^19:4Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders,¹⁰ “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation¹¹ against him.” ^19:5So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.¹² Pilate¹³ said to them, “Look, here is the man!”¹⁴^19:6When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucify¹⁵ him! Crucify him!”¹⁶ Pilate said,¹⁷ “You take him and crucify him!¹⁸ Certainly¹⁹ I find no reason for an accusation²⁰ against him!”

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John 19:5: So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

Footnotes

10 Grk “to them.” The words “the Jewish leaders” are supplied from John 18:38 for clarity.
11 Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”
12 See the note on the purple robe in .
13 Grk “He”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 Look, here is the man! Pilate may have meant no more than something like “Here is the accused!” or in a contemptuous way, “Here is your king!” Others have taken Pilate’s statement as intended to evoke pity from Jesus’ accusers: “Look at this poor fellow!” (Jesus would certainly not have looked very impressive after the scourging). For the author, however, Pilate’s words constituted an unconscious allusion to Zech 6:12, “Look, here is the man whose name is the Branch.” In this case Pilate (unknowingly and ironically) presented Jesus to the nation under a messianic title.
15 Crucifixion was the cruelest form of punishment practiced by the Romans. Roman citizens could not normally undergo it. It was reserved for the worst crimes, like treason and evasion of due process in a capital case. The Roman statesman and orator Cicero (106–43 b.c.) called it “a cruel and disgusting penalty” (Against Verres 2.5.63–66 §§163–70); Josephus ( 7.6.4 [7.203]) called it the worst of deaths.
16 The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from context.
17 Grk “said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.
18 How are Pilate’s words “You take him and crucify him” to be understood? Was he offering a serious alternative to the priests who wanted Jesus crucified? Was he offering them an exception to the statement in 18:31 that the Jewish authorities did not have the power to carry out a death penalty? Although a few scholars have suggested that the situation was at this point so far out of Pilate’s control that he really was telling the high priests they could go ahead and crucify a man he had found to be innocent, this seems unlikely. It is far more likely that Pilate’s statement should be understood as one of frustration and perhaps sarcasm. This seems to be supported by the context, for the Jewish authorities make no attempt at this point to seize Jesus and crucify him. Rather they continue to pester Pilate to order the crucifixion.
19 On this use of γάρ (gar) used in exclamations and strong affirmations, see γάρ 3.
20 Or “find no basis for an accusation”; Grk “find no cause.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 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.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

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.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Pilate went outside again and said to them, “Look, I’m bringing him out to you to let you know I find no grounds for charging him.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

When the chief priests and the temple servants saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Pilate responded, “Take him and crucify him yourselves, since I find no grounds for charging him.”

NLTNew Living Translation

Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”

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.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And Pilate came outside again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing him outside to you, so that you will know that I find no basis for an accusation against him.” Then Jesus came outside wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and he said to them, “Behold the man!” So when they saw him, the chief priests and the officers shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “You take him and crucify him! For I do not find a basis for an accusation against him.”

KJV 1900King James Version

Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! 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.

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