Matthew 27:29-31

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Matthew 27:29 tn Or “weaving.”
2. Matthew 27:29 sn The crown may have been made from palm spines or some other thorny plant common in Israel. In placing the crown of thorns on his head, the soldiers were unwittingly symbolizing God’s curse on humanity (cf. Gen 3:18) being placed on Jesus. Their purpose would have been to mock Jesus’ claim to be a king; the crown of thorns would have represented the “radiant corona” portrayed on the heads of rulers on coins and other artifacts in the 1st century.
3. Matthew 27:29 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
4. Matthew 27:29 tn Or “a reed.” The Greek term can mean either “staff” or “reed.” See BDAG 502 s.v. κάλαμος 2.
5. Matthew 27:29 tn Grk “they mocked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.
6. Matthew 27:29 tn Or “Long live the King of the Jews!”sn The statement Hail, King of the Jews! is a mockery patterned after the Romans’ cry of Ave, Caesar (“Hail, Caesar!”).
7. Matthew 27:30 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
8. Matthew 27:30 tn Or “the reed.”
9. Matthew 27:30 tn The verb here has been translated as an iterative imperfect.
10. Matthew 27:31 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
11. Matthew 27:31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.