14b-15a are parenthetical, explaining why many were horrified.
Isaiah 52:15 tn Traditionally the verb יַזֶּה (yazzeh, a Hiphil stem) has been understood as a causative of נָזָה (nazah, “spurt, spatter”) and translated “sprinkle.” In this case the passage pictures the servant as a priest who “sprinkles” (or spiritually cleanses) the nations. Though the verb נָזָה does occur in the Hiphil with the meaning “sprinkle,” the usual interpretation is problematic. In all other instances where the object or person sprinkled is indicated, the verb is combined with a preposition. This is not the case in Isaiah 52:15, unless one takes the following עָלָיו (ʿalayv, “on him”) with the preceding line. But then one would have to emend the verb to a plural, make the nations the subject of the verb “sprinkle,” and take the servant as the object. Consequently some interpreters doubt the cultic idea of “sprinkling” is present here. Some emend the text; others propose a homonymic root meaning “spring, leap,” which in the Hiphil could mean “cause to leap, startle” and would fit the parallelism of the verse nicely.
Isaiah 52:15 tn Heb “Because of him kings will shut their mouths,” i.e., be speechless.
Isaiah 53:1 tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.
Isaiah 53:1 sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.
Isaiah 53:1 tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.
Isaiah 53:1 tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
Isaiah 53:1 tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.
Isaiah 53:2 tn Heb “before him.” Some suggest an emendation to “before us.” If the third singular suffix of the Hebrew text is retained, it probably refers to the Lord (see v. 1b). For a defense of this reading, see R. Whybray, Isaiah 40-66 (NCBC), 173-74.
Isaiah 53:2 sn The metaphor in this verse suggests insignificance.
Isaiah 53:2 tn Heb “that we might see him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.
Isaiah 53:2 tn Heb “that we should desire him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.
Isaiah 53:3 tn Heb “lacking of men.” If the genitive is taken as specifying (“lacking with respect to men”), then the idea is that he lacked company because he was rejected by people. Another option is to take the genitive as indicating genus or larger class (i.e., “one lacking among men”). In this case one could translate, “he was a transient” (cf. the use of חָדֵל [khadel] in Ps 39:5 HT [39:4 ET]).
Isaiah 53:3 tn Heb “like a hiding of the face from him,” i.e., “like one before whom the face is hidden” (see BDB 712 s.v. מַסְתֵּר).
Isaiah 53:3 sn The servant is likened to a seriously ill person who is shunned by others because of his horrible disease.
Isaiah 53:4 sn Illness and pain stand by metonymy (or perhaps as metaphors) for sin and its effects, as vv. 11-12 make clear.
Isaiah 53:4 tn The words “for something he had done” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The group now realizes he suffered because of his identification with them, not simply because he was a special target of divine anger.
Isaiah 53:5 tn The preposition מִן (min) has a causal sense (translated “because of”) here and in the following clause.
Isaiah 53:5 tn Heb “the punishment of our peace [was] on him.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is here a genitive of result, i.e., “punishment that resulted in our peace.”
Isaiah 53:5 sn Continuing to utilize the imagery of physical illness, the group acknowledges that the servant’s willingness to carry their illnesses (v. 4) resulted in their being healed. Healing is a metaphor for forgiveness here.
Isaiah 53:6 tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (pagaʿ) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object—the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.
Isaiah 53:7 tn The translation assumes the Niphal is passive; another option is take the clause (note the subject + verb pattern) as concessive and the Niphal as reflexive, “though he humbled himself.”
Isaiah 53:7 sn This verse emphasizes the servant’s silent submission. The comparison to a sheep does not necessarily suggest a sacrificial metaphor. Sheep were slaughtered for food as well as for sacrificial rituals, and טֶבַח (tevakh) need not refer to sacrificial slaughter (see Gen 43:16; Prov 7:22; 9:2; Jer 50:27; note also the use of the related verb in Exod 21:37 HT [22:1 ET]; Deut 28:31; 1 Sam 25:11).
Isaiah 53:8 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The present translation assumes that מִן (min) here has an instrumental sense (“by, through”) and understands עֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט (ʿotser umimmishpat, “coercion and legal decision”) as a hendiadys meaning “coercive legal decision,” thus “an unjust trial.” Other interpretive options include: (1) “without [for this sense of מִן, see BDB 578 s.v. 1.b] hindrance and proper judicial process,” i.e., “unfairly and with no one to defend him,” (2) “from [in the sense of “after,” see BDB 581 s.v. 4.b] arrest and judgment.”
Isaiah 53:8 tn Heb “and his generation, who considers?” (NASB similar). Some understand “his generation” as a reference to descendants. In this case the question would suggest that he will have none. However, אֶת (ʾet) may be taken here as specifying a new subject (see BDB 85 s.v. I אֵת 3). If “his generation” refers to the servant’s contemporary generation, one may then translate, “As for his contemporary generation, who took note?” The point would be that few were concerned about the harsh treatment he received.
Isaiah 53:8 sn The “land of the living” is an idiom for the sphere where people live, in contrast to the underworld realm of the dead. See, for example, Ezek 32:23-27.
Isaiah 53:8 tn The Hebrew text reads “my people,” a reading followed by most English versions, but this is problematic in a context where the first person plural predominates, and where God does not appear to speak again until v. 11b. Therefore, it is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a עמו (“his people”). In this case, the group speaking in these verses is identified as the servant’s people (compare פְּשָׁעֵנוּ [p^eshaʿenu, “our rebellious deeds”] in v. 5 with פֶּשַׁע עַמִּי [peshaʿ ʿammi, “the rebellion of his people”] in v. 8).
Isaiah 53:9 tn Heb “one assigned his grave with criminals.” The subject of the singular is impersonal; English typically uses “they” in such constructions.
Isaiah 53:9 tn This line reads literally, “and with the rich in his death.” בְּמֹתָיו (b^emotayv) combines a preposition, a plural form of the noun מוֹת (mot), and a third masculine singular suffix. The plural of the noun is problematic and the יו may be the result of virtual dittography. The form should probably be emended to בָּמָתוֹ (bamato, singular noun). The relationship between this line and the preceding one is uncertain. The parallelism appears to be synonymous (note “his grave” and “in his death”), but “criminals” and “the rich” hardly make a compatible pair in this context, for they would not be buried in the same kind of tomb. Some emend עָשִׁיר (ʿashir, “rich”) to עָשֵׂי רָע (ʿase raʿ, “doers of evil”) but the absence of the ayin (ע) is not readily explained in this graphic environment. Others suggest an emendation to שְׂעִירִים (s^eʿirim, “he-goats, demons”), but the meaning in this case is not entirely transparent and the proposal assumes that the form suffered from both transposition and the inexplicable loss of a final mem. Still others relate עָשִׁיר (ʿashir) to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “mob.” See HALOT 896 s.v. עָשִׁיר. Perhaps the parallelism is antithetical, rather than synonymous. In this case, the point is made that the servant’s burial in a rich man’s tomb, in contrast to a criminal’s burial, was appropriate, for he had done nothing wrong.
Isaiah 53:9 tn If the second line is antithetical, then עַל (ʿal) is probably causal here, explaining why the servant was buried in a rich man’s tomb, rather than that of criminal. If the first two lines are synonymous, then עַל is probably concessive: “even though….”
Isaiah 53:10 tn The meaning of this line is uncertain. It reads literally, “if you/she makes, a reparation offering, his life.” The verb תָּשִׂים (tasim) could be second masculine singular, in which case it would have to be addressed to the servant or to God. However, the servant is only addressed once in this servant song (see 52:14a), and God either speaks or is spoken about in this servant song; he is never addressed. Furthermore, the idea of God himself making a reparation offering is odd. If the verb is taken as third feminine singular, then the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) at the end of the line is the likely subject. In this case one can take the suffixed form of the noun as equivalent to a pronoun and translate, “if he [literally, “his life”] makes a reparation offering.” sn What constitutes the servant’s reparation offering? Some might think his suffering, but the preceding context views this as past, while the verb here is imperfect in form. The offering appears to be something the servant does after his suffering has been completed. Perhaps the background of the language can be found in the Levitical code, where a healed leper would offer a reparation offering as part of the ritual to achieve ceremonial cleanliness (see Lev 14). The servant was pictured earlier in the song as being severely ill. This illness (a metaphor for the effects of the people’s sin) separated him from God. However, here we discover the separation is not final; once reparation is made, so to speak, he will again experience the Lord’s favor.
Isaiah 53:10 sn The idiomatic and stereotypical language emphasizes the servant’s restoration to divine favor. Having numerous descendants and living a long life are standard signs of divine blessing. See Job 42:13-16.
Isaiah 53:11 tn Heb “he will be satisfied by his knowledge,” i.e., “when he knows.” The preposition is understood as temporal and the suffix as a subjective genitive. Some take בְּדַעְתּוֹ (b^edaʿto, “by his knowledge”) with what follows and translate “by knowledge of him,” understanding the preposition as instrumental and the suffix as objective.
Isaiah 53:11 sn The song ends as it began (cf. 52:13-15), with the Lord announcing the servant’s vindication and exaltation.
Isaiah 53:11 tn Heb “he will acquit, a righteous one, my servant, many.” צַדִּיק (tsaddiq) may refer to the servant, but more likely it is dittographic (note the preceding verb יַצְדִּיק, yatsdiq). The precise meaning of the verb (the Hiphil of צָדַק, tsadaq) is debated. Elsewhere the Hiphil is used at least six times in the sense of “make righteous” in a legal sense, i.e., “pronounce innocent, acquit” (see Exod 23:7; Deut 25:1; 1 Kgs 8:32 = 2 Chr 6:23; Prov 17:15; Isa 5:23). It can also mean “render justice” (as a royal function, see 2 Sam 15:4; Ps 82:3), “concede” (Job 27:5), “vindicate” (Isa 50:8), and “lead to righteousness” (by teaching and example, Dan 12:3). The preceding context and the next line suggest a legal sense here. Because of his willingness to carry the people’s sins, the servant is able to “acquit” them. sn Some (e.g., H. M. Orlinsky, “The So-called ‘Suffering Servant’ in Isaiah 53, 22, ” VTSup 14 [1967]: 3-133) object to this legal interpretation of the language, arguing that it would be unjust for the righteous to suffer for the wicked and for the wicked to be declared innocent. However, such a surprising development is consistent with the ironic nature of this song. It does seem unfair for the innocent to die for the guilty. But what is God to do when all have sinned and wandered off like stray sheep (cf. v. 6)? Covenant law demands punishment, but punishment in this case would mean annihilation of what God has created. God’s justice, as demanded by the law, must be satisfied. To satisfy his justice, he does something seemingly unjust. He punishes his sinless servant, the only one who has not strayed off! In the progress of biblical revelation, we discover that the sinless servant is really God in the flesh, who offers himself because he is committed to the world he has created. If his justice can only be satisfied if he himself endures the punishment, then so be it. What appears to be an act of injustice is really love satisfying the demands of justice!
Isaiah 53:11 tn The circumstantial clause (note the vav [ו] + object + subject + verb pattern) is understood as causal here. The prefixed verb form is either a preterite or an imperfect used in a customary manner.
Isaiah 53:12 tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (ʿatsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:23). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53, 12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).
Isaiah 53:12 sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.
Isaiah 53:12 tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”
Isaiah 53:12 tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (pagaʿ) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.

Psalm 22

Psalm 22^[a]

For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”;^[b] a psalm of David.

22 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?^[c]
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.^[d]
²My God, I cry out during the day,
but you do not answer,
and during the night my prayers do not let up.^[e]
³You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel.^[f]
⁴In you our ancestors^[g] trusted;
they trusted in you^[h] and you rescued them.
⁵To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed.^[i]
⁶But I^[j] am a worm,^[k] not a man;^[l]
people insult me and despise me.^[m]
⁷All who see me taunt^[n] me;
they mock me^[o] and shake their heads.^[p]
⁸They say,^[q]
“Commit yourself^[r] to the Lord!
Let the Lord^[s] rescue him!
Let the Lord^[t] deliver him, for he delights in him.”^[u]
⁹Yes, you are the one who brought me out^[v] from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
¹⁰I have been dependent on you since birth;^[w]
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God.^[x]
¹¹Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me.^[y]
¹²Many bulls^[z] surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan^[aa] hem me in.
¹³They^[ab] open their mouths to devour me^[ac]
like a roaring lion that rips its prey.^[ad]
¹⁴My strength drains away like water;^[ae]
all my bones are dislocated.
My heart^[af] is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
¹⁵The roof of my mouth^[ag] is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums.^[ah]
You^[ai] set me in the dust of death.^[aj]
¹⁶Yes,^[ak] wild dogs surround me—
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet.^[al]
¹⁷I can count^[am] all my bones;
my enemies^[an] are gloating over me in triumph.^[ao]
¹⁸They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;
they are rolling dice^[ap] for my garments.
¹⁹But you, O Lord, do not remain far away.
You are my source of strength.^[aq] Hurry and help me!^[ar]
²⁰Deliver me^[as] from the sword.
Save^[at] my life^[au] from the claws^[av] of the wild dogs.
²¹Rescue me from the mouth of the lion,^[aw]
and from the horns of the wild oxen.^[ax]
You have answered me.^[ay]
²²I will declare your name to my countrymen.^[az]
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you.
²³You loyal followers of the Lord,^[ba] praise him.
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him.
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him.^[bb]
²⁴For he did not despise or detest the suffering^[bc] of the oppressed.^[bd]
He did not ignore him;^[be]
when he cried out to him, he responded.^[bf]
²⁵You are the reason I offer praise^[bg] in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers.^[bh]
²⁶Let the oppressed eat and be filled.^[bi]
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord.
May you^[bj] live forever!
²⁷Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him.^[bk]
Let all the nations^[bl] worship you.^[bm]
²⁸For the Lord is king^[bn]
and rules over the nations.
²⁹All the thriving people^[bo] of the earth will join the celebration and worship;^[bp]
all those who are descending into the grave^[bq] will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives.^[br]
³⁰A whole generation^[bs] will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the Lord.^[bt]
³¹They will come and tell about his saving deeds;^[bu]
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.^[bv]

Footnotes

Psalm 22:1 sn Psalm 22. The psalmist cries out to the Lord for deliverance from his dangerous enemies, who have surrounded him and threaten his life. Confident that the Lord will intervene, he then vows to thank the Lord publicly for his help and anticipates a time when all people will recognize the Lord’s greatness and worship him.
Psalm 22:1 tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.
Psalm 22:1 sn From the psalmist’s perspective it seems that God has abandoned him, for he fails to answer his cry for help (vv. 1b-2).
Psalm 22:1 tn Heb “far from my deliverance [are] the words of my groaning.” The Hebrew noun שְׁאָגָה (sh^eʾagah) and its related verb שָׁאַג (shaʾag) are sometimes used of a lion’s roar, but they can also describe human groaning (see Job 3:24 and Pss 32:3 and 38:8.
Psalm 22:2 tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”
Psalm 22:3 tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned as king in his temple, receiving the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.
Psalm 22:4 tn Heb “fathers.”
Psalm 22:4 tn The words “in you” are supplied in the translation. They are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
Psalm 22:5 tn Or “were not ashamed.”
Psalm 22:6 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.
Psalm 22:6 tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).
Psalm 22:6 tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.
Psalm 22:6 tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”
Psalm 22:7 tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”
Psalm 22:7 tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.
Psalm 22:7 sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.
Psalm 22:8 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.
Psalm 22:8 tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גָּלַל (galal) here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the Lord.”
Psalm 22:8 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 22:8 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 22:8 tn That is, “for he [the Lord] delights in him [the psalmist].” For other cases where the expression “delight in” refers to God’s delight in a person, see Num 14:8; 1 Kgs 10:9; Pss 18:19; 40:8.sn This statement does not necessarily reflect the enemies’ actual belief, but it does reflect the psalmist’s confession. The psalmist’s enemies sarcastically appeal to God to help him, because he claims to be an object of divine favor. However, they probably doubted the reality of his claim.
Psalm 22:9 tn Or “the one who pulled me.” The verb is derived from either גָּחָה (gakhah; see HALOT 187 s.v. גחה) or גִּיחַ (giakh; see BDB 161 s.v. גִּיחַ) and seems to carry the nuance “burst forth” or “pull out.”
Psalm 22:10 tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”
Psalm 22:10 tn Heb “from the womb of my mother you [have been] my God.”sn Despite the enemies’ taunts, the psalmist is certain of his relationship with God, which began from the time of his birth (from the time I came out of my mother’s womb).
Psalm 22:11 tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
Psalm 22:12 sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
Psalm 22:12 sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
Psalm 22:13 tn “They” refers to the psalmist’s enemies, who in the previous verse are described as “powerful bulls.”
Psalm 22:13 tn Heb “they open against me their mouth[s].” To “open the mouth against” is a Hebrew idiom associated with eating and swallowing (see Ezek 2:8; Lam 2:16).
Psalm 22:13 tn Heb “a lion ripping and roaring.”
Psalm 22:14 tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
Psalm 22:14 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.
Psalm 22:15 tc Heb “my strength” (כֹּחִי, kokhi), but many prefer to emend the text to חִכִּי (khiki, “my palate”; cf. NEB, NRSV “my mouth”) assuming that an error of transposition has occurred in the traditional Hebrew text.
Psalm 22:15 tn Cf. NEB “my jaw”; NASB, NRSV “my jaws”; NIV “the roof of my mouth.”
Psalm 22:15 sn Here the psalmist addresses God and suggests that God is ultimately responsible for what is happening because of his failure to intervene (see vv. 1-2, 11).
Psalm 22:15 sn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.
Psalm 22:16 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 22:16 tc The Masoretic text reads “like a lion, my hands and my feet.” The reading is difficult and the ancient versions vary, so the textual difficulty is probably very early. Without a verb, the syntax appears broken and the role of “hands and feet” unclear. One option is to understand the verb of the previous line to apply again, a poetic technique called ellipsis and double duty. But “my hands and feet” would be an odd object for a verb meaning “they encircled.” Otherwise, the broken syntax may represent the emotional outcry of the Psalmist, first mentioning the lion as part of the third person description, but suddenly shifting to the first person perspective and crying out as the lion attacks, pinning down his hands and feet (a scene depicted in ancient Near Eastern art). But this development seems late textually. All the other witnesses have a verb instead of “like a lion.” The LXX says “they dug my hands and feet; the verb ὀρύσσω (orussō) means “to burrow in the ground, to dig.” A Qumran witness seems to read similarly, “they dug.” Instead of the MT’s כארי (kᵉʾariy; like a lion”), the scroll from Nahal Hever has a verb form כארו (kaʾaru) ending with vav instead of yod. Supposing that the א (ʾaleph) is a superfluous spelling variant, the form would be understood as כרו (karu) from the root כרה (karah), meaning “they dug.” In that case, the Qumran scroll and the LXX agree because כרה is one of the two verbs translated in the LXX by ὀρύσσω. But as both these verbs mean “to dig [in the dirt]” this has not helped us understand the context. Assuming that the enemies are still the subject, we might expect “they dug a pit for my hands and feet.” In fact the Hebrew words behind “they dug a pit” look similar (כרו בור) so it is not hard to imagine that one of these two would be overlooked by a scribed and dropped from the text. Some suppose that “to dig [in the ground]” means “to pierce” in reference to hands and feet (possibly from the root כור). Other variants and suggestions include “they bound,” or “they picked clean” (from אָרָה, ʾarah, “to pluck”) my hands and feet. Or “my hands and feet are consumed,” or “worn out.” The latter two assume a copying error of resh for lamed, making the verb come from כלה. P. Craigie (Psalms [WBC], 1:196) opts for this last but also cites Syriac and Akkadian for additional root K-R-H meaning “to be shrunken, shriveled.” The Akkadian verb (karu) is said of body parts and can refer to paralysis, which is the kind of metaphor which occurs in battle contexts elsewhere (e.g. Ps 76:5). It would be very natural to read “my hands and my feet” as the subject of the verb because verb-subject is typical word order. There is no decisive answer to the problem and the NET translation includes the lion imagery (cf. v. 13) and supposes a verb that conveys an attack.
Psalm 22:17 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 17-18 draw attention to the progressive nature of the action.
Psalm 22:17 tn Heb “they.” The masculine form indicates the enemies are in view. The referent (the psalmist’s enemies) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 22:17 tn Heb “they gaze, they look upon me.”
Psalm 22:18 tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.
Psalm 22:19 tn Heb “O my strength.”
Psalm 22:19 tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
Psalm 22:20 tn Or “my life.”
Psalm 22:20 tn The verb “save” is supplied in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).
Psalm 22:20 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.
Psalm 22:20 tn Heb “from the hand.” Here “hand” is understood by metonymy as a reference to the “paw” and thus the “claws” of the wild dogs.
Psalm 22:21 sn The psalmist again compares his enemies to vicious dogs and ferocious lions (see vv. 13, 16).
Psalm 22:21 tn The Hebrew term רֵמִים (remim) appears to be an alternate spelling of רְאֵמִים (r^eʾemim, “wild oxen”; see BDB 910 s.v. רְאֵם).
Psalm 22:21 tn Heb “and from the horns of the wild oxen you answer me.” Most take the final verb with the preceding prepositional phrase. Some understand the verb form as a relatively rare precative perfect, expressing a wish or request (see IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew. (See the discussion at Ps 3:7.) Others prefer to take the perfect in its usual indicative sense. The psalmist, perhaps in response to an oracle of salvation, affirms confidently that God has answered him, assuring him that deliverance is on the way. The present translation takes the prepositional phrase as parallel to the preceding “from the mouth of the lion” and as collocated with the verb “rescue” at the beginning of the verse. “You have answered me” is understood as a triumphant shout which marks a sudden shift in tone and introduces the next major section of the psalm. By isolating the statement syntactically, the psalmist highlights the declaration.
Psalm 22:22 tn Or “brothers,” but here the term does not carry a literal familial sense. It refers to the psalmist’s fellow members of the Israelite covenant community (see v. 23).
Psalm 22:23 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.
Psalm 22:23 tn Heb “fear him.”
Psalm 22:24 tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”
Psalm 22:24 sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.
Psalm 22:24 tn Heb “he did not hide his face from him.” For other uses of the idiom “hide the face” meaning “ignore,” see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9. Sometimes the idiom carries the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 27:9; 88:14).
Psalm 22:24 tn Heb “heard.”
Psalm 22:25 tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”
Psalm 22:25 tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the Lord for help, the psalmists would typically promise to praise the Lord publicly if he intervened and delivered them.
Psalm 22:26 sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.
Psalm 22:26 tn Heb “may your heart[s].”
Psalm 22:27 tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives (cf. NEB). Another option (cf. NIV, NRSV) is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn…and worship.” See vv. 29-32.
Psalm 22:27 tn Heb “families of the nations.”
Psalm 22:27 tn Heb “before you.”
Psalm 22:28 tn Heb “for to the Lord [is] dominion.”
Psalm 22:29 tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (y^eshene, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishne, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the Lord.
Psalm 22:29 tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the Lord will receive universal worship. The mood is one of wishful thinking and anticipation; this is not prophecy in the strict sense.
Psalm 22:29 tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings—the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.
Psalm 22:29 tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”
Psalm 22:30 tn Heb “offspring.”
Psalm 22:30 tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
Psalm 22:31 tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun צִדָקָה (tsidaqah) refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.
Psalm 22:31 tn Heb “to a people [to be] born that he has acted.” The words “they will tell” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

Hebrews 10:16-25

¹⁶“This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put^[a] my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,”^[b] ¹⁷then he says,^[c] “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.”^[d] ¹⁸Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith

¹⁹Therefore, brothers and sisters,^[e] since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us^[f] through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,^[g] ²¹and since we have a great priest^[h] over the house of God, ²²let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings,^[i] because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience^[j] and our bodies washed in pure water. ²³And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. ²⁴And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works,^[k] ²⁵not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day^[l] drawing near.^[m]

Footnotes

Hebrews 10:16 tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”
Hebrews 10:16 sn A quotation from Jer 31:33.
Hebrews 10:17 tn Grk “and.”
Hebrews 10:17 sn A quotation from Jer 31:34.
Hebrews 10:19 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.
Hebrews 10:20 tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19.
Hebrews 10:20 sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.
Hebrews 10:21 tn Grk “and a great priest,” continuing the construction begun in v. 19.
Hebrews 10:22 tn Grk “in assurance of faith.”
Hebrews 10:22 sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16).
Hebrews 10:24 tn Grk “let us consider one another for provoking of love and good deeds.”
Hebrews 10:25 sn The day refers to that well-known time of Christ’s coming and judgment in the future; see a similar use of “day” in 1 Cor 3:13.
Hebrews 10:25 tn This paragraph (vv. 19-25) is actually a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments for English idiom. It begins with several subordinate phrases (since we have confidence and a great priest), has three parallel exhortations as its main verbs (let us draw near, hold, and take thought), and concludes with several subordinate phrases related to the final exhortation (not abandoning but encouraging).

Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest

¹⁴Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.^[a]

Hebrews 5:7-9

⁷During his earthly life^[a] Christ^[b] offered^[c] both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his devotion. ⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.^[d] ⁹And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

John 18-19

Betrayal and Arrest

18 When he had said these things,^[a] Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley.^[b] There was an orchard^[c] there, and he and his disciples went into it. ²(Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, knew the place too, because Jesus had met there many times^[d] with his disciples.)^[e] ³So Judas obtained a squad of soldiers^[f] and some officers of the chief priests and Pharisees.^[g] They came to the orchard^[h] with lanterns^[i] and torches and weapons.

⁴Then Jesus, because he knew everything that was going to happen to him,^[j] came and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”^[k] ⁵They replied,^[l] “Jesus the Nazarene.” He told them, “I am he.” (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, was standing there with them.)^[m] ⁶So when Jesus^[n] said to them, “I am he,” they retreated^[o] and fell to the ground.^[p] ⁷Then Jesus^[q] asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸Jesus replied,^[r] “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for^[s] me, let these men^[t] go.”^[u] ⁹He said this^[v] to fulfill the word he had spoken,^[w] “I have not lost a single one of those whom you gave me.”^[x]

¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest’s slave,^[y] cutting off his right ear.^[z] (Now the slave’s name was Malchus.)^[aa] ¹¹But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”^[ab]

Jesus Before Annas

¹²Then the squad of soldiers^[ac] with their commanding officer^[ad] and the officers of the Jewish leaders^[ae] arrested^[af] Jesus and tied him up.^[ag] ¹³They^[ah] brought him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.^[ai] ¹⁴(Now it was Caiaphas who had advised^[aj] the Jewish leaders^[ak] that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.)^[al]

Peter’s First Denial

¹⁵Simon Peter and another disciple followed them as they brought Jesus to Annas.^[am] (Now the other disciple^[an] was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.)^[ao] ¹⁶But Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who watched the door,^[ap] and brought Peter inside. ¹⁷The girl^[aq] who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You’re not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?”^[ar] He replied,^[as] “I am not.” ¹⁸(Now the slaves^[at] and the guards^[au] were standing around a charcoal fire they had made, warming themselves because it was cold.^[av] Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.)^[aw]

Jesus Questioned by Annas

¹⁹While this was happening,^[ax] the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.^[ay] ²⁰Jesus replied,^[az] “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues^[ba] and in the temple courts,^[bb] where all the Jewish people^[bc] assemble together. I^[bd] have said nothing in secret. ²¹Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said.^[be] They^[bf] know what I said.” ²²When Jesus^[bg] had said this, one of the high priest’s officers who stood nearby struck him on the face and said,^[bh] “Is that the way you answer the high priest?” ²³Jesus replied,^[bi] “If I have said something wrong,^[bj] confirm^[bk] what is wrong.^[bl] But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?” ²⁴Then Annas sent him, still tied up,^[bm] to Caiaphas the high priest.^[bn]

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

²⁵Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing in the courtyard^[bo] warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”^[bp] Peter^[bq] denied it: “I am not!” ²⁶One of the high priest’s slaves,^[br] a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,^[bs] said, “Did I not see you in the orchard^[bt] with him?”^[bu] ²⁷Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.^[bv]

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

²⁸Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s residence.^[bw] (Now it was very early morning.)^[bx] They^[by] did not go into the governor’s residence^[bz] so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal. ²⁹So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation^[ca] do you bring against this man?”^[cb] ³⁰They replied,^[cc] “If this man^[cd] were not a criminal,^[ce] we would not have handed him over to you.”^[cf]

³¹Pilate told them,^[cg] “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him^[ch] according to your own law!”^[ci] The Jewish leaders^[cj] replied,^[ck] “We cannot legally put anyone to death.”^[cl] ³²(This happened^[cm] to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated^[cn] what kind of death he was going to die.^[co])

Pilate Questions Jesus

³³So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence,^[cp] summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^[cq] ³⁴Jesus replied,^[cr] “Are you saying this on your own initiative,^[cs] or have others told you about me?” ³⁵Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I?^[ct] Your own people^[cu] and your chief priests handed you over^[cv] to me. What have you done?”

³⁶Jesus replied, “My kingdom^[cw] is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being^[cx] handed over^[cy] to the Jewish authorities.^[cz] But as it is,^[da] my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷Then Pilate said,^[db] “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^[dc] my voice.” ³⁸Pilate asked,^[dd] “What is truth?”^[de]

When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders^[df] and announced,^[dg] “I find no basis for an accusation^[dh] against him. ³⁹But it is your custom that I release one prisoner^[di] for you at the Passover.^[dj] So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” ⁴⁰Then they shouted back,^[dk] “Not this man,^[dl] but Barabbas!”^[dm] (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.^[dn])^[do]

Pilate Tries to Release Jesus

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely.^[dp] ²The soldiers^[dq] braided^[dr] a crown of thorns^[ds] and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe.^[dt] ³They^[du] came up to him again and again^[dv] and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!”^[dw] And they struck him repeatedly^[dx] in the face.

⁴Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders,^[dy] “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation^[dz] against him.” ⁵So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.^[ea] Pilate^[eb] said to them, “Look, here is the man!”^[ec] ⁶When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucify^[ed] him! Crucify him!”^[ee] Pilate said,^[ef] “You take him and crucify him!^[eg] Certainly^[eh] I find no reason for an accusation^[ei] against him!” ⁷The Jewish leaders^[ej] replied,^[ek] “We have a law,^[el] and according to our law he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God!”^[em]

⁸When Pilate heard what they said,^[en] he was more afraid than ever,^[eo] ⁹and he went back into the governor’s residence^[ep] and said to Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰So Pilate said,^[eq] “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have the authority^[er] to release you, and to crucify you?”^[es] ¹¹Jesus replied, “You would have no authority^[et] over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you^[eu] is guilty of greater sin.”^[ev]

¹²From this point on, Pilate tried^[ew] to release him. But the Jewish leaders^[ex] shouted out,^[ey] “If you release this man,^[ez] you are no friend of Caesar!^[fa] Everyone who claims to be a king^[fb] opposes Caesar!” ¹³When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat^[fc] in the place called “The Stone Pavement”^[fd] (Gabbatha in^[fe] Aramaic).^[ff] ¹⁴(Now it was the day of preparation^[fg] for the Passover, about noon.^[fh])^[fi] Pilate^[fj] said to the Jewish leaders,^[fk] “Look, here is your king!”

¹⁵Then they^[fl] shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him!^[fm] Crucify^[fn] him!” Pilate asked,^[fo] “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” ¹⁶Then Pilate^[fp] handed him over^[fq] to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, ¹⁷and carrying his own cross^[fr] he went out to the place called “The Place of the Skull”^[fs] (called in Aramaic^[ft] Golgotha).^[fu] ¹⁸There they^[fv] crucified^[fw] him along with two others,^[fx] one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹Pilate also had a notice^[fy] written and fastened to the cross,^[fz] which read:^[ga] “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” ²⁰Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem^[gb] read this notice,^[gc] because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic,^[gd] Latin, and Greek. ²¹Then the chief priests of the Jews^[ge] said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The king of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am king of the Jews.’” ²²Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³Now when the soldiers crucified^[gf] Jesus, they took his clothes and made four shares, one for each soldier,^[gg] and the tunic^[gh] remained. (Now the tunic^[gi] was seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.)^[gj] ²⁴So the soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but throw dice^[gk] to see who will get it.”^[gl] This took place^[gm] to fulfill the scripture that says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they threw dice.”^[gn] So the soldiers did these things.

²⁵Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.^[go] ²⁶So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman,^[gp] look, here is your son!” ²⁷He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very time^[gq] the disciple took her into his own home.

Jesus’ Death

²⁸After this Jesus, realizing that by this time^[gr] everything was completed,^[gs] said (in order to fulfill the scripture),^[gt] “I am thirsty!”^[gu] ²⁹A jar full of sour wine^[gv] was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop^[gw] and lifted it^[gx] to his mouth. ³⁰When^[gy] he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!”^[gz] Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.^[ha]

³¹Then, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not stay on the crosses on the Sabbath^[hb] (for that Sabbath was an especially important one),^[hc] the Jewish leaders^[hd] asked Pilate to have the victims’ legs^[he] broken^[hf] and the bodies taken down.^[hg] ³²So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucified^[hh] with Jesus,^[hi] first the one and then the other.^[hj] ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced^[hk] his side with a spear, and blood and water^[hl] flowed out immediately. ³⁵And the person who saw it^[hm] has testified (and his testimony is true, and he^[hn] knows that he is telling the truth),^[ho] so that you also may believe. ³⁶For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will be broken.”^[hp] ³⁷And again another scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”^[hq]

Jesus’ Burial

³⁸After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders^[hr]),^[hs] asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate^[ht] gave him permission, so he went and took the body away.^[hu] ³⁹Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus^[hv] at night,^[hw] accompanied Joseph,^[hx] carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes^[hy] weighing about seventy-five pounds.^[hz] ⁴⁰Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices,^[ia] in strips of linen cloth^[ib] according to Jewish burial customs.^[ic] ⁴¹Now at the place where Jesus^[id] was crucified^[ie] there was a garden,^[if] and in the garden^[ig] was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried.^[ih] ⁴²And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation^[ii] and the tomb was nearby,^[ij] they placed Jesus’ body there.

Footnotes

John 18:1 sn When he had said these things appears to be a natural transition at the end of the Farewell Discourse (the farewell speech of Jesus to his disciples in John 13:31-17:26, including the final prayer in 17:1-26). The author states that Jesus went out with his disciples, a probable reference to their leaving the upper room where the meal and discourse described in chaps. 13-17 took place (although some have seen this only as a reference to their leaving the city, with the understanding that some of the Farewell Discourse, including the concluding prayer, was given en route, cf. 14:31). They crossed the Kidron Valley and came to a garden, or olive orchard, identified in Matt 26:36 and Mark 14:32 as Gethsemane. The name is not given in Luke’s or John’s Gospel, but the garden must have been located somewhere on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives.
John 18:1 tn Grk “the wadi of the Kidron,” or “the ravine of the Kidron” (a wadi is a stream that flows only during the rainy season and is dry during the dry season).
John 18:1 tn Or “a garden.”
John 18:2 tn Or “often.”
John 18:2 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 18:3 tn Grk “a cohort.” The word σπεῖραν (speiran) is a technical term for a Roman cohort, normally a force of 600 men (one-tenth of a legion). It was under the command of a χιλίαρχος (chiliarchos, v. 12). Because of the improbability of an entire cohort being sent to arrest a single man, some have suggested that σπεῖραν here refers only to a maniple, a force of 200. But the use of the word here does not necessarily mean the entire cohort was present on this mission, but only that it was the cohort which performed the task (for example, saying the fire department put out the fire does not mean that every fireman belonging to the department was on the scene at the time). These Roman soldiers must have been ordered to accompany the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees by Pilate, since they would have been under the direct command of the Roman prefect or procurator. It is not difficult to understand why Pilate would have been willing to assist the Jewish authorities in such a way. With a huge crowd of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover, the Romans would have been especially nervous about an uprising of some sort. No doubt the chief priests and Pharisees had informed Pilate that this man Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, or in the terms Pilate would understand, king of Israel.
John 18:3 tn The phrase “officers of the chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:32, 45; 18:3, 12, 18, 22; 19:6. They are different from the Levites who served as “temple police” according to K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 8:540). In John 7:32ff. these officers had made an unsuccessful attempt to arrest Jesus, and perhaps this is part of the reason why their leaders had made sure they were accompanied by Roman soldiers this time. No more mistakes were to be tolerated.sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
John 18:3 tn The words “to the orchard” are not in the Greek text but are repeated from v. 1 for clarity.
John 18:3 tn These were lamps that had some sort of covering to protect them from wind and rain. In earlier usage the word meant “torch” but by NT times it apparently meant a lamp designed to be used outdoors, so “lantern” is a good contemporary English equivalent.sn Mention of the lanterns and torches suggests a detail remembered by one who was an eyewitness, but in connection with the light/darkness motif of John’s Gospel, it is a vivid reminder that it is night; the darkness has come at last (cf. 13:30).
John 18:4 tn Grk “knowing all things that were coming upon him.”
John 18:4 tn Grk “Whom do you seek?”
John 18:5 tn Grk “They answered.”sn The author does not state precisely who from the group of soldiers and temple police replied to Jesus at this point. It may have been the commander of the Roman soldiers, although his presence is not explicitly mentioned until 18:12. It may also have been one of the officers of the chief priests. To the answer given, “Jesus the Nazarene,” Jesus replies “I am [he].”
John 18:5 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Before he states the response to Jesus’ identification of himself, the author inserts a parenthetical note that Judas, again identified as the one who betrayed him (cf. 18:2), was standing with the group of soldiers and officers of the chief priests. Many commentators have considered this to be an awkward insertion, but in fact it heightens considerably the dramatic effect of the response to Jesus’ self-identification in the following verse, and has the added effect of informing the reader that along with the others the betrayer himself ironically falls down at Jesus’ feet (18:6).
John 18:6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 18:6 tn Grk “moved back” (but here a fairly rapid movement is implied).
John 18:6 sn When Jesus said to those who came to arrest him “I am,” they retreated and fell to the ground. L. Morris says that “it is possible that those in front recoiled from Jesus’ unexpected advance, so that they bumped those behind them, causing them to stumble and fall” (John [NICNT], 743-44). Perhaps this is what in fact happened on the scene, but the theological significance given to this event by the author implies that more is involved. The reaction on the part of those who came to arrest Jesus comes in response to his affirmation that he is indeed the one they are seeking, Jesus the Nazarene. But Jesus makes this affirmation of his identity using a formula which the reader has encountered before in the Fourth Gospel, e.g., 8:24, 28, 58. Jesus has applied to himself the divine Name of Exod 3:14, “I AM.” Therefore this amounts to something of a theophany which causes even his enemies to recoil and prostrate themselves, so that Jesus has to ask a second time, “Who are you looking for?” This is a vivid reminder to the reader of the Gospel that even in this dark hour, Jesus holds ultimate power over his enemies and the powers of darkness, because he is the one who bears the divine Name.
John 18:7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 18:8 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
John 18:8 tn Grk “if you are seeking.”
John 18:8 tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more generic word like “people” because in context Jesus referred only to the eleven remaining disciples who were loyal to him and were present at his arrest.
John 18:8 sn A second time Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he,” identifying himself as the one they are seeking. Jesus also added, “If you are looking for me, let these men go.” Jesus successfully diverted attention from his disciples by getting the soldiers and officers of the chief priests to admit (twice) that it is only him they were after. Even in this hour Jesus still protected and cared for his own, giving himself up on their behalf. By handing himself over to his enemies, Jesus ensured that his disciples went free. From the perspective of the author, this is acting out beforehand what Jesus will actually do for his followers when he goes to the cross.
John 18:9 tn The words “He said this” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. There is an ellipsis in the Greek text that must be supplied for the modern English reader at this point.
John 18:9 sn This expression is similar to John 6:39 and John 17:12.
John 18:9 tn Grk “Of the ones whom you gave me, I did not lose one of them.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.sn This action of Jesus on behalf of his disciples is interpreted by the author as a fulfillment of Jesus’ own words: “I have not lost a single one of those whom you gave me.” Here it is Jesus’ own words, rather than the OT scriptures, which are quoted. This same formula will be used by the author again of Jesus’ words in 18:32, but the verb is used elsewhere in the Fourth Gospel to describe the NT fulfillment of OT passages (12:38; 13:18; 15:25; 17:12; 19:24, and 19:36). It is a bit difficult to determine the exact referent, since the words of Jesus quoted in this verse are not an exact reproduction of a saying of Jesus elsewhere in John’s Gospel. Although some have identified the saying with John 6:39, the closest parallel is in 17:12, where the betrayer, Judas, is specifically excluded. The words quoted here in 18:9 appear to be a free rendition of 17:12.
John 18:10 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
John 18:10 sn The account of the attack on the high priest’s slave contains details which suggest eyewitness testimony. It is also mentioned in all three synoptic gospels, but only John records that the disciple involved was Peter, whose impulsive behavior has already been alluded to (John 13:37). Likewise only John gives the name of the victim, Malchus, who is described as the high priest’s slave. John and Mark (14:47) both use the word ὠτάριον (ōtarion, a double diminutive) to describe what was cut off, and this may indicate only part of the right ear (for example, the earlobe).
John 18:10 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 18:11 tn Grk “The cup that the Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.sn Jesus continues with what most would take to be a rhetorical question expecting a positive reply: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” The cup is also mentioned in Gethsemane in the synoptics (Matt 26:39, Mark 14:36, and Luke 22:42). In connection with the synoptic accounts it is mentioned in Jesus’ prayer; this occurrence certainly complements the synoptic accounts if Jesus had only shortly before finished praying about this. Only here in the Fourth Gospel is it specifically said that the cup is given to Jesus to drink by the Father, but again this is consistent with the synoptic mention of the cup in Jesus’ prayer: It is the cup of suffering which Jesus is about to undergo.
John 18:12 tn Grk “a cohort” (but since this was a unit of 600 soldiers, a smaller detachment is almost certainly intended).
John 18:12 tn Grk “their chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (chiliarchos) literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militaris, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
John 18:12 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, who were named as “chief priests and Pharisees” in John 18:3.
John 18:12 tn Or “seized.”
John 18:12 tn Or “bound him.”
John 18:13 tn Grk “up, and brought.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
John 18:13 sn Jesus was taken first to Annas. Only the Gospel of John mentions this pretrial hearing before Annas, and that Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who is said to be high priest in that year. Caiaphas is also mentioned as being high priest in John 11:49. But in 18:15, 16, 19, and 22 Annas is called high priest. Annas is also referred to as high priest by Luke in Acts 4:6. Many scholars have dismissed these references as mistakes on the part of both Luke and John, but as mentioned above, John 11:49 and 18:13 indicate that John knew that Caiaphas was high priest in the year that Jesus was crucified. This has led others to suggest that Annas and Caiaphas shared the high priesthood, but there is no historical evidence to support this view. Annas had been high priest from a.d. 6 to a.d. 15 when he was deposed by the Roman prefect Valerius Gratus (according to Josephus, Ant. 18.2.2 [18.34]). His five sons all eventually became high priests. The family was noted for its greed, wealth, and power. There are a number of ways the references in both Luke and John to Annas being high priest may be explained. Some Jews may have refused to recognize the changes in high priests effected by the Roman authorities, since according to the Torah the high priesthood was a lifetime office (Num 25:13). Another possibility is that it was simply customary to retain the title after a person had left the office as a courtesy, much as retired ambassadors are referred to as “Mr. Ambassador” or ex-presidents as “Mr. President.” Finally, the use of the title by Luke and John may simply be a reflection of the real power behind the high priesthood of the time: Although Annas no longer technically held the office, he may well have managed to control those relatives of his who did hold it from behind the scenes. In fact this seems most probable and would also explain why Jesus was brought to him immediately after his arrest for a sort of “pretrial hearing” before being sent on to the entire Sanhedrin.
John 18:14 tn Or “counseled.”
John 18:14 tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, specifically members of the Sanhedrin (see John 11:49-50). See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12.
John 18:14 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 18:15 tn The words “them as they brought Jesus to Annas” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify who Peter and the other disciple were following. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
John 18:15 tn Grk “that disciple.”sn Many have associated this unnamed other disciple with the beloved disciple, that is, John son of Zebedee, mainly because the phrase the other disciple which occurs here is also used to describe the beloved disciple in John 20:2, 3, 4, and 8. Peter is also closely associated with the beloved disciple in 13:23-26; 20:2-10; 21:7, and 21:20-23. But other identifications have also been proposed, chiefly because v. 16 states that this disciple who was accompanied by Peter was known to the high priest. As C. K. Barrett (St. John, 525) points out, the term γνωστός (gnōstos) is used in the LXX to refer to a close friend (Ps 54:14 LXX [55:14 ET]). This raises what for some is an insurmountable difficulty in identifying the “other disciple” as John son of Zebedee, since how could the uneducated son of an obscure Galilean fisherman be known to such a powerful and influential family in Jerusalem? E. A. Abbott (as quoted in “Notes of Recent Exposition,” ExpTim 25 [1913/14]: 149-50) proposed that the “other disciple” who accompanied Peter was Judas, since he was the one disciple of whom it is said explicitly (in the synoptic accounts) that he had dealings with the high priest. E. A. Tindall (“Contributions and Comments: John xviii.15, ” ExpTim 28 [1916/17]: 283-84) suggested the disciple was Nicodemus, who as a member of the Sanhedrin, would have had access to the high priest’s palace. Both of these suggestions, while ingenious, nevertheless lack support from the text of the Fourth Gospel itself or the synoptic accounts. W. Wuellner (The Meaning of “Fishers of Men” [NTL]) argues that the common attitude concerning the low social status and ignorance of the disciples from Galilee may in fact be a misconception. Zebedee is presented in Mark 1:20 as a man wealthy enough to have hired servants, and Mark 10:35-45 presents both of the sons of Zebedee as concerned about status and prestige. John’s mother appears in the same light in Matt 20:20-28. Contact with the high priestly family in Jerusalem might not be so unlikely in such circumstances. Others have noted the possibility that John came from a priestly family, some of which is based upon a statement in Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History 3.31.3) quoting Polycrates that John son of Zebedee was a priest. For further information on possible priestly connections among members of John’s family see L. Morris (John [NICNT], 752, n. 32). None of this is certain, but on the whole it seems most probable that the disciple who accompanied Peter and gained entry into the courtyard for him was John son of Zebedee.
John 18:15 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 18:16 tn Grk “spoke to the doorkeeper”; her description as a slave girl is taken from the following verse. The noun θυρωρός (thurōros) may be either masculine or feminine, but the article here indicates that it is feminine.
John 18:17 tn Grk “slave girl.” Since the descriptive term “slave girl” was introduced in the translation in the previous verse, it would be redundant to repeat the full expression here.
John 18:17 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
John 18:17 tn Grk “He said.”
John 18:18 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
John 18:18 tn That is, the “guards of the chief priests” as distinguished from the household slaves of Annas.
John 18:18 tn Grk “because it was cold, and they were warming themselves.”
John 18:18 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 18:19 tn The introductory phrase “While this was happening” is not in the Greek text. It has been supplied in the translation to clarify the alternation of scenes in the narrative for the modern reader.
John 18:19 sn The nature of this hearing seems to be more that of a preliminary investigation; certainly normal legal procedure was not followed, for no indication is given that any witnesses were brought forth at this point to testify against Jesus. True to what is known of Annas’ character, he was more interested in Jesus’ disciples than in the precise nature of Jesus’ teaching, since he inquired about the followers first. He really wanted to know just how influential Jesus had become and how large a following he had gathered. This was of more concern to Annas that the truth or falsity of Jesus’ teaching.
John 18:20 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
John 18:20 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.
John 18:20 tn Grk “in the temple.”
John 18:20 tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people generally, for whom the synagogues and the temple courts in Jerusalem were important public gathering places. See also the note on the phrase “Jewish religious leaders” in v. 12.
John 18:20 tn Grk “And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
John 18:21 tn Grk “Ask those who heard what I said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated since they are redundant in English.
John 18:21 tn Grk “Look, these know what I said.”
John 18:22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 18:22 tn Grk “one of the high priest’s servants standing by gave Jesus a strike, saying.” For the translation of ῥάπισμα (rhapisma), see L&N 19.4.
John 18:23 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
John 18:23 tn Or “something incorrect.”
John 18:23 tn Grk “testify.”
John 18:23 tn Or “incorrect.”
John 18:24 tn Or “still bound.”
John 18:24 sn Where was Caiaphas the high priest located? Did he have a separate palace, or was he somewhere else with the Sanhedrin? Since Augustine (4th century) a number of scholars have proposed that Annas and Caiaphas resided in different wings of the same palace, which were bound together by a common courtyard through which Jesus would have been led as he was taken from Annas to Caiaphas. This seems a reasonable explanation, although there is no conclusive evidence.
John 18:25 tn The words “in the courtyard” are not in the Greek text. They are supplied for the benefit of the modern reader, to link this scene to the preceding one in John 18:15-18.
John 18:25 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
John 18:25 tn Grk “That one denied it and said”; the referent of the pronoun (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 18:26 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
John 18:26 sn This incident is recounted in v. 10.
John 18:26 tn Or “garden.”
John 18:26 tn This question, prefaced with οὐκ (ouk) in Greek, anticipates a positive answer.
John 18:27 tn It seems most likely that this refers to a real rooster crowing, although a number of scholars have suggested that “cockcrow” is a technical term referring to the trumpet call which ended the third watch of the night (from midnight to 3 a.m.). This would then be a reference to the Roman gallicinium (ἀλεκτοροφωνία, alektorophōnia; the term is used in Mark 13:35 and is found in some mss [P^37vid,45 ƒ¹] in Matt 26:34) which would have been sounded at 3 a.m.; in this case Jesus would have prophesied a precise time by which the denials would have taken place. For more details see J. H. Bernard, St. John (ICC), 2:604. However, in light of the fact that Mark mentions the rooster crowing twice (Mark 14:72) and in Luke 22:60 the words are reversed (ἐφώνησεν ἀλέκτωρ, ephōnēsen alektōr), it is more probable that a real rooster is in view. In any event natural cockcrow would have occurred at approximately 3 a.m. in Palestine at this time of year (March-April) anyway.sn No indication is given of Peter’s emotional state at this third denial (as in Matt 26:74 and Mark 14:71) or that he remembered that Jesus had foretold the denials (Matt 26:75, Mark 14:72 and Luke 22:61), or the bitter remorse Peter felt afterward (Matt 26:75, Mark 14:72, and Luke 22:62).
John 18:28 tn Grk “to the praetorium.”sn The permanent residence of the Roman governor of Palestine was in Caesarea (Acts 23:35). The governor had a residence in Jerusalem which he normally occupied only during principal feasts or in times of political unrest. The location of this building in Jerusalem is uncertain, but is probably one of two locations: either (1) the fortress or tower of Antonia, on the east hill north of the temple area, which is the traditional location of the Roman praetorium since the 12th century, or (2) the palace of Herod on the west hill near the present Jaffa Gate. According to Philo (Embassy 38 [299]) Pilate had some golden shields hung there, and according to Josephus (J. W. 2.14.8 [2.301], 2.15.5 [2.328]) the later Roman governor Florus stayed there.
John 18:28 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 18:28 tn Grk “And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
John 18:28 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
John 18:29 tn Or “charge.”
John 18:29 sn In light of the fact that Pilate had cooperated with them in Jesus’ arrest by providing Roman soldiers, the Jewish authorities were probably expecting Pilate to grant them permission to carry out their sentence on Jesus without resistance (the Jews were not permitted to exercise capital punishment under the Roman occupation without official Roman permission, cf. v. 31). They must have been taken somewhat by surprise by Pilate’s question “What accusation do you bring against this man,” because it indicated that he was going to try the prisoner himself. Thus Pilate was regarding the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin as only an inquiry and their decision as merely an accusation.
John 18:30 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
John 18:30 tn Grk “this one.”
John 18:30 tn Or “an evildoer”; Grk “one doing evil.”
John 18:30 tn Or “would not have delivered him over.”
John 18:31 tn Grk “Then Pilate said to them.”
John 18:31 tn Or “judge him.” For the translation “pass judgment on him” see R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:848).
John 18:31 sn Pilate, as the sole representative of Rome in a troubled area, was probably in Jerusalem for the Passover because of the danger of an uprising (the normal residence for the Roman governor was in Caesarea as mentioned in Acts 23:35). At this time on the eve of the feast he would have been a busy and perhaps even a worried man. It is not surprising that he offered to hand Jesus back over to the Jewish authorities to pass judgment on him. It may well be that Pilate realized when no specific charge was mentioned that he was dealing with an internal dispute over some religious matter. Pilate wanted nothing to do with such matters, as the statement “Pass judgment on him according to your own law!” indicates. As far as the author is concerned, this points out who was really responsible for Jesus’ death: The Roman governor Pilate would have had nothing to do with it if he had not been pressured by the Jewish religious authorities, upon whom the real responsibility rested.
John 18:31 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; 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.
John 18:31 tn Grk “said to him.”
John 18:31 tn Grk “It is not permitted to us to kill anyone.”sn The historical background behind the statement We cannot legally put anyone to death is difficult to reconstruct. Scholars are divided over whether this statement in the Fourth Gospel accurately reflects the judicial situation between the Jewish authorities and the Romans in 1st century Palestine. It appears that the Roman governor may have given the Jews the power of capital punishment for specific offenses, some of them religious (the death penalty for Gentiles caught trespassing in the inner courts of the temple, for example). It is also pointed out that the Jewish authorities did carry out a number of executions, some of them specifically pertaining to Christians (Stephen, according to Acts 7:58-60; and James the Just, who was stoned in the 60s according to Josephus, Ant. 20.9.1 [20.200]). But Stephen’s death may be explained as a result of “mob violence” rather than a formal execution, and as Josephus in the above account goes on to point out, James was executed in the period between two Roman governors, and the high priest at the time was subsequently punished for the action. Two studies by A. N. Sherwin-White (Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, 1-47; and “The Trial of Christ,” Historicity and Chronology in the New Testament [SPCKTC], 97-116) have tended to support the accuracy of John’s account. He concluded that the Romans kept very close control of the death penalty for fear that in the hands of rebellious locals such power could be used to eliminate factions favorable or useful to Rome. A province as troublesome as Judea would not have been likely to be made an exception to this.
John 18:32 tn The words “This happened” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
John 18:32 tn Or “making clear.”
John 18:32 sn A reference to John 12:32.
John 18:33 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
John 18:33 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.
John 18:34 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
John 18:34 tn Grk “saying this from yourself.”
John 18:35 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.
John 18:35 tn Or “your own nation.”
John 18:35 tn Or “delivered you over.”
John 18:36 sn The kingdom (of God) is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself, as here where Jesus refers to My kingdom.
John 18:36 tn Grk “so that I may not be.”
John 18:36 tn Or “delivered over.”
John 18:36 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.
John 18:36 tn Grk “now.”
John 18:37 tn Grk “said to him.”
John 18:37 tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”
John 18:38 tn Grk “Pilate said.”
John 18:38 sn With his reply “What is truth?” Pilate dismissed the matter. It is not clear what Pilate’s attitude was at this point, as in 18:33. He may have been sarcastic, or perhaps somewhat reflective. The author has not given enough information in the narrative to be sure. Within the narrative, Pilate’s question serves to make the reader reflect on what truth is, and that answer (in the narrative) has already been given (14:6).
John 18:38 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; 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. The term also occurs in v. 31, where it is clear the Jewish leaders are in view, because they state that they cannot legally carry out an execution. Although it is likely (in view of the synoptic parallels) that the crowd here in 18:38 was made up not just of the Jewish leaders, but of ordinary residents of Jerusalem and pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, nevertheless in John’s Gospel Pilate is primarily in dialogue with the leadership of the nation, who are expressly mentioned in 18:35 and 19:6.
John 18:38 tn Grk “said to them.”
John 18:38 tn Grk “find no cause.”
John 18:39 tn The word “prisoner” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
John 18:39 sn Pilate then offered to release Jesus, reminding the Jewish authorities that they had a custom that he release one prisoner for them at the Passover. There is no extra-biblical evidence alluding to the practice. It is, however, mentioned in Matthew and Mark, described either as a practice of Pilate (Mark 15:6) or of the Roman governor (Matt 27:15). These references may explain the lack of extra-biblical attestation: The custom to which Pilate refers here (18:39) is not a permanent one acknowledged by all the Roman governors, but one peculiar to Pilate as a means of appeasement, meant to better relations with his subjects. Such a limited meaning is certainly possible and consistent with the statement here.
John 18:40 tn Or “they shouted again,” or “they shouted in turn.” On the difficulty of translating πάλιν (palin) see BDAG 753 s.v. 5. It is simplest in the context of John’s Gospel to understand the phrase to mean “they shouted back” as a reply to Pilate’s question.
John 18:40 tn Grk “this one.”
John 18:40 sn The name Barabbas in Aramaic means “son of abba,” that is, “son of the father,” and presumably the man in question had another name (it may also have been Jesus, according to the textual variant in Matt 27:16, although this is uncertain). For the author this name held ironic significance: The crowd was asking for the release of a man called Barabbas, “son of the father,” while Jesus, who was truly the Son of the Father, was condemned to die instead.
John 18:40 tn Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lēstēs) in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. See both R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:857) and K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 4:258) for more information. The word λῃστής was used a number of times by Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]) to describe the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.
John 18:40 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:1 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).”sn This severe flogging was not administered by Pilate himself but his officers, who took Jesus at Pilate’s order and scourged him. The author’s choice of wording here may constitute an allusion to Isa 50:6, “I gave my back to those who beat me.” Three forms of corporal punishment were employed by the Romans, in increasing degree of severity: (1) fustigatio (beating), (2) flagellatio (flogging), and (3) verberatio (severe flogging, scourging). The first could be on occasion a punishment in itself, but the more severe forms were part of the capital sentence as a prelude to crucifixion. The most severe, verberatio, is what is indicated here by the Greek verb translated flogged severely (μαστιγόω, mastigoō). People died on occasion while being flogged this way; frequently it was severe enough to rip a person’s body open or cut muscle and sinew to the bone. It was carried out with a whip that had fragments of bone or pieces of metal bound into the tips.
John 19:2 tn Grk “And the soldiers.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
John 19:2 tn Or “wove.”
John 19:2 sn The crown of thorns was a crown plaited of some thorny material, intended as a mockery of Jesus’ “kingship.” Traditionally it has been regarded as an additional instrument of torture, but it seems more probable the purpose of the thorns was not necessarily to inflict more physical suffering but to imitate the spikes of the “radiant corona,” a type of crown portrayed on ruler’s heads on many coins of the period; the spikes on this type of crown represented rays of light pointing outward (the best contemporary illustration is the crown on the head of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor).
John 19:2 sn The purple color of the robe indicated royal status. This was further mockery of Jesus, along with the crown of thorns.
John 19:3 tn Grk “And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
John 19:3 tn The words “again and again” are implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἤρχοντο (ērchonto).
John 19:3 tn Or “Long live the King of the Jews!”sn The greeting used by the soldiers, “Hail, King of the Jews!”, is a mockery based on the standard salutation for the Roman emperor, “Ave, Caesar!” (“Hail to Caesar!”).
John 19:3 tn The word “repeatedly” is implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἐδιδοσαν (edidosan).
John 19:4 tn Grk “to them.” The words “the Jewish leaders” are supplied from John 18:38 for clarity.
John 19:4 tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”
John 19:5 sn See the note on the purple robe in 19:2.
John 19:5 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:5 sn Look, here is the man! Pilate may have meant no more than something like “Here is the accused!” or in a contemptuous way, “Here is your king!” Others have taken Pilate’s statement as intended to evoke pity from Jesus’ accusers: “Look at this poor fellow!” (Jesus would certainly not have looked very impressive after the scourging). For the author, however, Pilate’s words constituted an unconscious allusion to Zech 6:12, “Look, here is the man whose name is the Branch.” In this case Pilate (unknowingly and ironically) presented Jesus to the nation under a messianic title.
John 19:6 sn Crucifixion was the cruelest form of punishment practiced by the Romans. Roman citizens could not normally undergo it. It was reserved for the worst crimes, like treason and evasion of due process in a capital case. The Roman statesman and orator Cicero (106-43 b.c.) called it “a cruel and disgusting penalty” (Against Verres 2.5.63-66 §§163-70); Josephus (J. W. 7.6.4 [7.203]) called it the worst of deaths.
John 19:6 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from context.
John 19:6 tn Grk “said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.
John 19:6 sn How are Pilate’s words “You take him and crucify him” to be understood? Was he offering a serious alternative to the priests who wanted Jesus crucified? Was he offering them an exception to the statement in 18:31 that the Jewish authorities did not have the power to carry out a death penalty? Although a few scholars have suggested that the situation was at this point so far out of Pilate’s control that he really was telling the high priests they could go ahead and crucify a man he had found to be innocent, this seems unlikely. It is far more likely that Pilate’s statement should be understood as one of frustration and perhaps sarcasm. This seems to be supported by the context, for the Jewish authorities make no attempt at this point to seize Jesus and crucify him. Rather they continue to pester Pilate to order the crucifixion.
John 19:6 tn On this use of γάρ (gar) used in exclamations and strong affirmations, see BDAG 190 s.v. γάρ 3.
John 19:6 tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”
John 19:7 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin, and their servants (mentioned specifically as “the chief priests and their servants” in John 19:6).
John 19:7 tn Grk “answered him.”
John 19:7 sn This law is not the entire Pentateuch, but Lev 24:16.
John 19:7 tn Grk “because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”
John 19:8 tn Grk “heard this word.”
John 19:8 tn Grk “became more afraid.”
John 19:9 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
John 19:10 tn Grk “said to him.” The words “to him” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.
John 19:10 tn Or “the power.”
John 19:10 tn Grk “know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you.” Repetition of “the authority” is unnecessarily redundant English style.sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:11 tn Or “power.”
John 19:11 tn Or “who delivered me over to you.”sn The one who handed me over to you appears to be a reference to Judas at first; yet Judas did not deliver Jesus up to Pilate, but to the Jewish authorities. The singular may be a reference to Caiaphas, who as high priest was representative of all the Jewish authorities, or it may be a generic singular referring to all the Jewish authorities directly. In either case the end result is more or less the same.
John 19:11 tn Grk “has the greater sin” (an idiom).sn Because Pilate had no authority over Jesus except what had been given to him from God, the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate was guilty of greater sin. This does not absolve Pilate of guilt; it simply means his guilt was less than those who handed Jesus over to him, because he was not acting against Jesus out of deliberate hatred or calculated malice, like the Jewish religious authorities. These were thereby guilty of greater sin.
John 19:12 tn Grk “sought.”
John 19:12 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin, and their servants (mentioned specifically as “the chief priests and their servants” in John 19:6). See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.
John 19:12 tn Grk “shouted out, saying.”
John 19:12 tn Grk “this one.”
John 19:12 sn Is the author using the phrase Friend of Caesar in a technical sense, as a title bestowed on people for loyal service to the Emperor, or in a more general sense merely describing a person as loyal to the Emperor? L. Morris (John [NICNT], 798) thinks it is “unlikely” that the title is used in the technical sense, and J. H. Bernard (St. John [ICC], 2:621) argues that the technical sense of the phrase as an official title was not used before the time of Vespasian (a.d. 69-79). But there appears to be significant evidence for much earlier usage. Some of this is given in BDAG 498-99 s.v. Καῖσαρ. E. Bammel (“φίλος τοῦ καίσαρος (John 19:12),” TLZ 77 [1952]: 205-10) listed significant and convincing arguments that the official title was indeed in use at the time. Granting that the title was in use during this period, what is the likelihood that it had been bestowed on Pilate? Pilate was of the equestrian order, that is, of lower nobility as opposed to senatorial rank. As such he would have been eligible to receive such an honor. It also appears that the powerful Sejanus was his patron in Rome, and Sejanus held considerable influence with Tiberius. Tacitus (Annals 6.8) quotes Marcus Terentius in his defense before the Senate as saying that close friendship with Sejanus “was in every case a powerful recommendation to the Emperor’s friendship.” Thus it is possible that Pilate held this honor. Therefore it appears that the Jewish authorities were putting a good deal of psychological pressure on Pilate to convict Jesus. They had, in effect, finally specified the charge against Jesus as treason: “Everyone who makes himself to be king opposes Caesar.” If Pilate now failed to convict Jesus the Jewish authorities could complain to Rome that Pilate had released a traitor. This possibility carried more weight with Pilate than might at first be evident: (1) Pilate’s record as governor was not entirely above reproach; (2) Tiberius, who lived away from Rome as a virtual recluse on the island of Capri, was known for his suspicious nature, especially toward rivals or those who posed a political threat; and (3) worst of all, Pilate’s patron in Rome, Sejanus, had recently come under suspicion of plotting to seize the imperial succession for himself. Sejanus was deposed in October of a.d. 31. It may have been to Sejanus that Pilate owed his appointment in Judea. Pilate was now in a very delicate position. The Jewish authorities may have known something of this and deliberately used it as leverage against him. Whether or not they knew just how potent their veiled threat was, it had the desired effect. Pilate went directly to the judgment seat to pronounce his judgment.
John 19:12 tn Grk “who makes himself out to be a king.”
John 19:13 tn Or “the judge’s seat.”sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bēma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and usually furnished with a seat. It was used by officials in addressing an assembly or making official pronouncements, often of a judicial nature.
John 19:13 sn The precise location of the place called ‘The Stone Pavement’ is still uncertain, although a paved court on the lower level of the Fortress Antonia has been suggested. It is not certain whether it was laid prior to a.d. 135, however.
John 19:13 tn Grk “in Hebrew.”sn The author does not say that Gabbatha is the Aramaic (or Hebrew) translation for the Greek term Λιθόστρωτον (Lithostrōton). He simply points out that in Aramaic (or Hebrew) the place had another name. A number of meanings have been suggested, but the most likely appears to mean “elevated place.” It is possible that this was a term used by the common people for the judgment seat itself, which always stood on a raised platform.
John 19:13 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:14 sn The term day of preparation (παρασκευή, paraskeuē) appears in all the gospels as a description of the day on which Jesus died. It could refer to any Friday as the day of preparation for the Sabbath (Saturday), and this is the way the synoptic gospels use the term (Matt 27:62, Mark 15:42, and Luke 23:54). John, however, specifies in addition that this was not only the day of preparation of the Sabbath, but also the day of preparation of the Passover, so that the Sabbath on the following day was the Passover (cf. 19:31).
John 19:14 tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”sn For John, the time was especially important. When the note concerning the hour, about noon, is connected with the day, the day of preparation for the Passover, it becomes apparent that Jesus was going to die on the cross at the very time that the Passover lambs were being slain in the temple courts. Exod 12:6 required that the Passover lamb be kept alive until the 14th Nisan, the eve of the Passover, and then slaughtered by the head of the household at twilight (Grk “between the two evenings”). By this time the slaughtering was no longer done by the heads of households, but by the priests in the temple courts. But so many lambs were needed for the tens of thousands of pilgrims who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast (some estimates run in excess of 100,000 pilgrims) that the slaughter could not be completed during the evening, and so the rabbis redefined “between the two evenings” as beginning at noon, when the sun began to decline toward the horizon. Thus the priests had the entire afternoon of 14th Nisan in which to complete the slaughter of the Passover lambs. According to the Fourth Gospel, this is the time Jesus was dying on the cross.
John 19:14 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:14 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
John 19:14 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin, and their servants (mentioned specifically as “the chief priests and their servants” in John 19:6). See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.
John 19:15 tn Grk “Then these.”
John 19:15 tn The words “with him” (twice) are not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
John 19:15 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:15 tn Grk “Pilate said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because it is clear in English who Pilate is addressing.
John 19:16 tn Grk “Then he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:16 tn Or “delivered him over.”
John 19:17 tn Or “carrying the cross by himself.”sn As was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion, the prisoner was made to carry his own cross. In all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution. According to Matt 27:32 and Mark 15:21, the soldiers forced Simon to take the cross; Luke 23:26 states that the cross was placed on Simon so that it might be carried behind Jesus. A reasonable explanation of all this is that Jesus started out carrying the cross until he was no longer able to do so, at which point Simon was forced to take over.
John 19:17 sn Jesus was led out to the place called “The Place of the Skull” where he was to be crucified. It is clear from v. 20 that this was outside the city. The Latin word for the Greek κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria. Thus the English word “Calvary” is a transliteration of the Latin rather than a NT place name (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).
John 19:17 tn Grk “in Hebrew.”
John 19:17 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:18 tn Grk “where they.” This is a continuation of the previous verse in Greek, but contemporary English style tends toward shorter sentences. A literal translation would result in a lengthy and awkward English sentence.
John 19:18 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:18 tn Grk “and with him two others.”
John 19:19 tn Or “an inscription.”sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.
John 19:19 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.sn John says simply that the notice was fastened to the cross. Luke 23:38 says the inscription was placed “over him” (Jesus), and Matt 27:37 that it was placed over Jesus’ head. On the basis of Matthew’s statement Jesus’ cross is usually depicted as the crux immissa, the cross which has the crossbeam set below the top of the upright beam. The other commonly used type of cross was the crux commissa, which had the crossbeam atop the upright beam. But Matthew’s statement is not conclusive, since with the crux commissa the body would have sagged downward enough to allow the placard to be placed above Jesus’ head. The placard with Pilate’s inscription is mentioned in all the gospels, but for John it was certainly ironic. Jesus really was the King of the Jews, although he was a king rejected by his own people (cf. 1:11). Pilate’s own motivation for placing the title over Jesus is considerably more obscure. He may have meant this as a final mockery of Jesus himself, but Pilate’s earlier mockery of Jesus seemed to be motivated by a desire to gain pity from the Jewish authorities in order to have him released. More likely Pilate saw this as a subtle way of getting back at the Jewish authorities who had pressured him into the execution of one he considered to be an innocent man.
John 19:19 tn Grk “Now it was written.”
John 19:20 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.
John 19:20 tn Or “this inscription.”
John 19:20 tn Grk “in Hebrew.”
John 19:21 tn Or “the Jewish chief priests.” Nowhere else in the Fourth Gospel are the two expressions οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (hoi archiereis tōn Ioudaiōn) 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 (ho basileus tōn Ioudaiōn). 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.”
John 19:23 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:23 sn Four shares, one for each soldier. The Gospel of John is the only one to specify the number of soldiers involved in the crucifixion. This was a quaternion, a squad of four soldiers. It was accepted Roman practice for the soldiers who performed a crucifixion to divide the possessions of the person executed among themselves.
John 19:23 tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, chitōn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.
John 19:23 tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). See the note on the same word earlier in this verse.
John 19:23 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:24 tn Grk “but choose by lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throw dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.
John 19:24 tn Grk “to see whose it will be.”
John 19:24 tn The words “This took place” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
John 19:24 tn Grk “cast lots.” See the note on “throw dice” earlier in the verse.sn A quotation from Ps 22:18.
John 19:25 sn Several women are mentioned, but it is not easy to determine how many. It is not clear whether his mother’s sister and Mary the wife of Clopas are to be understood as the same individual (in which case only three women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene) or as two different individuals (in which case four women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Clopas’ wife, and Mary Magdalene). It is impossible to be certain, but when John’s account is compared to the synoptics it is easier to reconcile the accounts if four women were present than if there were only three. It also seems that if there were four women present, this would have been seen by the author to be in juxtaposition to the four soldiers present who performed the crucifixion, and this may explain the transition from the one incident in 23-24 to the other in 25-27. Finally, if only three were present, this would mean that both Jesus’ mother and her sister were named Mary, and this is highly improbable in a Jewish family of that time. If there were four women present, the name of the second, the sister of Jesus’ mother, is not mentioned. It is entirely possible that the sister of Jesus’ mother mentioned here is to be identified with the woman named Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40 and also with the woman identified as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” mentioned in Matt 27:56. If so, and if John the Apostle is to be identified as the beloved disciple, then the reason for the omission of the second woman’s name becomes clear; she would have been John’s own mother, and he consistently omitted direct reference to himself or his brother James or any other members of his family in the Fourth Gospel.
John 19:26 sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15; see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? Jesus probably used the term here to help establish Mary and the beloved disciple in a new “mother-son” relationship. Someone would soon need to provide for Mary since Jesus, her oldest son, would no longer be alive. By using this term Jesus distanced himself from Mary so the beloved disciple could take his place as her earthly son (cf. John 2:4). See D. A. Carson, John, 617-18, for discussion about symbolic interpretations of this relationship between Mary and the beloved disciple.
John 19:27 tn Grk “from that very hour.”
John 19:28 tn Or “that already.”
John 19:28 tn Or “finished,” “accomplished”; Grk “fulfilled.”
John 19:28 sn A reference to Ps 69:21 or Ps 22:15.
John 19:28 sn In order to fulfill (τελειωθῇ [teleiōthē], a wordplay on the previous statement that everything was completed [τετέλεσται, tetelestai]) the scripture, he said, “I am thirsty.” The scripture referred to is probably Ps 69:21, “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Also suggested, however, is Ps 22:15, “My tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth, and you [God] lay me in the dust of death.” Ps 22:1 reads “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?,” a statement Jesus makes from the cross in both Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34. In light of the connection in the Fourth Gospel between thirst and the living water which Jesus offers, it is highly ironic that here Jesus himself, the source of that living water, expresses his thirst. And since 7:39 associates the living water with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ statement here in 19:28 amounts to an admission that at this point he has been forsaken by God (cf. Ps 22:1, Matt 27:46, and Mark 15:34).
John 19:29 sn The cheap sour wine was called in Latin posca, and referred to a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and was probably there for the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion.
John 19:29 sn Hyssop was a small aromatic bush; exact identification of the plant is uncertain. The hyssop used to lift the wet sponge may have been a form of reed (κάλαμος, kalamos, “reed,” is used in Matt 27:48 and Mark 15:36); the biblical name can refer to several different species of plant (at least eighteen different plants have been suggested).
John 19:29 tn Or “and brought it.”
John 19:30 tn Grk “Then when.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
John 19:30 tn Or “It is accomplished,” “It is finished,” or “It is ended.” See tn on John 13:1.
John 19:30 tn Or “he bowed his head and died”; Grk “he bowed his head and gave over the spirit.”
John 19:31 sn The Jewish authorities, because this was the day of preparation for the Sabbath and the Passover (cf. 19:14), requested Pilate to order the legs of the three who had been crucified to be broken. This would hasten their deaths, so that the bodies could be removed before the beginning of the Sabbath at 6 p.m. This was based on the law of Deut 21:22-23 and Josh 8:29 that specified the bodies of executed criminals who had been hanged on a tree should not remain there overnight. According to Josephus this law was interpreted in the 1st century to cover the bodies of those who had been crucified (J. W. 4.5.2 [4.317]). Philo of Alexandria also mentions that on occasion, especially at festivals, the bodies were taken down and given to relatives to bury (Flaccus 10 [83]). The normal Roman practice would have been to leave the bodies on the crosses, to serve as a warning to other would-be offenders.
John 19:31 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:31 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.
John 19:31 tn Grk “asked Pilate that the legs of them might be broken.” The referent of “them” (the three individuals who were crucified, collectively referred to as “the victims”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
John 19:31 sn To have the legs…broken. Breaking the legs of a crucified person was a way of speeding up his death, since the victim could no longer use his legs to push upward in order to be able to draw a breath. This breaking of the legs was called in Latin crurifragium, and was done with a heavy mallet.
John 19:31 tn Grk “asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and they might be taken down.” Here because of the numerous ambiguous third person references it is necessary to clarify that it was the crucified men whose legs were to be broken and whose corpses were to be removed from the crosses.
John 19:32 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:32 tn Grk “with him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:32 tn Grk “broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.”
John 19:34 sn If it was obvious to the soldiers that the victim was already dead it is difficult to see why one of them would try to inflict a wound. The Greek verb pierced (νύσσω, nussō) can indicate anything from a slight prod to a mortal wound. Probably one of the soldiers gave an exploratory stab to see if the body would jerk. If not, he was really dead. This thrust was hard enough to penetrate the side, since the author states that blood and water flowed out immediately.
John 19:34 sn How is the reference to the blood and water that flowed out from Jesus’ side to be understood? This is probably to be connected with the statements in 1 John 5:6-8. In both passages water, blood, and testimony are mentioned. The Spirit is also mentioned in 1 John 5:7 as the source of the testimony, while here the testimony comes from one of the disciples (19:35). The connection between the Spirit and the living water with Jesus’ statement of thirst just before he died in the preceding context has already been noted (see 19:28). For the author, the water which flowed out of Jesus’ side was a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit who could now be given because Jesus was now glorified (cf. 7:39); Jesus had now departed and returned to that glory which he had with the Father before the creation of the world (cf. 17:5). The mention of blood recalls the motif of the Passover lamb as a sacrificial victim. Later references to sacrificial procedures in the Mishnah appear to support this: m. Pesahim 5:3 and 5:5 state that the blood of the sacrificial animal should not be allowed to congeal but should flow forth freely at the instant of death so that it could be used for sprinkling; m. Tamid 4:2 actually specifies that the priest is to pierce the heart of the sacrificial victim and cause the blood to come forth.
John 19:35 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
John 19:35 tn Grk “and that one.”
John 19:35 sn A parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:36 sn A quotation from Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, and Ps 34:20. A number of different OT passages lie behind this quotation: Exod 12:10 LXX, Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, or Ps 34:20. Of these, the first is the closest in form to the quotation here. The first three are all more likely candidates than the last, since the first three all deal with descriptions of the Passover lamb.
John 19:37 sn A quotation from Zech 12:10. Here a single phrase is quoted from Zech 12, but the entire context is associated with the events surrounding the crucifixion. The “Spirit of grace and of supplication” is poured out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the first part of v. 10. A few verses later in 13:1 Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT) says “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.” The blood which flowed from Jesus’ pierced side may well be what the author saw as the connection here, since as the shedding of the blood of the sacrificial victim it represents cleansing from sin. Although the Jewish authorities and Roman soldiers certainly “looked on the one whom they have pierced” as he hung on the cross, the author may also have in mind the parousia (second coming) here. The context in Zech 12-14 is certainly the second coming, so that these who crucified Jesus will look upon him in another sense when he returns in judgment.
John 19:38 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees (see John 12:42). See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.
John 19:38 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:38 tn Grk “And Pilate.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
John 19:38 tn Grk “took away his body.”
John 19:39 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:39 sn See John 3:1-21.
John 19:39 tn Grk “came”; the words “accompanied Joseph” are not in the Greek text but are supplied for clarity.
John 19:39 sn Aloes refers to an aromatic resin from a plant similar to a lily, used for embalming a corpse.
John 19:39 sn The Roman pound (λίτρα, litra) weighed twelve ounces or 325 grams. Thus 100 Roman pounds would be about 32.5 kilograms or 75 pounds.
John 19:40 tn On this term see BDAG 140-41 s.v. ἄρωμα. The Jews did not practice embalming, so these materials were used to cover the stench of decay and slow decomposition.
John 19:40 tn The Fourth Gospel uses ὀθονίοις (othoniois) to describe the wrappings, and this has caused a good deal of debate, since it appears to contradict the synoptic accounts which mention a σινδών (sindōn), a large single piece of linen cloth. If one understands ὀθονίοις to refer to smaller strips of cloth, like bandages, there would be a difference, but diminutive forms have often lost their diminutive force in Koine Greek (BDF §111.3), so there may not be any difference. Also, Luke uses both terms to refer to the wrappings, which suggests they are interchangeable in some contexts at least (Luke 23:53; 24:12).
John 19:40 tn Grk “cloth as is the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial.”
John 19:41 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:41 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:41 tn Or “an orchard.”
John 19:41 tn Or “orchard.”
John 19:41 tn Grk “been placed.”
John 19:42 sn The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath when everything had to be prepared for it, as no work could be done on the Sabbath.
John 19:42 sn The tomb was nearby. The Passover and the Sabbath would begin at 6 p.m., so those who had come to prepare and bury the body could not afford to waste time.

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Will Vindicate His Servant

Footnotes

Psalm 22[a]

For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”;[b] a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith

Footnotes

Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest

Footnotes

Footnotes

Betrayal and Arrest

Jesus Before Annas

Peter’s First Denial

Jesus Questioned by Annas

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

Pilate Questions Jesus

Pilate Tries to Release Jesus

The Crucifixion

Jesus’ Death

Jesus’ Burial

Footnotes

Psalm 22^[a]

For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”;^[b] a psalm of David.