King James Version
John 18
40 verses with commentary
The Arrest of Jesus
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When Jesus had spoken these words</strong>—This marks the transition from the Upper Room Discourse (chapters 13-17) to the Passion narrative. Jesus deliberately <strong>went forth</strong> (ἐξῆλθεν, <em>exēlthen</em>), the same verb used of His voluntary mission from the Father (8:42, 13:3). He was not arrested; He advanced toward His appointed suffering.<br><br><strong>Over the brook Cedr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1)THE BETRAYAL AND APPREHENSION (John 18:1-11).
(2)THE TRIALS BEFORE THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES (John 18:12-27);
(*a*)*Before Annas* (John 18:12-23);
(*b*)*Before Caiaphas* (John 18:24).
(*c*)*Denied by St. Peter* (John 18:17; John 18:25; John 18:27).
(3)THE TRIALS BEFORE THE ROMAN PRO CONSUL (John 18:28 to John 19:16);
(*a*)*The first examination. The kingdom of truth* (John 18:28-40);
(*b*)*The sec...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30-31. Hereafter I will not talk much with you--**"I have a little more to say, but My work hastens apace, and the approach of the adversary will cut it short."
**for the prince of this world--**(See on Joh 12:31).
**cometh--**with hostile intent, for a last grand attack, having failed in His first formidable assault (Lu 4:1-13) from which he "departed [only] for a season" (Joh 14:13).
**a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place</strong> (Ἤιδει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτόν)—The verb <em>ēidei</em> (knew) is imperfect tense, indicating ongoing, habitual knowledge. Judas possessed intimate familiarity with this garden retreat across the Kidron Valley. John emphasizes the tragic irony: a sacred place of communion became the staging ground for betrayal.<br><br><st...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And Judas also, which betrayed.**—Better, . . . *who was betraying Him.* The original word is a present participle, and marks the Betrayal as actually in progress.
**For Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.**—This is one of the instances of St. John’s exact knowledge of the incidents which attended the Jerusalem life of our Lord. (Comp. *Introduction,* p. 371.) All the Evangel...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30-31. Hereafter I will not talk much with you--**"I have a little more to say, but My work hastens apace, and the approach of the adversary will cut it short."
**for the prince of this world--**(See on Joh 12:31).
**cometh--**with hostile intent, for a last grand attack, having failed in His first formidable assault (Lu 4:1-13) from which he "departed [only] for a season" (Joh 14:13).
**a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Judas then, having received a band of men</strong> (σπεῖραν, <em>speiran</em>)—a Roman cohort, numbering 300-600 soldiers, not merely temple guards. The synoptics mention only temple officers; John's eyewitness account reveals the staggering military force deployed to arrest an unarmed rabbi. This <em>speiran</em> typically guarded the Fortress Antonia, suggesting Pilate's involvement befo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **A band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees.**—Better, *the band, and officers from the chief priests and Pharieess.* The other Gospels tell us of a “great multitude” (Matt.), or a “multitude” (Mark and Luke). St. John uses the technical word for the Roman cohort. It was the garrison band from Fort Antonia, at the north-east corner of the Temple. This well-known “band” is...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him</strong> (εἰδὼς οὖν Ἰησοῦς πάντα τὰ ἐρχόμενα ἐπ' αὐτόν)—This verse shatters any notion of Jesus as passive victim. <em>Eidōs</em> (knowing) indicates comprehensive, supernatural knowledge of His impending betrayal, trials, scourging, and crucifixion. Yet <strong>went forth</strong> (ἐξῆλθεν)—He deliberately stepped forward from ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come **(better, *were coming*) **upon him.**—Comp. Matthew 26:45.
**Went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?**—*i.e.,* probably, went forth from the garden itself. (Comp. Note on John 18:26.) Other possible interpretations are, “went forth from the depth of the garden;” or, “went forth from the circle of the disciples standing round;” or, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I am he</strong> (ἐγώ εἰμι, <em>ego eimi</em>)—Jesus responds to the arresting party with the very name of Yahweh from Exodus 3:14, causing them to fall backward (verse 6). This is no mere identification but a theophanic self-revelation of divine majesty. The phrase echoes Jesus's seven absolute 'I AM' statements in John's Gospel, each unveiling His deity.<br><br><strong>Judas also, which ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth.**—He was known to many of them (John 7:32; John 7:46; Matthew 26:55); but this is probably an official declaration of the person with whose apprehension they are charged.
**I am he.**—Comp. Notes on John 8:28; John 8:58.
**And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.**—He had advanced to give the signal of the kiss (John 18:4), and had again retr...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward , and fell to the ground.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he</strong> (ἐγώ εἰμι, <em>egō eimi</em>)—When Jesus spoke the divine name, the arresting cohort <strong>went backward, and fell to the ground</strong>. This is not mere stumbling but a demonstration of divine power: Jesus speaks <em>egō eimi</em> ("I AM," echoing Exodus 3:14), and armed soldiers collapse helpless before Him.<br><br>John emphasiz...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **They went backward, and fell to the ground.**—There is nothing in the narrative to suggest that our Lord put forth miraculous power to cause this terror. The impression is rather that it was produced by the majesty of His person, and by the answer which to Jewish ears conveyed the unutterable name, “Jehovah” (I AM). (Comp. Note on John 8:24-25.) Guilt trembled before the calmness of innocenc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus's repeated question <strong>"Whom seek ye?"</strong> (τίνα ζητεῖτε/<em>tina zēteite</em>) demonstrates His sovereign control even in arrest. The soldiers had already fallen back at His "I am" declaration (v.6), yet their response remains unchanged: <strong>"Jesus of Nazareth."</strong> This repetition reveals the hardness of unbelief—even supernatural manifestation of deity doesn't penetrate...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Then asked he them again.**—Their fear has passed away, so that we are not to think, as men sometimes do, that they were struck to the ground helpless. His thought is still of saving those who are with Him. The question brings the same formal answer. They have no warrant to take any of those who are with Him. They seek only Jesus of Nazareth.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>"I have told you that I am he"</strong> (εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι/<em>eipon hymin hoti egō eimi</em>)—Jesus reiterates His self-identification with divine authority, using the covenant name again. Then He issues a command with kingly authority: <strong>"let these go their way"</strong> (ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν/<em>aphete toutous hypagein</em>). The verb ἀφίημι (<em>aphiēmi</em>) means "releas...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way.**—It may be that some of the Roman cohort, not knowing Jesus, were already laying hands on the disciples. In any case, they are exposed to this danger, and the Good Shepherd, who Himself goes forth to meet the danger, will shield the flock from it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
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KJV Study Commentary
John's editorial comment connects Jesus's protective command to His earlier promise: <strong>"Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none"</strong> (ὧν δέδωκάς μοι οὐκ ἀπώλεσα ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδένα/<em>hōn dedokas moi ouk apōlesa ex autōn oudena</em>). The conjunction <strong>"That the saying might be fulfilled"</strong> (ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγος/<em>hina plērōthē ho logos</em>) uses divine purpose languag...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake.**—Comp. John 17:12. The quotation is in many ways suggestive. (1) It is not verbally accurate, *i.e.,* St. John, quoting the words of Christ, which he has himself recorded a few verses before, is at no pains to reproduce it word for word, but is satisfied in giving the substance of it. This throws light on the general literary habits and fe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it"</strong> (Σίμων οὖν Πέτρος ἔχων μάχαιραν/<em>Simōn oun Petros echōn machairan</em>)—the insertion of Peter's full name and the participle "having" emphasizes his preparedness and initiative. The μάχαιρα (<em>machaira</em>) was a short sword or large knife, likely the weapon Jesus told them to procure in Luke 22:36-38. Peter's action was impulsive, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it. . . .—**Comp. Note on Matthew 26:51. The fact is recorded by all the Evangelists. St. John only tells us that it was done by Peter, and that the servant’s name was Malchus. He is also careful to note, as St. Luke does too, that it was the “right ear.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus's rebuke is immediate and emphatic: <strong>"Put up thy sword into the sheath"</strong> (βάλε τὴν μάχαιραν εἰς τὴν θήκην/<em>bale tēn machairan eis tēn thēkēn</em>). The aorist imperative βάλε (<em>bale</em>) means "cast, throw, put"—a forceful command to immediately cease armed resistance. Peter's attempt to prevent Jesus's arrest directly opposed the Father's will, making it satanic in nat...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Put up thy sword into the sheath.**—Comp. Note on Matthew 26:52. Here again St. John’s narrative is more vivid and exact. St. Matthew has “place” for “sheath.”
**The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?**—Comp. Notes *on* Matthew 20:22; Matthew 26:39. This is the only instance of the occurrence of this familiar imagery in St. John. St. Peter’s act is one of opposition to...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15 Joh 15:1-27. Discourse at the Supper Table Continued.
1-8. The spiritual oneness of Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all their spiritual life and fruitfulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (Is 5:1, &c.).
**I am the true vine--**of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.
**my Father is the husbandman--**the g...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →Jesus Before Annas and Caiaphas
Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
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KJV Study Commentary
The arrest proceeds with overwhelming force: <strong>"Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him"</strong> (Ἡ οὖν σπεῖρα καὶ ὁ χιλίαρχος καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνέλαβον τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἔδησαν αὐτόν/<em>Hē oun speira kai ho chiliarchos kai hoi hypēretai tōn Ioudaiōn synelabon ton Iēsoun kai edēsan auton</em>). The σπεῖρα (<em>speira</em>, "band") refers t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews.**—A stop should be placed after “captain.” The “band and the captain” were the Roman cohort (comp. Note on John 18:3) and their tribune (*Chiliarch;* comp. Mark 6:21). The “officers of the Jews” were, as before, the Temple servants (see above, John 18:3), and the apparitors of the Sanhedrin.
**Took Jesus, and bound him.**—Comp. Notes o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-11. continue ye in my love--**not, "Continue to love Me," but, "Continue in the possession and enjoyment of My love to you"; as is evident from the next words.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
Christ taken in the garden.(1-12)
Christ before Annas and Caiaphas.(13-27)
Christ before Pilate.(28-40)
**Verses 1-12**
Sin began in the garden of Eden, there the curse was pronounced, there the Redeemer was promised; and in a garden that promised Seed entered into conflict with the old serpent. Christ was buried also in a garden. Let us, when we wa...
Read full commentary →And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. year: year. And Annas sent Christ bound unto Caiaphas the high priest
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>"And led him away to Annas first"</strong> (καὶ ἤγαγον πρὸς Ἅνναν πρῶτον/<em>kai ēgagon pros Hannan prōton</em>)—the initial destination was Annas, not the current high priest Caiaphas. The adverb πρῶτον (<em>prōton</em>, "first") indicates a strategic preliminary hearing before the official trial. Ἄννας (<em>Hannas</em>) was the power behind the high priestly throne, having held the offic...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13, 14) **And led him away to Annas first.—**Comp. for account of Annas Note on Luke 3:2, and Acts 4:6. This trial before Annas was probably a preliminary investigation, distinct from the formal trial before Caiaphas, narrated in the earlier Gospels. (Comp. John 18:19; John 18:24.)
**For he was father in law to Caiaphas.**—The personal relationship between Annas and Caiaphas had led to a closenes...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-11. continue ye in my love--**not, "Continue to love Me," but, "Continue in the possession and enjoyment of My love to you"; as is evident from the next words.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
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KJV Study Commentary
John's parenthetical comment recalls Caiaphas's unwitting prophecy: <strong>"it was expedient that one man should die for the people"</strong> (συμφέρει ἕνα ἄνθρωπον ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ/<em>sympherei hena anthrōpon apothanein hyper tou laou</em>). The verb συμφέρει (<em>sympherei</em>) means "it is advantageous, profitable, beneficial"—cold political calculus. Caiaphas had spoken this at the S...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-11. continue ye in my love--**not, "Continue to love Me," but, "Continue in the possession and enjoyment of My love to you"; as is evident from the next words.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Peter Denies Jesus
And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>"And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple"</strong> (Ἠκολούθει δὲ τῷ Ἰησοῦ Σίμων Πέτρος καὶ ἄλλος μαθητής/<em>Ēkolouthei de tō Iēsou Simōn Petros kai allos mathētēs</em>)—the verb ἀκολουθέω (<em>akoloutheō</em>, "followed") is the standard term for discipleship. Despite fleeing (Matthew 26:56), Peter and another disciple rally and follow at a distance, attempting to see ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **And Simon Peter followed Jesus.**—Better, *And Simon Peter was following Jesus.* (Comp. Matthew 26:58.)
**Another disciple.**—The reading is not certain, but the majority of the better MSS. support the text of the Authorised version. Others have, “*The* other disciple,” which would mean, “The well-known disciple.” It has been usual to understand that John himself is intended by this designa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-16. That ye love one another, &c.--**(See on Joh 13:34, 35).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>"But Peter stood at the door without"</strong> (ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εἱστήκει πρὸς τῇ θύρᾳ ἔξω/<em>ho de Petros heistēkei pros tē thyra exō</em>)—while John entered with Jesus, Peter remained outside at the θύρα (<em>thyra</em>, "door, gate"). The perfect tense εἱστήκει (<em>heistēkei</em>, "was standing") emphasizes his stationary position, unable to enter. The adverb ἔξω (<em>exō</em>, "outside, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **But Peter stood at the door without.**—*i.e.,* at the door of the court. He remained here with the crowd. Jesus as a prisoner, and the other disciple as a friend of the high priest, went into the court.
**Unto her that kept the door.**—Comp. Acts 12:13 and 2Samuel 4:6 (LXX.). That women “kept the door” among the Jews we know from Josephus (*Ant* vii. 2, § 1).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-16. That ye love one another, &c.--**(See on Joh 13:34, 35).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.
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KJV Study Commentary
The doorkeeper's casual question initiates Peter's tragic denials: <strong>"Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?"</strong> (Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν εἶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου;/<em>Mē kai sy ek tōn mathētōn ei tou anthrōpou toutou</em>). The particle μή (<em>mē</em>) expects a negative answer—she's not accusing but curiously asking, perhaps noticing Peter's provincial Galilean accent (Matthe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) On Peter’s denials, comp. Notes on Matthew 26:69-75, and see in this Gospel John 13:38.
**Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples?**—*i.e.,* “Thou as well as thy friend, whom I know.” There is no charge brought against him. The words are apparently simply words of recognition, or as furnishing a reason for admitting him with his friend, but Peter is conscious that he had attempted to ki...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-16. That ye love one another, &c.--**(See on Joh 13:34, 35).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.
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KJV Study Commentary
The scene shifts to the courtyard's social dynamics: <strong>"And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold"</strong> (εἱστήκεισαν δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται ἀνθρακιὰν πεποιηκότες, ὅτι ψῦχος ἦν/<em>heistēkeisan de hoi douloi kai hoi hypēretai anthrakian pepoiēkotes, hoti psychos ēn</em>). The δοῦλοι (<em>douloi</em>, "servants, slaves") and ὑπηρέται (<e...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **And the servants and officers stood there.**—*i.e.,* in the quadrangular court. The “servants” “are the household servants or slaves of the high priest. The officers are the Temple servants. (Comp. Note on John 18:3.)
**A fire of coals.**—In the Greek this phrase is expressed by one word which occurs again in the New Testament in John 21:9; and in the LXX. in Ecclesiasticus 11:30; Ecclesias...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-16. That ye love one another, &c.--**(See on Joh 13:34, 35).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine</strong>—This interrogation (ἐπηρώτησεν, <em>epērōtēsen</em>, 'questioned closely') was Annas, father-in-law to the reigning high priest Caiaphas (v. 13). The Greek διδαχῆς (<em>didachēs</em>, 'teaching') reflects concern about Jesus's authority and message, not just content.<br><br>The dual focus—<strong>disciples</str...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **The high priest then asked Jesus.**—Comp. Notes on John 18:15. By the “high priest” is probably-meant Caiaphas, though this preliminary investigation was held before Annas, and in his house, or that part of the high priest’s palace occupied by him.
**Of his disciples, and of his doctrine.**—This was the general subject of a series of questions. He asked, we may think, about the number of Ch...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-16. That ye love one another, &c.--**(See on Joh 13:34, 35).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I spake openly to the world</strong> (παρρησίᾳ λελάληκα, <em>parrēsia lelalēka</em>)—The Greek <em>parrēsia</em> means 'boldness, frankness, public speech' with nothing hidden. Jesus's defense rests on transparency: <strong>I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple</strong>, the most public venues in Judaism.<br><br><strong>In secret have I said nothing</strong> (κρυπτῷ ἐλάλησα οὐδ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **I spake openly to the world.**—He does not distinctly answer the question about His disciples, but His words imply that all may have been His disciples. The pronoun is strongly emphatic; “I am one,” His words mean, “who spake plainly and to all men.” “My followers have not been initiated into secret mysteries, nor made conspirators in any political organisation.” “I have not been a leader, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-21. The substance of these important verses has occurred more than once before. (See on Mt 10:34-36; Lu 12:49-53, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me</strong>—Jesus invokes proper judicial procedure: testimony must come from witnesses, not the accused. The Greek ἐπερώτας (<em>eperōtas</em>, 'keep asking') suggests repeated, badgering questions. His response, <strong>behold, they know what I said</strong> (ἴδε οὗτοι οἴδασιν, <em>ide houtoi oidasin</em>), appeals to thousands who heard Him teach...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Why askest thou me?**—Comp. John 5:31. The pronoun “Me” is not the emphatic word as it is generally taken to be. The stress is on the interrogative, “*Why,* for what purpose, dost thou ask Me? If you want witnesses, ask them which heard Me.”
**Behold, they know what I said.**—Better, *behold, these know what I said.* He pointed probably to some who were then present. In the next verse there...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-21. The substance of these important verses has occurred more than once before. (See on Mt 10:34-36; Lu 12:49-53, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand , saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? with: or, with a rod
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>One of the officers struck Jesus with the palm of his hand</strong>—The Greek ῥάπισμα (<em>rhapisma</em>) can mean a slap or strike with a rod. This unprovoked assault for <strong>Answerest thou the high priest so?</strong> (οὕτως ἀποκρίνῃ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, <em>houtōs apokrinē tō archierei</em>) reveals the sham trial's brutality.<br><br>Isaiah 50:6 prophesied Messiah would give His back to smi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **With the palm of his hand.**—The Greek word occurs again in the New Testament only in John 19:3, and Mark 14:65 (see Note there, and on Matthew 26:67). It is uncertain whether it means here a blow with the hand or, as the margin renders it, *“*with a rod.” The word originally means a stroke with a rod, but in classical usage it acquired also the meaning of a slap in the face, or box on the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-21. The substance of these important verses has occurred more than once before. (See on Mt 10:34-36; Lu 12:49-53, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil</strong> (μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ, <em>martyrēson peri tou kakou</em>)—Jesus demands evidence, not violence. The term κακοῦ (<em>kakou</em>, 'evil, wrong') challenges them to specify His offense. <strong>But if well, why smitest thou me?</strong> (τί με δέρεις, <em>ti me dereis</em>, 'why do you beat me?')—the present tense verb suggests co...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil.**—Comp. Note on Matthew 5:39.
**Bear witness of the evil.**—That is,” Produce the evidence which the law requires.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-21. The substance of these important verses has occurred more than once before. (See on Mt 10:34-36; Lu 12:49-53, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest</strong>—John's ἀπέστειλεν δεδεμένον (<em>apesteilen dedemenon</em>, 'sent having been bound') indicates Jesus remained bound throughout this preliminary hearing. The transition from Annas to Caiaphas (the official high priest, AD 18-36) moves from informal interrogation to formal Sanhedrin trial.<br><br>This verse's placement inte...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Now Annas had sent him bound. . . .**—Better, *Annas therefore sent Him bound*. . . . The reading is uncertain; some MSS. read “Therefore;*”* some read “Now;” some omit the word altogether. On the whole, the evidence is in favour of “therefore.” The tense is an aorist, and cannot properly have a pluperfect force. The rendering of the Authorised version is based upon the opinion that Jesus h...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-21. The substance of these important verses has occurred more than once before. (See on Mt 10:34-36; Lu 12:49-53, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself</strong>—John returns to Peter's denial, using imperfect tense εἱστήκει (histēkei, 'was standing') to emphasize duration. While Jesus <strong>stood</strong> before accusers, Peter <strong>stood</strong> among them. The detail about warming himself (θερμαινόμενος, <em>thermainomenos</em>) repeats from verse 18, bracketing his denials with physical co...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.**—Better, *And Simon Peter was standing and warming himself.* (Comp. John 18:18.) The words are repeated to draw attention to the fact that he was standing in the court at the time when Jesus was sent from Annas unto Caiaphas, that is, from one wing of the quadrangular building across the court to the other. In Luke 22:61 it is said that “the Lord t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22-25. (See on Joh 9:39-41).
**If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin--**comparatively none; all other sins being light compared with the rejection of the Son of God.
**now they have no cloak for their sin--**rather, "pretext."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off</strong>—This eyewitness (συγγενὴς ὢν, <em>syngenēs ōn</em>, 'being a relative') adds specificity and danger. The servant wasn't asking generally but confronting Peter with direct evidence: <strong>Did not I see thee in the garden with him?</strong> (Οὐκ ἐγώ σε εἶδον, <em>ouk egō se eidon</em>)—'Did not I mys...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **One of the servants of the high priest.**—Comp. Luke 22:59.
**Did not I see thee in the garden with him?**—This kinsman of Malchus, who had probably gone with him to the arrest, is not to be silenced by a simple denial. He asks emphatically, “Did not *I* see thee in the garden with Him?” He feels certain that he is not deceived. The probable interpretation of John 18:4 is that Jesus went fo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22-25. (See on Joh 9:39-41).
**If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin--**comparatively none; all other sins being light compared with the rejection of the Son of God.
**now they have no cloak for their sin--**rather, "pretext."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew</strong>—The simple, stark Greek: Ἠρνήσατο οὖν πάλιν Πέτρος, καὶ εὐθέως ἀλέκτωρ ἐφώνησεν (<em>Ērnēsato oun palin Petros, kai eutheōs alektōr ephōnēsen</em>). The adverb εὐθέως (<em>eutheōs</em>, 'immediately') signals divine orchestration—the rooster's crow fulfilled Jesus's specific prediction (13:38).<br><br>This third denial complet...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **And immediately the cock crew.**—Better, . . . a *cock crew.* (Comp. Matthew 26:74, and (on the whole question of the denial, Notes to Matthew 26:69-74.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22-25. (See on Joh 9:39-41).
**If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin--**comparatively none; all other sins being light compared with the rejection of the Son of God.
**now they have no cloak for their sin--**rather, "pretext."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-27**
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God ...
Read full commentary →Jesus Before Pilate
Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. the hall: or, Pilate's house
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment</strong> (εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον, <em>eis to praitōrion</em>, 'the praetorium')—Pilate's official residence, likely Herod's palace on Jerusalem's western hill. <strong>And it was early</strong> (πρωΐ, <em>prōi</em>, 'early morning')—after a sleepless night of mock trials.<br><br><strong>They themselves went not into the judgment hall, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) On the accusation before Pilate (John 18:28-38), comp. Notes on the parallels in Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:2-5.
**The hall of judgment.**—Literally, *the Prœtorium.* Comp. Note on Matthew 27:27. It is interesting to observe the various renderings which our translators have given for this one word. Here, “hall of judgment,” or “Pilate’s house,” and “judgment-hall;” John 18:33, “ha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22-25. (See on Joh 9:39-41).
**If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin--**comparatively none; all other sins being light compared with the rejection of the Son of God.
**now they have no cloak for their sin--**rather, "pretext."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ...
Read full commentary →Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Pilate then went out unto them</strong>—The Roman prefect accommodates Jewish scruples by conducting proceedings outside. His question, <strong>What accusation bring ye against this man?</strong> (Τίνα κατηγορίαν φέρετε κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου, <em>Tina katēgorian pherete kata tou anthrōpou toutou</em>), demands formal charges—standard Roman legal procedure.<br><br>The term κατηγορίαν (<e...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Pilate then went out unto them.**—Better, *Pilate therefore went out unto them*—*i.e.,* because of their religious scruples they would not enter into the palace.
**What accusation bring ye against this man?**—Comp. John 18:33. They expected that he would have at once ordered His execution; but he asks for the formal charge which they bring against Him. He knew by hearsay what this was, but ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26-27. (See on Joh 14:15; Joh 14:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ...
Read full commentary →They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee</strong>—The Greek κακὸν ποιῶν (<em>kakon poiōn</em>, 'doing evil') is vague rather than specific. Their response evades Pilate's question, essentially arguing: 'Trust our judgment—we wouldn't bring Him if He weren't guilty.' This circular reasoning exposes their inability to articulate legitimate charges.<br><br>The...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.**—They take the position that the Roman is the executive, and their own the judicial power. They bring no legal charge against Jesus, but assert, in effect that they themselves, who understood and had investigated the whole matter, had condemned Him to death, and that the fact that they had done so was in itself suff...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26-27. (See on Joh 14:15; Joh 14:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ...
Read full commentary →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:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law</strong>—Pilate attempts to deflect this political trap by returning jurisdiction to Jewish courts. <strong>The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death</strong> (Οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν ἀποκτεῖναι οὐδένα, <em>ouk exestin hēmin apokteinai oudena</em>)—Rome had revoked capital punishme...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **Take ye him, and judge him according to your law.**—Pilate takes them at their word. They claim the judicial right; let them exercise it. Their law gave them power to punish, but not the right of capital punishment. If they claim that the matter is wholly within their own power of judgment, then the sentence must also be limited to their own power. He can only execute a sentence which is pr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ...
Read full commentary →That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die</strong>—John explicitly connects these legal machinations to divine purpose. The verb πληρωθῇ (<em>plērōthē</em>, 'might be fulfilled') indicates prophetic necessity, not mere prediction. Jesus's <strong>saying</strong> (λόγος, <em>logos</em>) refers to His repeated prophecies of being 'lifted...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled.**—Comp. Note on John 18:9.
**Signifying what death he should die.**—Better, *signifying by what manner of death He should die.* (Comp. Note on John 10:32.) For the prediction of the manner of death, comp. John 3:14; John 12:32; and Note on Matthew 20:19. If the Jews had possessed the power to put Him to death, they would have condemned Him on the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 Joh 16:1-33. Discourse at the Supper Table Concluded.
**1-5. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended--**both the warnings and the encouragements just given.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ...
Read full commentary →Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Art thou the King of the Jews?</strong> (Σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων;)—Pilate's question uses the emphatic pronoun <em>sy</em> (you), expressing incredulity: "You—this bound prisoner—are a king?" The term <em>basileus</em> (king) carried political weight; Roman governors executed those claiming kingship as insurrectionists against Caesar.<br><br>The <strong>judgment hall</strong> (πραιτώ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus.**—Better, *Pilate therefore entered into the Prœtorium* (or *palace*)* again, and called Jesus.* (Comp. John 18:28.) This was practically a private investigation, for the Jews could not enter the palace (John 18:28). (Comp. John 19:13.)
**Art thou the King of the Jews?**—Comp. Note on Matthew 27:11; Luke 23:2-3. Pilate, of ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 Joh 16:1-33. Discourse at the Supper Table Concluded.
**1-5. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended--**both the warnings and the encouragements just given.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?</strong>—Jesus's response is not evasion but diagnostic inquiry. The Greek construction (ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ σὺ τοῦτο λέγεις, <em>apo seautou sy touto legeis</em>) emphasizes "from yourself"—is Pilate asking from genuine political concern, or merely parroting the Jewish accusation?<br><br>This question probes whether Pilate seeks...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?**—The most probable interpretation of the question is that which regards it as establishing a distinction between the title “King of the Jews” as spoken by Pilate and the same title as spoken by Jesus. In the political sense in which Pilate would use it, and in this sense only the claim could be brought against Him in Roma...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 Joh 16:1-33. Discourse at the Supper Table Concluded.
**1-5. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended--**both the warnings and the encouragements just given.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Am I a Jew?</strong> (Μήτι ἐγὼ Ἰουδαῖός εἰμι;)—The Greek particle <em>mēti</em> expects a negative answer: "I'm not a Jew, am I?" Pilate's contempt drips from this rhetorical question. As a Roman, he considers Jewish Messianic disputes beneath his concern—until they threaten imperial order.<br><br><strong>Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee</strong> (τὸ ἔθνος τὸ σὸν....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **Pilate answered, Am I a Jew***?—*His question would say, “You surely do not suppose that *I* am a *Jew?”* The procurator’s Roman pride is fired at the very thought. He was the governor of the subject race. What did He know, or care to know, of their subtleties and distinctions?
**Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto** me.-” So far from the question coming from me,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 Joh 16:1-33. Discourse at the Supper Table Concluded.
**1-5. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended--**both the warnings and the encouragements just given.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus clarifies His kingdom's nature to Pilate: it is 'not of this world', meaning not originating from or operating by worldly principles. Had it been earthly, His servants would fight to prevent His arrest. This demonstrates Christianity's spiritual nature—advanced by truth and changed hearts, not political power or military force. Christ voluntarily submits to crucifixion because His kingdom is...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world.**—The answer of Jesus is two-fold, declaring (1) in this verse, that He is not a King in the political sense; and (2) in John 18:37, that He is a King in the moral sense. By “of this world” we are to understand that the nature and origin of His kingdom are not of this world, not that His kingdom will not extend in this world. (Comp. John 8:23...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 Joh 16:1-33. Discourse at the Supper Table Concluded.
**1-5. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended--**both the warnings and the encouragements just given.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
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KJV Study Commentary
Christ affirms His kingship while defining its purpose: 'to this end was I born...that I should bear witness unto the truth.' His kingdom is built on truth, not power. 'Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice' divides humanity into two groups: truth-lovers who recognize Christ's voice, and truth-rejecters who don't. This explains why some believe and others don't—it's a matter of spiritual...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **Art thou a king then?**—The sentence is both a question and an inference from the word “kingdom” of the previous verse. There is a strong emphasis, and it may be sarcasm, expressed in the pronoun, “Does it not follow then that *Thou* art a king?”
**Thou sayest that I am a king.**—Or, perhaps, *Thou sayest; for I am a king.* (Comp. Matthew 26:25.)
**To this end was I born, and for this cause...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-7. But because I have said these things ... sorrow hath filled your heart--**Sorrow had too much paralyzed them, and He would rouse their energies.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>What is truth?</strong> (Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια;)—History's most tragic question, asked while standing before the incarnate Truth. The Greek <em>alētheia</em> (truth, reality, unconcealedness) echoes Jesus's self-identification: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6). Was Pilate's question cynical skepticism, philosophical musing, or genuine inquiry cut short by political pressure? John ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?**—“‘What is truth?’ said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an answer.” Such is Lord Bacon’s well-known interpretation of Pilate’s well-known question. Others have seen in it the bitterness of a mind that had been tossed to and fro in the troubled sea of contemporaneous thought, and despaired of an anchorage. Others, again; have traced the tone of s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-7. But because I have said these things ... sorrow hath filled your heart--**Sorrow had too much paralyzed them, and He would rouse their energies.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Ye have a custom</strong> (συνήθεια δέ ἐστιν ὑμῖν)—The Passover amnesty tradition is attested nowhere outside the Gospels, likely a local concession Pilate extended to maintain order during volatile festival seasons. The Greek <em>synētheia</em> (custom, habit) suggests established practice.<br><br><strong>Will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?</strong>—Pilate's cu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(39) **At the Passover.**—Comp. *Excursus F: The Day of the Crucifixion of our Lord.*
**The King of the Jews.**—These words are of course said in mockery, but not at Jesus who was still in the palace. They seem to mean, “This is your king; Such is your national subjection, that He is bound in the Prætorium of the Roman governor. Shall I release Him unto you?”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. And when he is come, he will, &c.--**This is one of the passages most pregnant with thought in the profound discourses of Christ; with a few great strokes depicting all and every part of the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the world--His operation with reference to individuals as well as the mass, on believers and unbelievers alike [Olshausen].
**he will reprove--**This is too weak a word...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.</strong> This verse captures one of history's most tragic ironies: the crowd choosing a criminal over Christ. The verb "cried" (<em>ekraugasan</em>, ἐκραύγασαν) indicates loud, vehement shouting—not calm deliberation but mob fury. Their unified rejection ("all again") shows how completely public opini...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **Then cried they all again.**—St. John has not recorded any clamour before, but implies that of Mark 15:8, and Luke 23:5-10.
**Now Barabbas was a robber.**—Comp. Note on John 10:1. The word includes the meaning of unrestrained violence, which often leads to bloodshed (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19), and is thus used in a striking parallel in Sophocles:—
“And him, so rumour runs, *a robber band*
Of a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. Of sin, because they believe not on me--**As all sin has its root in unbelief, so the most aggravated form of unbelief is the rejection of Christ. The Spirit, however, in fastening this truth upon the conscience, does not extinguish, but, on the contrary, does consummate and intensify, the sense of all other sins.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 33-40**
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid ...
Read full commentary →