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33 Then oun Pilate Pilatos entered eiserchomai his ho headquarters praitōrion again palin, · ho · kai summoned phōneō · ho Jesus Iēsous and kai said legō to him autos, “ Are eimi you sy the ho king basileus of the ho Jews Ioudaios?” 34 Jesus Iēsous responded apokrinomai, “ Are legō you sy saying legō this houtos of apo your seautou own accord, or ē did others allos tell legō you sy about peri me egō?” 35 Pilate Pilatos answered apokrinomai, · ho I egō am eimi not mēti a Jew Ioudaios, am I? · ho Your own sos people ethnos · ho and kai the ho chief archiereus priests handed paradidōmi you sy over to me egō. What tis have you done poieō?” 36 Jesus Iēsous answered apokrinomai, · ho My emos kingdom basileia · ho is eimi not ou of ek · ho this houtos world kosmos; if ei my emos kingdom basileia were eimi of ek · ho this houtos world kosmos, · ho · ho · ho my emos subjects hypēretēs · ho would an be fighting agōnizomai to hina prevent me from being handed paradidōmi over to the ho Jews Ioudaios; but de as nyn it is · ho my emos kingdom basileia · ho is eimi not ou from here enteuthen.” 37 Therefore oun Pilate Pilatos said legō to him autos, · ho So oukoun you sy are eimi a king basileus, then?” Jesus Iēsous answered apokrinomai, · ho You sy say legō that hoti I am eimi a king basileus! The reason houtos for eis which houtos I egō was born gennaō and kai have come erchomai into eis the ho world kosmos, is that hina I should bear martyreō witness to the ho truth alētheia. Everyone pas who ho is eimi of ek the ho truth alētheia listens akouō to my egō · ho voice phōnē.”

38 Pilate Pilatos said legō to him autos, · ho What tis is eimi truth alētheia?” And kai having said legō this houtos he went out exerchomai again palin to pros the ho Jews Ioudaios and kai said legō to them autos, “ I egō find heuriskō no oudeis basis for an accusation aitia against en him autos.

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Pilate Questions Jesus

33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence,[a] summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”[b] 34 Jesus replied,[c] “Are you saying this on your own initiative,[d] or have others told you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I?[e] Your own people[f] and your chief priests handed you over[g] to me. What have you done?”

36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom[h] is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being[i] handed over[j] to the Jewish authorities.[k] But as it is,[l] my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said,[m] “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to[n] my voice.” 38 Pilate asked,[o] “What is truth?”[p]

When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders[q] and announced,[r] “I find no basis for an accusation[s] against him.

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Footnotes

  1. John 18:33 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
  2. John 18:33 sn It is difficult to discern Pilate’s attitude when he asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Some have believed the remark to be sarcastic or incredulous as Pilate looked at this lowly and humble prisoner: “So youre the king of the Jews, are you?” Others have thought the Roman governor to have been impressed by Jesus’ regal disposition and dignity, and to have sincerely asked, “Are you really the king of the Jews?” Since it will later become apparent (v. 38) that Pilate considered Jesus innocent (and therefore probably also harmless) an attitude of incredulity is perhaps most likely, but this is far from certain in the absence of clear contextual clues.
  3. John 18:34 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
  4. John 18:34 tn Grk “saying this from yourself.”
  5. John 18:35 sn Many have seen in Pilate’s reply “I am not a Jew, am I?” the Roman contempt for the Jewish people. Some of that may indeed be present, but strictly speaking, all Pilate affirms is that he, as a Roman, has no firsthand knowledge of Jewish custom or belief. What he knows of Jesus must have come from the Jewish authorities. They are the ones (your own people and your chief priests) who have handed Jesus over to Pilate.
  6. John 18:35 tn Or “your own nation.”
  7. John 18:35 tn Or “delivered you over.”
  8. John 18:36 sn The kingdom (of God) is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself, as here where Jesus refers to My kingdom.
  9. John 18:36 tn Grk “so that I may not be.”
  10. John 18:36 tn Or “delivered over.”
  11. John 18:36 tn Or “the Jewish leaders”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. In the translation “authorities” was preferred over “leaders” for stylistic reasons.
  12. John 18:36 tn Grk “now.”
  13. John 18:37 tn Grk “said to him.”
  14. John 18:37 tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”
  15. John 18:38 tn Grk “Pilate said.”
  16. John 18:38 sn With his reply “What is truth?” Pilate dismissed the matter. It is not clear what Pilate’s attitude was at this point, as in 18:33. He may have been sarcastic, or perhaps somewhat reflective. The author has not given enough information in the narrative to be sure. Within the narrative, Pilate’s question serves to make the reader reflect on what truth is, and that answer (in the narrative) has already been given (14:6).
  17. John 18:38 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. The term also occurs in v. 31, where it is clear the Jewish leaders are in view, because they state that they cannot legally carry out an execution. Although it is likely (in view of the synoptic parallels) that the crowd here in 18:38 was made up not just of the Jewish leaders, but of ordinary residents of Jerusalem and pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, nevertheless in John’s Gospel Pilate is primarily in dialogue with the leadership of the nation, who are expressly mentioned in 18:35 and 19:6.
  18. John 18:38 tn Grk “said to them.”
  19. John 18:38 tn Grk “find no cause.”