John 18 29

John 18:29 kjv

Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?

John 18:29 nkjv

Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"

John 18:29 niv

So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"

John 18:29 esv

So Pilate went outside to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?"

John 18:29 nlt

So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, "What is your charge against this man?"

John 18 verses

John 18 29 Meaning

John 18:29 describes Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, leaving his prætorium to meet with the Jewish leaders. He directly challenges them to present a formal legal charge against Jesus, implying he expects a specific, Roman-sanctioned accusation, rather than their religious grievances. This initial encounter immediately establishes the conflict between Roman legal process and the Jewish Sanhedrin's condemnation.

John 18 29 Context

John 18:29 occurs immediately after the Jewish leaders, having tried Jesus at the Sanhedrin (Annas and Caiaphas), led Him from Caiaphas to the Roman prætorium. As they desired Jesus' execution, they needed Roman authorization since the Jewish authorities lacked the right to carry out a death sentence under Roman occupation. However, out of fear of ritual defilement (John 18:28) before the Passover, they refused to enter the prætorium themselves. This action forces Pilate, the Roman governor, to come out to them. Pilate, being a Roman official responsible for maintaining order and justice, expected a formal, legally coherent charge from the accusers. His question serves as the formal initiation of the Roman trial, contrasting Roman jurisprudence with the Jewish religious verdict.

John 18 29 Word analysis

• Pilate (Πιλᾶτος - Pilatos): The Roman procurator of Judea from 26-36 AD. He represents the earthly secular power and the Roman legal system, the ultimate authority for capital punishment in the province. John portrays him as a ruler concerned with Roman peace and order, often pragmatic and at times hesitant to directly challenge the Jewish leadership, yet repeatedly asserting Jesus' innocence.
• then (οὖν - oun): A common Greek connective particle indicating a logical or sequential progression, a 'therefore' or 'so then.' It links Pilate's action directly to the preceding refusal of the Jewish leaders to enter his judgment hall.
• went out (ἐξῆλθεν - exēlthen): Imperfect active indicative of exerchomai. This action is highly significant. Pilate, the Roman governor, lowers himself to exit his official residence and meet the accusers in the open, accommodating their religious scruples about defilement, which they prioritize even in their quest for Jesus' death (John 18:28). This concession reveals the political sensitivity and pressure Pilate was under regarding Jewish religious customs, especially during Passover.
• unto them (πρὸς αὐτούς - pros autous): Referring to the Jewish leaders (chief priests, scribes, Pharisees) who brought Jesus. This phrase highlights the direction of Pilate's action and interaction.
• and said (καὶ εἶπεν - kai eipen): A standard introductory phrase for direct speech, signifying Pilate's direct inquiry.
• What (Τίνα - Tina): Interrogative pronoun asking for the nature or type of the accusation. Pilate isn't just asking for 'an' accusation but the substance of it—a legal accusation relevant to Roman law.
• accusation (κατηγορίαν - katēgorian): Greek noun referring to a formal charge, indictment, or a legal complaint brought against someone. This term underscores Pilate's demand for a proper, prosecutable offense, not merely an opinion or religious condemnation. This term also appeared in Acts 25:16 when Festus asked Agrippa about "the accusation".
• bring ye (φέρετε - pherete): Present active indicative of pherō, meaning "to bear, carry, bring." It emphasizes that they are actively presenting or delivering the charge at that very moment. Pilate is requiring them to lay out their case.
• against (κατὰ - kata): A preposition often meaning "down against" or "contrary to." It clearly indicates the adversarial nature of the charge, directed squarely at Jesus.
• this man (τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου - tou anthrōpou toutou): Referring to Jesus. Pilate uses a rather impersonal and possibly dismissive expression, perhaps reflecting a Roman's general disinterest in what he perceives as a Jewish internal squabble. This term implies a degree of distance or objectivity on Pilate's part at this stage, setting up his subsequent repeated declarations of "no guilt" in this "man."

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Pilate then went out unto them": This phrase details Pilate's diplomatic gesture. By going out of the Praetorium, he implicitly acknowledges and respects the Jewish leaders' ritual purity concerns during Passover, avoiding what could have been a minor but explosive political incident. This demonstrates Pilate's cautious approach to maintaining peace, or at least avoiding an escalation with the influential Jewish authorities. It sets the tone for a trial where political pragmatism will clash with truth.
• "What accusation bring ye against this man?": This is a pivotal legal question. Pilate is essentially asking for the locus delicti, the point of the offense. He's demanding a concrete, specific charge that falls under Roman law, worthy of a Roman trial, and, significantly, deserving of the death penalty. His question reveals his initial unfamiliarity with Jesus' purported crimes and signals his requirement for a formal basis to proceed. It contrasts with the Jewish religious judgment against Jesus, highlighting the chasm between Roman political and Jewish religious jurisdictions.

John 18 29 Bonus section

The immediate demand for "What accusation" signifies that Pilate likely viewed Jesus as a mere local disturbance or an internal Jewish squabble. He didn't initially grasp the magnitude or the alleged crimes beyond possibly a religious or prophetic figure, certainly not one worthy of Rome's immediate capital attention without clear legal grounds. The Jewish leaders' initial answer (John 18:30) confirms their intent to bypass Roman due process by implying Jesus' guilt is self-evident to them ("If he were not a malefactor..."). Pilate's question here also sets up a running motif in John's narrative, where Pilate repeatedly declares, "I find no guilt in him" (John 18:38, 19:4, 19:6).

John 18 29 Commentary

John 18:29 serves as the crucial opening statement in the Roman trial of Jesus. Pilate, caught between his Roman duty and the immense pressure from the Jewish religious establishment, immediately establishes the terms: a formal legal accusation, not a religious dispute, is required for Roman intervention. His act of leaving the prætorium is a telling concession, a pragmatic attempt to accommodate the Jewish leaders' fastidious ritual concerns while they pursued a capital sentence for a man they deemed blasphemous. This encounter sets the stage for a dramatic conflict where the "King of the Jews" will face an earthly kingdom's justice, and Pilate's repeated inability to find fault will underscore Jesus' innocence.