John 18:31

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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."
• 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,”

Context of John 18:31

29So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?” 30“We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted. “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. 32(This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.) 33Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.

John 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 they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”
• Acts 25:18But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I expected.
• John 19:15“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!” “What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.
• Genesis 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.
• Ezekiel 21:26This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Take off your jeweled crown, for the old order changes. Now the lowly will be exalted, and the mighty will be brought down.
• Hosea 3:4This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols!

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

• Jesus, the Christ
• Pilate, Pontius
• Priest
• Prisoners

In the dictionaries

• Pilate; Pontius
• Pilate
• Judge
• Resort
• Cohort
• Courts, Judicial
• Jesus Christ
• Jesus Christ, the Arrest and Trial of
• John, Gospel of
• Sanhedrin

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