John 19:15 kjv
But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
John 19:15 nkjv
But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!"
John 19:15 niv
But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.
John 19:15 esv
They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
John 19:15 nlt
"Away with him," they yelled. "Away with him! Crucify him!" "What? Crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the leading priests shouted back.
John 19 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 8:7 | "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." | Israel rejecting God's kingship |
| Ps 2:6-7 | "I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain... You are my son; today I have begotten you." | God's Anointed King on Zion |
| Ps 118:22 | "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." | Rejected Messiah |
| Isa 53:3 | "He was despised and rejected by mankind..." | Suffering Servant's rejection |
| Zech 9:9 | "See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey..." | Messiah's humble arrival |
| Dan 2:44 | "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed." | God's eternal kingdom |
| Jer 23:5-6 | "I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king..." | Righteous King prophecy |
| Hos 13:10 | "Where now is your king, that he may save you in all your cities...?" | Rejection leads to no savior |
| Matt 21:42 | "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone..." | Echoes Psalm 118, referring to Christ |
| Matt 27:22-23 | "Crucify him!" they cried. Pilate asked, "Why? What crime has he committed?" But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" | Parallel account of demand |
| Mark 15:13 | "Crucify him!" they shouted back. | Mark's account of demand |
| Luke 19:14 | "But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'" | Parable reflecting rejection |
| Luke 23:21 | "But they kept on shouting, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!'" | Luke's account of demand |
| John 18:37 | Pilate said, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born..." | Jesus confirms His kingship |
| Rom 13:1 | "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God..." | Ironic, as priests subject themselves to pagan authority. |
| Acts 3:14-15 | "You denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life..." | Peter's condemnation of their rejection |
| 1 Pet 2:7 | "To you therefore who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected..." | Christ is either precious or rejected stone |
| Rev 17:14 | "They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings..." | Ultimate kingship of Christ |
| Rev 19:16 | "On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." | Jesus' final and supreme reign |
| Ex 15:18 | "The Lord will reign forever and ever." | God as Israel's eternal King |
| Deut 17:15 | "You may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses..." | God's specific rules for their king |
| Isa 26:13 | "O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us; but we will remember your name alone." | Israel's past struggle with allegiances |
John 19 verses
John 19 15 Meaning
John 19:15 captures the pivotal moment when the chief priests, leading the clamoring crowd, emphatically reject Jesus Christ's divine kingship and declare their allegiance solely to Caesar, thereby demanding His crucifixion. This statement, "We have no king but Caesar," represents a profound betrayal of Israel's unique covenant relationship with God as their true King, exchanging spiritual sovereignty for political expediency and power under Roman rule.
John 19 15 Context
John 19:15 is situated within the climactic moments of Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, leading to His crucifixion. Pilate, finding no fault in Jesus regarding Roman law, attempts to release Him, presenting Him multiple times to the Jewish authorities. This verse follows Pilate's presentation of Jesus, scourged and crowned with thorns, mockingly declaring "Behold the Man!" (Jn 19:5), and then Jesus' assertion of His heavenly authority (Jn 19:11). The Jewish leaders, fearing a popular uprising and eager to maintain their power and precarious relationship with Rome, insist on His death. The specific accusation Pilate struggled with was Jesus' claim to be King, a political charge from the perspective of Rome, but a Messianic truth for the Jews. The Jewish leaders' response in John 19:15 is the culmination of their spiritual blindness and political manipulation, forcing Pilate's hand by invoking Caesar's supreme authority, which Pilate, as Rome's representative, could not ignore.
John 19 15 Word analysis
- "But": A strong adversative conjunction, highlighting the sharp contrast between Pilate's attempt to release Jesus and the crowd's escalating demands.
- "they cried out": From Greek krazo (κράζω), meaning to shriek, roar, or clamor. Implies a loud, intense, and passionate outburst from the crowd, signifying their collective will and pressure.
- "Away with him,": From Greek airon airon (ἆρον ἆρον), an imperative repeated for emphasis, derived from airo (αἴρω). While it literally means "lift up," "take away," or "carry off," in this context, it unequivocally signifies "remove him, destroy him, crucify him." It conveys a desperate and vehement desire for elimination.
- "away with him,": Repetition for extreme emphasis, indicating an unyielding and unified demand for Jesus' total removal and demise.
- "crucify him": From Greek stauroson (σταύρωσον), the imperative form of stauroō (σταυρόω). This explicitly demands the most brutal and humiliating Roman execution for treason, directly indicating they view Jesus as a political rebel deserving of death by the state, despite their own theological motivations for his death.
- "Pilate saith unto them,": Highlights Pilate's continued interaction, perhaps a final attempt to reason or provoke the crowd, attempting to shift the responsibility for the judgment back to them.
- "Shall I crucify your King?": Pilate's question, steeped in irony and perhaps a cynical probe. He refers to the charge of kingship they themselves laid against Jesus. He might be challenging their integrity, appealing to their national identity, or mocking their rejection of someone presented as their King.
- "The chief priests answered,": Specifies the instigators of this rejection, distinguishing them from a mere amorphous crowd. These were the spiritual leaders, representing the highest religious authority, yet speaking purely from political calculation.
- "We have no king but Caesar.":
- "We have no king": A shocking rejection of God's covenant with Israel, where God Himself was the supreme King (Theocracy). This is an explicit renunciation of their unique spiritual identity and history, where a foreign, pagan ruler is preferred over the promised Messiah.
- "but Caesar.": Refers to the Roman Emperor. This is a pragmatic declaration of allegiance to worldly power for immediate political security, prioritizing Roman favor over divine truth and Messianic prophecy. It is the ultimate blasphemy from the leaders of God's chosen people, affirming a foreign pagan ruler over their true and promised King.
John 19 15 Bonus section
The chief priests' declaration, "We have no king but Caesar," represents a stark theological inversion. Throughout Israel's history, the phrase "no king but the Lord" (e.g., Ex 15:18, Isa 43:15, Zeph 3:15) signified their unique covenant with God. By proclaiming Caesar, a pagan emperor, as their sole king, they actively disavowed their divine identity and allegiance. This statement, made by the very people entrusted with upholding God's law, ironically set in motion events that would lead to the destruction of their temple and nation by the hands of Caesar's successors within a generation, fulfilling the consequences of their rejection. This moment perfectly illustrates the human tendency to sacrifice eternal truth for temporal security and worldly power. It underscores the spiritual blindness that comes from loving the praise of men and their own authority more than the praise of God and His kingdom.
John 19 15 Commentary
John 19:15 records the apex of human rejection of divine truth, a profound moment laden with tragic irony and deep theological significance. The frenzied cry "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" exposes the virulent hatred harbored by the religious leaders, amplified by a manipulated crowd. This isn't merely a request for execution, but an emphatic insistence on brutal, shameful elimination. Pilate's question, "Shall I crucify your King?", a final cynical challenge, probes their claim and perhaps attempts to stir their nationalistic pride in defense of Jesus as a claimant to their throne. However, the chief priests' chilling retort, "We have no king but Caesar," serves as their ultimate theological abdication. For a nation whose very identity was rooted in Yahweh as their exclusive sovereign, this was an astonishing renunciation. They traded their divine heritage for fleeting political stability, choosing the oppressive hand of Rome over the saving hand of their Messiah. This declaration reveals the tragic extent to which their hearts were hardened, prioritizing their human traditions, worldly power, and fear of change over the King God had sent. This public confession seals their historical condemnation, for by rejecting their King, they willingly delivered Him to a foreign power, ultimately bringing upon themselves the very destruction they feared (John 11:48).