Mark 15:26 kjv
And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Mark 15:26 nkjv
And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Mark 15:26 niv
The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Mark 15:26 esv
And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews."
Mark 15:26 nlt
A sign announced the charge against him. It read, "The King of the Jews."
Mark 15 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 27:37 | "And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, 'THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.'" | Synoptic parallel to Mark. |
| Lk 23:38 | "There was also an inscription over him, 'THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.'" | Synoptic parallel; Lk omits Jesus' name. |
| Jn 19:19-22 | "Pilate also wrote an inscription... 'JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.'... Pilate answered, 'What I have written I have written.'" | Provides detailed interaction and Pilate's stubbornness regarding the title. |
| Mk 15:2 | "And Pilate asked him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?' And he answered him, 'You have said so.'" | Jesus' earlier affirmation to Pilate. |
| Jn 18:33-37 | "Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?' Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world...'" | Jesus' spiritual understanding of His kingship. |
| Zech 9:9 | "Rejoice greatly... Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey..." | Prophecy of Messiah's humble kingship. |
| Isa 9:6-7 | "For to us a child is born... and the government shall be upon his shoulder... of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David..." | Prophecy of the everlasting kingly Messiah. |
| Jer 23:5-6 | "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely...'" | Prophecy of a righteous King from David's line. |
| Lk 1:32-33 | "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." | Gabriel's annunciation affirming Jesus' royal destiny. |
| 1 Tim 6:15 | "...He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords," | Divine sovereignty of God, often applied to Christ. |
| Rev 19:16 | "On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, 'KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.'" | Christ's future triumphant reign. |
| Psa 2:6 | "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." | God's sovereign establishment of His King. |
| Acts 17:7 | "They are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." | Early Christians accused of proclaiming Jesus as King. |
| Phil 2:8-9 | "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him..." | Jesus' suffering preceding His exaltation as King. |
| Heb 1:8 | "But of the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.'" | Affirmation of Jesus' divine, eternal kingship. |
| Jn 1:49 | "Nathanael answered him, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!'" | Early confession of Jesus' kingship. |
| Jn 12:13 | "They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!'" | Triumphal entry acknowledging Jesus as King. |
| 1 Sam 8:7 | "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.'" | Israel's history of rejecting God's direct rule, echoing rejection of King Jesus. |
| Col 1:13-14 | "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption..." | Believers transferred into Christ's kingdom. |
| Eph 1:20-22 | "...which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion..." | Christ's supreme exaltation above all earthly powers. |
| Mt 2:1-2 | "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem... behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?'" | Initial inquiry by the Magi about the newborn King. |
| Mk 10:47-48 | "And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'" | The "Son of David" title is a direct Messianic royal claim. |
Mark 15 verses
Mark 15 26 Meaning
Mark 15:26 records the precise wording of the charge publicly displayed above Jesus on the cross during His crucifixion. According to Roman practice, this placard, known as a titulus, specified the crime for which the condemned person was being executed. In Jesus' case, the stated accusation was simple yet profoundly ironic: "THE KING OF THE JEWS," highlighting the paradoxical nature of His sovereignty manifested through suffering.
Mark 15 26 Context
Mark 15:26 occurs at the climax of Jesus' Passion narrative, immediately following His condemnation by Pontius Pilate and the brutal scourging by Roman soldiers. It describes a key detail of Roman crucifixion practice: the display of the accused's crime for public viewing. This titulus was often hung around the neck of the condemned person during their march to execution or affixed to the cross itself, serving as both a legal justification and a warning. Pilate, the Roman governor, bore the ultimate responsibility for determining the charge. His inscription of "THE KING OF THE JEWS" was a direct affront to the Jewish leadership who vehemently denied Jesus' claim to kingship and explicitly demanded His death on grounds of blasphemy (for claiming to be Son of God) and sedition (for making Himself a king against Caesar). Pilate's act, possibly born of spite towards the Jewish authorities or a cynical assessment of Jesus' true 'threat,' inadvertently served to proclaim Jesus' true identity, however ironically, to the world.
Mark 15 26 Word analysis
And (Καὶ - Kai): A simple conjunction connecting this event to the preceding actions, signifying continuity in the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion. It places the inscription within the ongoing sequence of events at Calvary.
the superscription (ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ - hē epigraphē): From the Greek
epigraphē, meaning "an inscription," "a writing," or "a title." In the Roman context, this refers to the titulus (Latin), a placard detailing the crime. Its purpose was to publicly announce the reason for execution, serving as both legal justification and a deterrent.of his accusation (τῆς αἰτίας αὐτοῦ - tēs aitias autou): From
aitia, meaning "cause," "reason," or "charge/accusation." This phrase specifies that theepigraphēcontained the official legal grounds for Jesus' execution, as determined by the Roman authority. It clarifies the inscription's function as a formal charge.was written over (ἦν ... γεγραμμένη - ēn ... gegrammenē):
ēnis the imperfect tense of "to be," andgegrammenēis the perfect passive participle of "to write." This phrase implies that the inscription had already been written and was now affixed. "Over" signifies its placement above Jesus' head on the cross, making it prominently visible. The passive voice ("was written") implies it was a completed action carried out by others, specifically Pilate's order.THE KING OF THE JEWS (Ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων - Ho Basileus tōn Ioudaiōn): This is the direct and full content of the
epigraphē.- Ὁ (Ho): The definite article, emphasizing "The" unique king, rather than merely "a" king.
- βασιλεὺς (Basileus): "King." This term carries profound messianic significance for the Jewish people, referencing the promised Davidic monarch who would liberate and reign.
- τῶν Ἰουδαίων (tōn Ioudaiōn): "Of the Jews." This specifies the people over whom Jesus was accused of claiming kingship, grounding the political charge in a specific ethnicity and national identity under Roman rule.
Words-group analysis:
- "the superscription of his accusation was written over": This phrase underlines the public, formal, and authoritative nature of the Roman execution. The specific crime was openly declared, meant to legitimize the extreme penalty and reinforce imperial power by humiliating the condemned. The location "over" or "above" His head on the cross emphasizes its visibility and authoritative placement.
- "THE KING OF THE JEWS": This phrase embodies layers of irony and divine purpose. For Pilate, it was a political charge and a jab at the Jewish leadership who insisted Jesus be executed. For the Jewish authorities, it was a denial and a blasphemy. For the believers, it was a paradoxical and profound truth proclaimed, however unwittingly, by the Roman empire—the ultimate declaration of Jesus' true identity and the nature of His "crime." The earthly accusation becomes a heavenly affirmation.
Mark 15 26 Bonus section
The significance of Mark 15:26 is further amplified by John's account (Jn 19:20) which specifies that the inscription was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. This multi-lingual display ensured that the message—that this condemned man was indeed "THE KING OF THE JEWS"—was broadcast widely and understood by people of various backgrounds converging in Jerusalem, thus making it a truly universal, albeit initially mocked, declaration. Pilate, the instrument of Rome, became an unwitting evangelist, publishing Jesus' kingship to the then-known world, signifying that His reign would extend beyond a specific people or territory. This public proclamation underscored that Jesus' crucifixion was not merely a localized event but an act of cosmic significance concerning universal sovereignty.
Mark 15 26 Commentary
Mark 15:26 presents a pivotal and deeply ironic moment in Jesus' crucifixion: the public declaration of His supposed crime. Rome's established practice of displaying the condemned's offense served to reinforce imperial authority and deter rebellion. However, in the case of Jesus, the very inscription intended as a mark of shame and a political indictment – "THE KING OF THE JEWS" – inadvertently became a powerful, albeit unintended, proclamation of His true identity and purpose.
Pilate, a cynical Roman governor, seemed motivated by a mix of political calculation, weariness, and perhaps contempt for the Jewish leadership. He resisted changing the inscription despite their protests (Jn 19:21-22), solidifying this declaration. Thus, the greatest earthly power unwittingly served the divine plan, affixing the very truth about Jesus onto the instrument of His humiliation. This moment showcases God's sovereignty, where even the actions of ungodly authorities contribute to the fulfillment of His ultimate will. Jesus, in His most profound state of weakness and public shame, was officially, though mockingly, recognized as the promised Messiah-King, foreshadowing His ultimate triumph and enthronement. This charge highlights the core reason for His execution: His divine kingship challenged the paradigms of both earthly Roman power and traditional Jewish expectations of a conquering Messiah.