ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for John 19

John 19:1 Jesus’ sentencing begins. flogged him. Jesus was beaten before (v. 1) and after being sentenced to death (e.g., Matt. 27:26; Mark 15:15). It seems likely that this first flogging was the lightest form of beating that the Romans administered for minor crimes. John 19:1 and Luke 23:16 refer to this lighter flogging, whereas Matt. 27:26 and Mark 15:15 use a stronger verb to refer to the much more severe beating that Jesus received after Pilate pronounced the sentence of death.

John 19:2 The crown of thorns is a mock crown ridiculing Jesus’ claim of being a king. The purple robe (compare Matt. 27:28; Mark 15:17) is a mock royal robe. Purple is the imperial color. The soldiers’ actions are ironic, since Jesus truly is the King.

John 19:3 Hail, King of the Jews! mimics the “Hail, Caesar!” shouted to the Roman emperor.

John 19:5 Pilate probably said “Behold the man!” sarcastically, as if to say, “What possible threat could this man pose?” John may have included this detail in his account to ironically highlight Jesus’ identity as one who truly is the perfect man.

John 19:6 Crucify him, crucify him. On crucifixion, see note on Matt. 27:35. Take him yourselves. Pilate uses sarcasm, fully aware that the Jews do not have the authority to impose the death penalty (see note on John 18:31).

John 19:7 The Jews’ comment recalls Lev. 24:16. See note on John 8:59.

John 19:8 Pilate was even more afraid. See the reference to Pilate’s wife’s dream (Matt. 27:19).

John 19:9 his headquarters. See note on 18:28. Where are you from? Jesus’ origins were frequently at issue in his dealings with his opponents (e.g., 7:27–28; 8:14; 9:29–30). For John, there are clear spiritual implications to Pilate’s question (see 18:36–37). gave him no answer. Compare Isa. 53:7; Mark 14:61; 15:5; 1 Pet. 2:22–23.

John 19:11 From above refers to God. He who delivered me over to you probably refers to Caiaphas, the high priest (see 18:24, 28).

John 19:12 Pilate remains unconvinced of Jesus’ guilt. He sentences him to die only after intense pressure from the Jewish leaders (vv. 13–16). not Caesar’s friend. “Friend” here is likely a technical term, used here by the Jewish leaders to accuse Pilate of being disloyal to Caesar (see v. 15; Matt. 22:17, 21).

John 19:13 The Greek for judgment seat here implies a raised area used for official judgments (see Matt. 27:19). The name Gabbatha also probably indicates a “raised place.” The exact locations of the Stone Pavement and the judgment seat, however, are uncertain.

John 19:14 The day of Preparation of the Passover may refer to the day preceding the Sabbath of Passover week (compare Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; see note on John 18:28). Thus all four Gospels agree that Jesus’ Last Supper was a Passover meal eaten on Thursday evening (by Jewish reckoning, the beginning of Friday). About the sixth hour means about noon. This is an approximate statement since people did not keep precise time. Mark 15:25 has “the third hour” for the crucifixion. Various solutions have been proposed. The answer may simply be that the actual time was around 9:30–10:00 a.m. and John knew this but chose to emphasize that it was nearing the time when the Passover lambs would begin to be sacrificed in Jerusalem. Thus he highlights a direct connection with Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Behold your King! Pilate’s words again show the irony of the situation (see note on 19:5).

John 19:15 By professing to acknowledge Caesar alone as their king, the Jewish leaders betray their national heritage (in which God himself is their ultimate King; see Judg. 8:23; 1 Sam. 8:7). They also deny their own messianic expectations.

John 19:16 After being sentenced, the person was first beaten (see note on v. 1) and then executed.

John 19:17 Jesus set out carrying his own cross until he collapsed on the way. Simon of Cyrene was then forced to carry the cross (see Matt. 27:32 and parallels). He went out is in keeping with the Jewish requirement that executions take place outside the camp or city (see Lev. 24:14; Num. 15:35–36). Place of a Skull. It may have had this name because it was a place of execution, because the area had a number of tombs, or possibly because the site in some way resembled a skull (see Mark 15:22).

John 19:18 On crucifixion, see notes on 18:32; Matt. 27:35. Jesus’ crucifixion between two criminals recalls Ps. 22:16 and Isa. 53:12.

John 19:19 The inscription indicated a person’s specific crime. the King of the Jews. This is another example of John’s frequent use of double meaning and irony (see note on 3:14).

John 19:20 Aramaic was the language most widely understood by the Jewish population of Palestine. Latin was the official language of Rome. Greek was the “international language” of the empire, understood by both Jews and Gentiles. Using multiple languages for the inscription made sure almost everyone was aware of the official reason for Jesus’ crucifixion.

John 19:23 The soldiers’ actions fulfilled Scripture (see notes on v. 24; 12:37–40).

John 19:24 John quotes Psalm 22 (the psalm most frequently quoted in the NT). Here David provides numerous prophetic details of the execution scene that are fulfilled in Jesus’ crucifixion nearly a thousand years later. This is the first of several references to Jesus as the righteous sufferer in keeping with Psalm 22 (see John 19:28, 36, 37).

John 19:25 On Jesus’ mother, see vv. 26–27 and 2:1–5. His mother’s sister may be Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee mentioned in Matthew and Mark. On Mary the wife of Clopas, see Luke 24:18. Regarding Mary Magdalene, see John 20:1–18 (compare Luke 8:2–3).

John 19:26–27 Jesus provided for his mother (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16). She was almost certainly a widow and probably in her late 40s or early 50s, with little or no personal income.

John 19:28–29 The reference to Scripture being fulfilled is most likely an allusion to Ps. 69:21 (compare Matt. 27:34, 48; see also Ps. 22:15). The sour wine (see Mark 15:36) Jesus is offered here was used by soldiers to quench their thirst. It is different than the “wine mixed with myrrh,” a sedative that Jesus refused on the way to the cross (Mark 15:23). Hyssop was used for the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts at the original Passover (Ex. 12:22).

John 19:30 It is finished proclaims that Jesus had completed all the work the Father sent him to accomplish (see 4:34; 9:4), particularly his work of bearing the penalty for sins (see Heb. 9:11–12, 25–28). The term gave up emphasizes the voluntary nature of Jesus’ self-sacrifice (see note on John 10:17) and echoes Isa. 53:12. his spirit. Jesus’ human spirit, which he voluntarily released from his body that it might return to God the Father’s presence (see Luke 23:43, 46). It returned to his body at his resurrection (John 20:1).

John 19:31 On the day of Preparation, see note on v. 14. That Sabbath was a high day (that is, a special Sabbath) because it was the Sabbath of Passover week. The Jews’ request was based on Deut. 21:22–23 (compare Josh. 8:29). Bodies of hanged criminals were not to defile the land by remaining on a tree overnight. legs might be broken. The Romans typically left decaying bodies on crosses long after death (see note on Matt. 27:35). However, on certain ceremonial occasions, they could take the bodies down early. If a person’s legs were broken, he could not push himself up to be able to breathe more easily, thus speeding up his death.

John 19:34 The flow of blood and water indicates that Jesus truly died as a fully human being with a genuine human body.

John 19:36 Not one of his bones will be broken. This is the third scriptural proof (see vv. 24, 28) cited by John to indicate that Jesus’ death fulfills Scripture (Ps. 34:20; also Ex. 12:46). The spear piercing his body likewise failed to break any bones.

John 19:37 The second of two texts fulfilled by the Roman soldiers’ actions in v. 34 is Zech. 12:10: They will look on him whom they have pierced (also cited in Rev. 1:7).

John 19:38 Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Jewish ruling council (Matt. 27:57), asks Pilate for Jesus’ body, fulfilling Isa. 53:9. The location of Arimathea is not certain, though some identify it as Ramah (or Ramathaim-Zophim; see 1 Sam. 1:19).

John 19:41 Regarding the place where Jesus was crucified, see note on v. 17. Garden indicates a large space; a gardener is mentioned in 20:15. tomb. See note on Mark 15:46.

John 19:42 Regarding the Jewish day of Preparation, see note on v. 14. The Sabbath was rapidly approaching. Work had to stop, including that of carrying spices or moving a corpse.