Matthew 27:18 kjv
For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
Matthew 27:18 nkjv
For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
Matthew 27:18 niv
For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.
Matthew 27:18 esv
For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.
Matthew 27:18 nlt
(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
Matthew 27 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 15:10 | For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. | Mark's parallel account, affirming Pilate's perception. |
| Jn 18:38-39 | "I find no guilt in Him"... "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" | Pilate's repeated declaration of Jesus' innocence and offer to release Him. |
| Jn 19:4 | Pilate came out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing Him out to you... I find no guilt in Him." | Pilate's persistent effort to clear Jesus, showing his conviction of innocence. |
| Lk 23:4, 14-15 | "I find no guilt in this man"... Herod... has found nothing deserving of death. | Luke also highlights the repeated declarations of Jesus' innocence by Pilate and Herod. |
| Acts 3:13-15 | But you delivered Him over and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release Him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One... | Peter directly indicts the Jewish people for choosing Barabbas over Jesus, despite Pilate's will. |
| Acts 13:27-28 | Though they found in Him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. | Paul reiterates the Jewish leaders' action, confirming lack of grounds for execution. |
| Prov 14:30 | A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. | Wisdom's warning against destructive nature of envy, echoing its corrosive effect. |
| Prov 27:4 | Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? | Highlights the powerful and destructive nature of jealousy. |
| Gen 4:3-8 | Cain... when the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, Cain was very angry... | Envy leading to murder; first biblical instance of sibling rivalry born of jealousy. |
| Gen 37:4, 11 | But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him... his brothers envied him. | Joseph's brothers' envy, a historical parallel of jealousy leading to betrayal. |
| 1 Sam 18:8-9 | Saul was very angry... And from that day Saul eyed David with jealousy. | King Saul's envy of David's success, leading to murderous attempts. |
| Job 5:2 | For vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple. | Reiterates the fatal consequences of negative emotions like jealousy. |
| Eccl 4:4 | Then I saw that all toil and all success come from a person’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity. | Observes envy as a human motivator, leading to futile striving and injustice. |
| Rom 1:29 | full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice... | Envy listed among many wicked sins resulting from a depraved mind. |
| Gal 5:21 | envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. | Envy is part of "works of the flesh" that oppose the Spirit. |
| Tit 3:3 | For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy... | Recalls humanity's fallen state marked by malice and envy before salvation. |
| Jas 3:14-16 | if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts... This is not wisdom... for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder... | Denounces bitter envy and selfish ambition as unspiritual and divisive. |
| Is 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief... | Prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus' rejection and suffering at the hands of men. |
| Lk 19:47-48 | And He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy Him... | Provides the context for the leaders' animosity: Jesus' popular teaching. |
| Mt 26:3-4 | Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest... They plotted to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him. | Illustrates the leaders' intent to eliminate Jesus, providing motive for envy. |
| Mt 23:29-36 | Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ...that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth... | Jesus' condemnation of the religious leaders, foreshadowing their culpability. |
| Jn 7:7 | The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil. | Jesus' own statement explaining why the world, including religious leaders, hated Him. |
Matthew 27 verses
Matthew 27 18 Meaning
Matthew 27:18 reveals Roman Governor Pilate's insight into the true motivation behind the Jewish religious leaders' insistence on Jesus' condemnation. He understood that their demand to crucify Jesus stemmed not from genuine legal charges or fear of sedition, but from a profound sense of envy and jealousy towards Jesus' popularity, influence, and the impact of His teachings and miracles among the people. Pilate recognized their spiritual malice.
Matthew 27 18 Context
This verse occurs during Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. It immediately follows Pilate's customary offer at Passover to release a prisoner of the crowd's choosing, placing Jesus and Barabbas, a notorious rebel and murderer, as the two options. The Jewish religious leaders – the chief priests and elders – had orchestrated Jesus' arrest and delivered Him to Pilate, lacking the authority to execute Him under Roman rule. Their initial accusations to Pilate falsely painted Jesus as a political seditionist, contrasting with their earlier blasphemy charges before the Sanhedrin. Pilate's words in Mt 27:18 reveal his discerning understanding of the underlying dynamics at play, recognizing the real motive for the leaders' relentless pursuit of Jesus' death, beyond any superficial charge.
Matthew 27 18 Word analysis
- For (γάρ - gar): This conjunction introduces a reason or explanation, indicating that Pilate's action (offering the choice of prisoner) or his broader understanding was based on this knowledge. It signals an explanatory connection to the preceding verse's context of Pilate's offer.
- he knew (ᾔδει - ēdei): From the Greek verb οἶδα (oida), meaning "to know," but with a sense of experiential, certain knowledge rather than mere intellectual acquaintance. The imperfect tense indicates an ongoing state of knowing or perception, suggesting that Pilate had thoroughly grasped or continuously perceived the true situation. His understanding was not a guess but a firm conviction.
- that (ὅτι - hoti): A conjunction introducing a declarative clause, specifying the content of Pilate's knowledge.
- for envy (διὰ φθόνον - dia phthonon):
- διὰ (dia): A preposition here indicating the cause or reason "on account of," or "because of."
- φθόνον (phthonon): This is the accusative form of φθόνος (phthonos), meaning "envy," "jealousy," or "grudging." It describes a deep resentment and displeasure at the perceived good fortune, excellence, or success of another, coupled with a desire for their misfortune. In this context, it speaks to the religious leaders' resentment of Jesus' spiritual authority, popular following, miracle-working power, and challenging teachings which exposed their hypocrisy and undermined their religious control and status. This emotion is explicitly listed among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:21 and considered a grievous sin throughout Scripture.
- they had delivered him (παρεδώκατε αὐτόν - paredōkate auton):
- παρεδώκατε (paredōkato): From the verb παραδίδωμι (paradidomi), which means "to hand over," "to deliver up," "to betray." This word is central to the Passion narrative, describing Judas's betrayal of Jesus (Mt 26:21), the Son of Man being handed over to the Gentiles (Mt 20:19), and ultimately His being delivered to be crucified. Here, it denotes the formal act of the chief priests and elders bringing Jesus to Pilate for judgment and execution, an act rooted in betrayal and malice. The aorist tense denotes a completed action.
- αὐτόν (auton): "him" or "Him," referring directly to Jesus, the object of their malicious envy and betrayal.
Phrase Analysis:
- "For he knew that": Highlights Pilate's personal awareness and astute political judgment. He was not fooled by the religious leaders' false charges; he perceived their underlying wicked motivation. This indicates a degree of moral awareness or political pragmatism that contrasts with the spiritual blindness of the accusers.
- "for envy they had delivered him": This concise statement pinpoints the core issue. It strips away the superficial religious and political accusations to reveal the bitter, corrupt heart of the Sanhedrin's opposition to Jesus. Their act of "delivering" Him was an act of malicious betrayal fueled by internal sin, not external justice. This exposes the deep spiritual pathology among the very people who claimed to represent God.
Matthew 27 18 Bonus section
This verse subtly elevates Pilate's position of understanding, however fleeting, above that of the religiously hardened leaders who, despite their intimate knowledge of Scripture, remained spiritually blind. It suggests that even pagan authorities could discern truth where religious leaders failed, a powerful polemic against religious hypocrisy. The word "delivered" (παρεδώκατε - paradidomi) echoes throughout the passion narrative, often indicating divine preordination as much as human action, even while emphasizing human culpability. Jesus was "delivered up" according to God's definite plan and foreknowledge (Acts 2:23), yet it was by their envy that they delivered Him. This shows the paradoxical intertwining of divine sovereignty and human responsibility in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan. The envy stemmed from Jesus' challenge to their established traditions and interpretation of the law, which exposed their legalistic righteousness as spiritually empty.
Matthew 27 18 Commentary
Matthew 27:18 provides a critical insight into the dynamics of Jesus' trial, directly revealing the primary motivation of His accusers. Pilate, an outsider to Jewish religious politics, nonetheless possessed enough discernment and political savvy to recognize the sinister jealousy that drove the chief priests and elders. They were not acting out of genuine concern for Roman law or piety, but out of fear of losing their power, influence, and the people's allegiance to this compelling Nazarene who performed miracles and taught with authority. This verse stands as a stark commentary on how deeply entrenched sin, specifically envy, can corrupt religious leadership and lead to ultimate evil – the persecution and execution of the righteous Son of God. It highlights the human tendency to destroy what threatens one's status or comfort, even if that 'threat' embodies truth and divine presence. The innocent was betrayed and delivered, not due to any legitimate wrongdoing, but due to the dark stain of human envy.