John 19:21

John 19:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
• New International Version (NIV)The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”

Context of John 19:21

19Pilate wrote a notice. Then the soldiers put it on the cross. It said: ‘Jesus from Nazareth, the King of the Jews’. 20The place where they put Jesus on the cross was near to the city. So many of the Jews read this notice. They could read it because Pilate had written the words in three languages. He had written it in the Jewish language and in the languages of the Roman people and the Greek people. The leaders of the Jewish priests said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”. Instead, write, “This man said that he is the King of the Jews.” ’ 22Pilate answered, ‘I will not change what I have written.’ 23After the soldiers had put Jesus on the cross, they took his clothes. They made them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took his long shirt, which was one single piece of cloth.

John 19:21 word by word

ἔλεγον οὖν τῷ Πιλάτῳ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων· μὴ γράφε· ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν· βασιλεύς εἰμι τῶν Ἰουδαίων.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• the chief priestsἀρχιερεύςarchiereus · high-priestG749
• of the JewsἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• to PilateΠιλᾶτοςPilatos · PilateG4091
• Writeγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• notμήmē · notG3361
• The Kingβασιλεύςbasileus · kingG935
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• heἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• I amεἰμίeimi · to beG1510

Commentaries on John 19:21

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 See the notes at Matthew 27:32-37. John 19:22 What I have written … - This declaration implied that he would make no change. He was impatient, and weary of their solicitations. He had yielded to them contrary to the convictions of his own conscience, and he now declared his purpose to yield no further.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-30Verses 19-30 Here are some remarkable circumstances of Jesus' death, more fully related than before. Pilate would not gratify the chief priests by allowing the writing to be altered; which was doubtless owing to a secret power of God upon his heart, that this statement of our Lord's character and authority might continue. Many things done by the Roman soldiers were fulfilments of the prophecies of the Old Testament. All things therein written shall be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-22Pilate posted a sign on the cross. Roman soldiers usually provided a written notice of the criminal’s name and crimes. As a possible act of revenge against the Jewish high council, Pilate ordered the sign to identify Jesus of Nazareth as the King of the Jews. The sign was posted in three languages for the whole world to understand.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2219-22. Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross ... Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews ... and it was written in Hebrew--or Syro-Chaldaic, the language of the country. and Greek--the current language. and Latin--the official language. These were the chief languages of the earth, and this secured that all spectators should be able to read it. Stung by this, the Jewish ecclesiastics entreat that it may be so altered as to express, not His real…Read the comment

Topics related to John 19:21

• Death
• Indictments
• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• Pilate; Pontius
• Pilate
• King of the Jews
• Humiliation of Christ
• Thenceforth
• Writing
• Jesus Christ
• John, Gospel of
• King, Christ As
• Lord's Supper; (eucharist)

Commentaries on John 19

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings