John 18:37

John 18:37 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
• New International Version (NIV)“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Context of John 18:37

35Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? It was your own people and the leaders of your priests who brought you to me. What have you done?’ 36Jesus said, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it did, my disciples would have fought for me. They would have fought so that the Jewish leaders could not take hold of me. No, my kingdom belongs to another place.’ Pilate said to him, ‘So that means you really are a king!’ Jesus answered, ‘You have said that I am a king! I was born for this reason: I came into the world to tell people the truth about God. Everyone who believes the truth listens to my message.’ 38Pilate said, ‘I do not know what truth is.’ When Pilate had said that, he went outside again to the Jewish people there. He said to them, ‘I do not see that this man is guilty of anything wrong. I have no reason to punish him. 39But every year we do something for you Jews. We let one man go free from the prison at the time of your Passover festival. Do you want me to let the king of the Jews go free?’

John 18:37 word by word

Εἶπεν οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος· οὐκοῦν βασιλεὺς εἶ σύ; ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς· σὺ λέγεις ὅτι βασιλεύς εἰμι ἐγὼ εἰς τοῦτο γεγέννημαι καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ἐλήλυθα εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα μαρτυρήσω τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. πᾶς ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀκούει μου τῆς φωνῆς.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• PilateΠιλᾶτοςPilatos · PilateG4091
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Artεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• thouσύsu · youG4771
• a kingβασιλεύςbasileus · kingG935
• thenοὐκοῦνoukoun · soG3766
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• sayestλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• Toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• this endοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• wasγεννάωgennaō · to begetG1080
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• came Iἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• I should bear witnessμαρτυρέωmartureō · to testifyG3140
• unto the truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225
• Every oneπᾶςpas · allG3956
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• hearethἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456

Cross-references for John 18:37

• Matthew 26:64‘You have said it,’ Jesus replied. ‘And I tell all of you, soon you will see the Son of Man. He will be sitting in the most important place at the right side of the Most Powerful God. You will also see him coming to earth. He will be riding on the clouds in the sky.’
• Matthew 27:11Now Jesus stood in front of the Roman ruler, Pilate. The ruler asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’
• Mark 14:62‘I am,’ Jesus replied. ‘And you will all see the Son of Man. He will be sitting in the most important place at the right side of the Most Powerful God. You will see him coming to earth. He will be riding on the clouds in the sky.’
• Mark 15:2Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’
• Luke 23:3Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’
• 1 Timothy 6:13Christ Jesus himself spoke God's true message clearly when he stood in front of Pontius Pilate. I now say this to you, in front of God who causes all things to be alive, and in front of Jesus.
• John 8:14Jesus answered, ‘What I say is true. Even if I do speak about myself, my words are true. I know where I have come from. I also know where I will go. As for you, you do not know where I came from. You do not know where I will go.
• John 14:6Jesus answered, ‘I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me.
• Isaiah 55:4So look! I chose David to show my power to other people. I made him a leader to rule the people of the nations.
• Revelation 1:4I am John. I am writing to the seven churches that are in the region of Asia. I pray that God will be very kind to you. I pray that he will give you peace in your minds. God is alive now. He has always been alive. He will continue to be alive for ever. God will help you, and the seven spirits that are in front of his throne will help you.
• Revelation 3:14‘Write this to the angel of the church at Laodicea: “This is my message to you. I am the one whose name is ‘Amen’. I faithfully tell people God's true message. Everything that God has created starts with me.
• John 7:17Anyone who chooses to do what God wants will know about my teaching. They will know whether it comes from God, or whether it comes from my own thoughts.
• John 8:47Someone who belongs to God accepts God's message. But you do not belong to God. That is why you do not accept his message.’
• John 10:26But you refuse to believe, because you are not my sheep.
• 1 Peter 1:22You have obeyed God's true message. As a result, you have become clean inside, and now you can really love other believers. So continue to love each other very well, with honest thoughts.
• 1 John 3:14We know that we now have new life with God. Death no longer has power over us. We know this because we love our Christian friends. But anyone who does not love other believers is still under the power of death.

Commentaries on John 18:37

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37Thou sayest - A common form of expression for, yes, it is so. I was born into the world that I might set up and maintain a spiritual government: but this government is established in and by truth. All that love truth, hear my voice and attend to the spiritual doctrines I preach. It is by truth alone that I influence the minds and govern the manners of my subjects.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37Art thou a king then? - Dost thou admit the charge in any sense, or dost thou lay claim to a kingdom of any kind? Thou sayest … - This is a form of expression denoting affirmation. It is equivalent to yes. That I am a king - This does not mean simply that Pilate affirmed that he was a king; it does not appear that he had done this; but it means, “Thou affirmest the truth; thou declarest what is correct, for I am a king.” I am a king in a certain sense…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-40Verses 33-40 Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid to him. Christ gave an account of the nature of his kingdom. Its…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-37Jesus was willing to accept the title of king, but he made it clear that he did not govern an earthly kingdom that might rival Rome. The kingship of Jesus is not of this world. Rather than being a political ruler, he rules through the devotion and obedience of his followers.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33-3833-38. Pilate ... called Jesus, and said ... Art thou the King of the Jews?--In Lu 23:2 they charge our Lord before Pilate with "perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that He Himself is Christ a king." Perhaps this was what occasioned Pilate's question.Read the comment

Topics related to John 18:37

• Faith
• Jesus, the Christ
• Pilate, Pontius
• Prisoners
• Slander
• Truth
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Pilate; Pontius
• Pilate
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Judge
• Resort
• Cause
• Christ, Offices of
• Cohort
• End

Commentaries on John 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings