Lukas 23:4-7

23:4 Then ¹  Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation ²  against this man.” 23:5 But they persisted ³  in saying, “He incites ⁴  the people by teaching throughout all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!” ⁵ 

Jesus Brought Before Herod

23:6 Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 23:7 When ⁶  he learned that he was from Herod’s jurisdiction, ⁷  he sent him over to Herod, ⁸  who also happened to be in Jerusalem ⁹  at that time.

[23:4]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:4]  ² tn Grk “find no cause.”

[23:4]  sn Pilate’s statement “I find no reason for an accusation” is the first of several remarks in Luke 23 that Jesus is innocent or of efforts to release him (vv. 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22).

[23:5]  ³ tn Or “were adamant.” For “persisted in saying,” see L&N 68.71.

[23:5]  ⁴ sn He incites the people. The Jewish leadership claimed that Jesus was a political threat and had to be stopped. By reiterating this charge of stirring up rebellion, they pressured Pilate to act, or be accused of overlooking political threats to Rome.

[23:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “beginning from Galilee until here.”

[23:7]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[23:7]  ⁷ sn Learning that Jesus was from Galilee and therefore part of Herod’s jurisdiction, Pilate decided to rid himself of the problem by sending him to Herod.

[23:7]  ⁸ sn Herod was Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. See the note on Herod in 3:1.

[23:7]  ⁹ sn Herod would probably have come to Jerusalem for the feast, although his father was only half Jewish (Josephus, Ant. 14.15.2 [14.403]). Josephus does mention Herod’s presence in Jerusalem during a feast (Ant. 18.5.3 [18.122]).

[23:7]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.