English Standard Version
John 18:31
31Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death."
John 18:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:
- New International Version (NIV)Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied.
Context of John 18:31
29So Pilate went outside to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" 30They answered him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you." Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death." 32This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 33So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
Read all of John 18John 18:31 word by word
εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος· λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὑμῶν κρίνατε αὐτόν. εἶπον αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· ἡμῖν οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἀποκτεῖναι οὐδένα·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- PilateΠιλᾶτοςPilatos · PilateG4091
- unto themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Takeλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
- yeσύsu · youG4771
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- judgeκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
- according toκατάkata · according toG2596
- lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
- The JewsἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
- It isἔξεστι, ἐξόνexesti · be permittedG1832
- notοὐou · noG3756
- for usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- to putἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
- any manοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
Cross-references for John 18:31
- John 19:6When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him."
- Acts 25:18When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed.
- John 19:15They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
- Genesis 49:10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
- Ezekiel 21:26thus says the Lord God: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are. Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted.
- Hosea 3:4For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods.
Commentaries on John 18:31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31It is not lawful for us to put any man to death - They might have judged Jesus according to their law, as Pilate bade them do; but they could only excommunicate or scourge him. They might have voted him worthy of death; but they could not put him to death, if any thing of a secular nature were charged against him. The power of life and death was in all probability taken from the Jews when Archelaus, king of Judea, was banished to Vienna, and Judea was…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31Judge him - The Jews had not directly informed him that they had judged him and pronounced him worthy of death. Pilate therefore tells them to inquire into the ease; to ascertain the proof of his guilt, and to decide on what the law of Moses pronounced. It has been doubted whether this gave them the power of putting him to death, or whether it was not rather a direction to them to inquire into the case, and inflict on him, if they judged him guilty, the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 28-32Verses 28-32 It was unjust to put one to death who had done so much good, therefore the Jews were willing to save themselves from reproach. Many fear the scandal of an ill thing, more than the sin of it. Christ had said he should be delivered to the Gentiles, and they should put him to death; hereby that saying was fulfilled. He had said that he should be crucified, lifted up. If the Jews had judged him by their law, he had been stoned; crucifying never…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31-32Pilate did not consider the charges convincing. So he told the Sanhedrin to judge Jesus by their own law. Pilate saw this as a Jewish argument, which he refused to investigate. However, the Jewish leaders insisted that execution was necessary. This fulfilled the prediction Jesus made about how he would die (see 12:32–33). The Jews would have used stoning, but the Romans used crucifixion. If Pilate sentenced Jesus, the Romans would hang Jesus on a cross to…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 29-3229-32. Pilate went out to them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?--State your charge.Read the comment
Topics related to John 18:31
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
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