John 19:6 kjv
When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
John 19:6 nkjv
Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him."
John 19:6 niv
As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."
John 19:6 esv
When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him."
John 19:6 nlt
When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" "Take him yourselves and crucify him," Pilate said. "I find him not guilty."
John 19 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Pilate's Declarations of Innocence | ||
| Jn 18:38 | Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this... I find in him no fault at all. | Pilate finds no crime in Jesus. |
| Jn 19:4 | Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth... that ye may know that I find no fault in him. | Pilate reiterates Jesus' innocence publicly. |
| Lk 23:4 | Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. | Luke's account of Pilate's first declaration. |
| Lk 23:14 | Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth... I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man. | Pilate's continued acquittal after examination. |
| Lk 23:22 | And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. | Pilate's desperate attempts to release Jesus. |
| Acts 13:28 | And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. | Apostolic testimony of Jesus' unjust death. |
| Jewish Rejection and Demand for Crucifixion | ||
| Jn 1:11 | He came unto his own, and his own received him not. | Foreshadowing of Israel's rejection. |
| Mt 27:22 | Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus...? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. | The crowd's united demand for crucifixion. |
| Mt 27:25 | Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. | Self-imposed guilt for Jesus' death. |
| Lk 23:21 | But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. | Parallel account of the vehement cry. |
| Lk 23:23 | And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified... and the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. | The powerful insistence of the accusers. |
| Mk 15:13 | And they cried out again, Crucify him. | Mark's simple, direct report of the demand. |
| Acts 3:13-15 | The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. | Peter's sermon highlighting their denial of Jesus. |
| Acts 7:51-52 | Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears... ye do always resist the Holy Ghost... And killed them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One. | Stephen's condemnation of Israel's historic resistance to God. |
| Prophecy of Suffering and Unjust Death | ||
| Ps 22:16 | For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. | Prophetic detail of crucifixion. |
| Is 53:7 | He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. | Silence before accusers. |
| Is 53:8 | He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. | Jesus' unjust judgment and execution. |
| Zec 12:10 | ...and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son. | Prophetic piercing of the Messiah. |
| Dan 9:26 | And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself... | Prophecy of the Messiah's premature death. |
| The Nature of Crucifixion | ||
| Gal 3:13 | Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. | Theological significance of death on a cross. |
| Deut 21:23 | His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) | Mosaic Law on the "cursed" nature of hanging. |
| Phil 2:8 | And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. | Jesus' humility and obedience in choosing crucifixion. |
John 19 verses
John 19 6 Meaning
John 19:6 depicts the moment of fervent and unwavering demand from the chief priests and their officers for Jesus' crucifixion, despite Pilate's repeated declaration of His innocence. It highlights the immense, manipulative pressure exerted by the Jewish religious establishment on the Roman governor to condemn one whom he could find no legal fault. This pivotal exchange underscores the deliberate rejection of Jesus by those who should have recognized Him, leading to His unjust sentence.
John 19 6 Context
John 19:6 takes place during Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. Having already scourged Jesus (John 19:1) and presented Him crowned with thorns, Pilate hoped to appease the Jewish leaders and the crowd, seeing no justifiable reason for His execution. The preceding verses (John 19:4-5) show Pilate bringing Jesus out and presenting Him with the declaration, "Behold the Man!" This act was intended to evoke sympathy and satisfy their demands short of crucifixion. However, the scene in verse 6 reveals the Jewish leaders' insatiable demand for Jesus' death by the most brutal Roman method, signifying their complete and total rejection of Him as the Christ. The backdrop is Passover week in Jerusalem, a time of heightened religious and political tension. The Jewish authorities, seeking to uphold their interpretation of the law and maintain their religious and social order, saw Jesus as a profound threat, and thus manipulated the Roman legal system to achieve His demise.
John 19 6 Word analysis
When the chief priests therefore and officers:
- Chief priests (ἀρχιερεῖς - archiereis): This refers to the leading members of the Jewish priestly aristocracy, including the current and former high priests, who were deeply invested in maintaining the religious status quo and held significant political influence. They initiated the charges against Jesus, seeing Him as a blasphemer (claiming to be God's Son) and a threat to their authority and Rome's fragile peace (fearing a popular uprising that could bring Roman intervention).
- Officers (ὑπηρέται - hypēretai): These were not common citizens but temple guards or official servants of the Sanhedrin. Their presence indicates that this was not merely a spontaneous outcry from a mob but an orchestrated and official demand coming from the very apparatus of the Jewish religious establishment. This adds weight and official gravitas to the accusation and demand.
saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him.
- saw Him: Implies a direct and unyielding recognition, yet one that fueled their predetermined animosity rather than conviction. Despite Jesus' appearance (after scourging and mocked with a crown of thorns), which might have evoked pity, it only intensified their resolve.
- they cried out (κραυγάζω - kraugazō): This verb signifies a loud, public, and persistent outcry, indicating strong emotion, determination, and a collective, unified demand. It reflects a clamor that was difficult for Pilate to ignore.
- Crucify Him, crucify Him (Σταύρωσον - Staurōson): The repetition emphasizes the intense, unwavering, and singular nature of their demand. This method of execution was specifically Roman, indicating their strategic desire to use the imperial power to execute Jesus. Jewish law typically prescribed stoning for blasphemy; seeking crucifixion, a particularly torturous and shameful death, allowed them to avoid defiling their hands directly and fulfilled Old Testament prophecy regarding a cursed death on a "tree." It also effectively neutralized Jesus as a public figure without making Him a martyr under Jewish law, which had less emphasis on crucifixion.
Pilate saith unto them, Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault in Him.
- Take ye Him, and crucify Him: This statement by Pilate is sarcastic and frustrated. He is effectively saying, "Since you want Him crucified so badly, take Him yourselves and do it," knowing full well they could not legally perform capital punishment without Roman authority. This exposes their hypocrisy and manipulation, as they needed his judicial power.
- for I find no fault in Him (ἐγὼ οὐχ εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ αἰτίαν - egō ouch heuriskō en autō aitian): Pilate's legal declaration, stated multiple times throughout the trial, affirms Jesus' innocence regarding any capital crime against Rome or the law. The word aitian means "cause" or "charge" (of guilt). This legal verdict from the Roman authority stands as a profound testament to Jesus' righteousness and the unjust nature of His condemnation.
John 19 6 Bonus section
The Jewish leaders' demand for crucifixion implicitly avoids two complications: first, the potential of making Jesus a martyr in the eyes of their followers through stoning, which could backfire; second, maintaining the facade that they were adhering to the Law by not executing Jesus themselves on a high holy day. By compelling the Romans to act, they believed they were keeping themselves ceremonially clean while achieving their goal. Pilate, in turn, washes his hands of the decision (Matt 27:24), demonstrating his ultimate refusal to accept responsibility for this injustice. This exchange further solidifies the theme of darkness unable to overcome light, where the forces of this world conspire against the truth, yet paradoxically, through this very conspiracy, God's divine plan of salvation is accomplished.
John 19 6 Commentary
John 19:6 encapsulates the moral bankruptcy and spiritual blindness of the Jewish religious leadership in their final push to execute Jesus. Their unrelenting cries for crucifixion, a barbaric Roman penalty, underscored their profound hatred and their calculated use of the Roman state to eliminate the one they perceived as a threat to their power and theological interpretations. Despite Pilate's repeated affirmations of Jesus' innocence – a clear sign of his legal findings and personal conviction – the relentless pressure and implied threat of mob violence, and potentially accusations to Rome of disloyalty to Caesar, forced Pilate's hand. This moment marks a tragic pivot where justice was sacrificed on the altar of political expediency and religious animosity, paving the way for the atoning sacrifice of Christ, the blameless Lamb, who bore the ultimate undeserved judgment.