Yohanes 19:1-16
Konteks19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. 1 19:2 The soldiers 2 braided 3 a crown of thorns 4 and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe. 5 19:3 They 6 came up to him again and again 7 and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 8 And they struck him repeatedly 9 in the face.
19:4 Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders, 10 “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation 11 against him.” 19:5 So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. 12 Pilate 13 said to them, “Look, here is the man!” 14 19:6 When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucify 15 him! Crucify him!” 16 Pilate said, 17 “You take him and crucify him! 18 Certainly 19 I find no reason for an accusation 20 against him!” 19:7 The Jewish leaders 21 replied, 22 “We have a law, 23 and according to our law he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God!” 24
19:8 When Pilate heard what they said, 25 he was more afraid than ever, 26 19:9 and he went back into the governor’s residence 27 and said to Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 19:10 So Pilate said, 28 “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have the authority 29 to release you, and to crucify you?” 30 19:11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority 31 over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you 32 is guilty of greater sin.” 33
19:12 From this point on, Pilate tried 34 to release him. But the Jewish leaders 35 shouted out, 36 “If you release this man, 37 you are no friend of Caesar! 38 Everyone who claims to be a king 39 opposes Caesar!” 19:13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat 40 in the place called “The Stone Pavement” 41 (Gabbatha in 42 Aramaic). 43 19:14 (Now it was the day of preparation 44 for the Passover, about noon. 45 ) 46 Pilate 47 said to the Jewish leaders, 48 “Look, here is your king!”
19:15 Then they 49 shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! 50 Crucify 51 him!” Pilate asked, 52 “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” 19:16 Then Pilate 53 handed him over 54 to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus,
[19:1] 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).”
[19:1] 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 scourge 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, mastigow). 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.
[19:2] 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.
[19:2] 4 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).
[19:2] 5 sn The purple color of the robe indicated royal status. This was further mockery of Jesus, along with the crown of thorns.
[19:3] 6 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.
[19:3] 7 tn The words “again and again” are implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἤρχοντο (hrconto).
[19:3] 8 tn Or “Long live the King of the Jews!”
[19:3] 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!”).
[19:3] 9 tn The word “repeatedly” is implied by the (iterative) imperfect verb ἐδιδοσαν (edidosan).
[19:4] 10 tn Grk “to them.” The words “the Jewish leaders” are supplied from John 18:38 for clarity.
[19:4] 11 tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”
[19:5] 12 sn See the note on the purple robe in 19:2.
[19:5] 13 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:5] 14 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.
[19:6] 15 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
[19:6] 16 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from context.
[19:6] 17 tn Grk “said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.
[19:6] 18 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.
[19:6] 19 tn On this use of γάρ (gar) used in exclamations and strong affirmations, see BDAG 190 s.v. γάρ 3.
[19:6] 20 tn Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”
[19:7] 21 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).
[19:7] 22 tn Grk “answered him.”
[19:7] 23 sn This law is not the entire Pentateuch, but Lev 24:16.
[19:7] 24 tn Grk “because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”
[19:8] 25 tn Grk “heard this word.”
[19:8] 26 tn Grk “became more afraid.”
[19:9] 27 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
[19:10] 28 tn Grk “said to him.” The words “to him” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.
[19:10] 30 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.
[19:10] sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
[19:11] 32 tn Or “who delivered me over to you.”
[19:11] 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.
[19:11] 33 tn Grk “has the greater sin” (an idiom).
[19:11] 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.
[19:12] 35 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.
[19:12] 36 tn Grk “shouted out, saying.”
[19:12] 38 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 (
[19:12] 39 tn Grk “who makes himself out to be a king.”
[19:13] 40 tn Or “the judge’s seat.”
[19:13] sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) 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.
[19:13] 41 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
[19:13] 42 tn Grk “in Hebrew.”
[19:13] sn The author does not say that Gabbatha is the Aramaic (or Hebrew) translation for the Greek term Λιθόστρωτον (Liqostrwton). 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.
[19:13] 43 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[19:14] 44 sn The term day of preparation (παρασκευή, paraskeuh) 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).
[19:14] 45 tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”
[19:14] 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.
[19:14] 46 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[19:14] 47 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.
[19:14] 48 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.
[19:15] 49 tn Grk “Then these.”
[19:15] 50 tn The words “with him” (twice) are not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[19:15] 51 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
[19:15] 52 tn Grk “Pilate said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because it is clear in English who Pilate is addressing.
[19:16] 53 tn Grk “Then he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
