Matthew 27:37

Bishop's Bible

And set vp ouer his head, the cause [of his death] written: This is Iesus, the king of the Iewes.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Above his head they put up the charge against him in writing: This

King James Version (1611)
And set vp ouer his head, his accusation written, THIS IS IESVS THE KING OF THE IEWES.

King James Version
And set up over his head his accusation written, This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews .

English Standard Version
And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

New American Standard Bible
And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

New Century Version
They put a sign above Jesus' head with a charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews .

Amplified Bible
And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Legacy Standard Bible
And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Berean Standard Bible
Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

Contemporary English Version
Above his head they put a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

Complete Jewish Bible
Above his head they placed the written notice stating the charge against him, THIS IS YESHUA THE KING OF THE JEWS

Darby Translation
And they set up over his head his accusation written: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

Easy-to-Read Version
They put a sign above his head with the charge against him written on it: " this is jesus, the king of the jews ."

Geneva Bible (1587)
They set vp also ouer his head his cause written, THIS IS IESVS THE KING OF THE IEVVES.

George Lamsa Translation
And they placed above his head in writing the reason for his death: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Good News Translation
Above his head they put the written notice of the accusation against him: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

Lexham English Bible
And they put above his head the charge against him in writing: "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews."

Literal Translation
And they put up over His head His charge, it having been written: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

American Standard Version
And they set up over his head his accusation written, This is Jesus the King of the Jews .

Bible in Basic English
And they put up over his head the statement of his crime in writing, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Hebrew Names Version
They set up over his head his accusation written, "THIS IS YESHUA, THE KING OF THE YEHUDIM."

International Standard Version
Above his head they placed the charge against him. It read, "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews."Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And they placed over his head the occasion of his death, in the writing, This (is) Jeshu, the King of the Jihudoyee.

Murdock Translation
And they placed over his head the cause of his death, in the writing: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

English Revised Version
And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

World English Bible
They set up over his head his accusation written, "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Weymouth's New Testament
Over His head they placed a written statement of the charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and setten aboue his heed his cause writun, This is Jhesu of Nazareth, kyng of Jewis.

Update Bible Version
And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Webster's Bible Translation
And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

New English Translation
Above his head they put the charge against him, which read: "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews."

New King James Version
And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

New Living Translation
A sign was fastened above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him. It read: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

New Life Bible
Over His head they put in writing what they had against Him, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

New Revised Standard
Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they put up, over his head, his accusation, written - THIS, IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they put over his head his cause written: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Revised Standard Version
And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they set vp over his heed the cause of his deeth written. This is Iesus the kynge of the Iewes.

Young's Literal Translation
and they put up over his head, his accusation written, `This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And aboue ouer his heade, they put vp the cause of his death in wrytinge: namely: This is the kynge of the Iewes.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and they set an Inscription over his head, denoting the reason of his execution, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Above Jesus's head, they nailed a crudely painted sign that said, "This here's Jesus, the Boss of the Jews."

Contextual Overview

³³ And they came vnto the place, which is called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of [dead mens] skulles. ³⁴ And gaue him vineger to drinke, mingled with gall: And when he had tasted therof, he woulde not drynke. ³⁵ When they had crucified hym, they parted his garmentes, & did cast lottes, that it myght be fulfylled whiche was spoken by the prophete: They departed my garmentes among them, & vpon my vesture dyd they cast lottes. ³⁶ And they sate, & watched him there. ³⁷ And set vp ouer his head, the cause [of his death] written: This is Iesus, the king of the Iewes. ³⁸ Then were there two thieues crucified with hym: one on the ryght hande, and another on the left. ³⁹ They that passed by, reuyled hym, waggyng their heades, ⁴⁰ And saying: Thou that destroyedst the temple, & buyldest it in three dayes, saue thy selfe. If thou be the sonne of God, come downe from the crosse. ⁴¹ Lykewyse also the hye priestes, mockyng hym, with the scribes, and elders, [and pharisees] sayde: ⁴² He saued other, hym selfe can he not saue. If he be the kyng of Israel, let him nowe come downe from the crosse, and we wyll beleue hym.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his accusation: Mark 15:26, Luke 23:38, John 19:19-22

Reciprocal: Ezra 4:6 - wrote Psalms 45:1 - touching Psalms 47:6 - our King Isaiah 44:6 - the King Jeremiah 30:21 - governor Matthew 25:34 - the King Matthew 27:29 - Hail Matthew 27:42 - the King

Cross-References

Genesis 25:23
And the Lorde sayde vnto her: there are two maner of people in thy wombe, and two nations shalbe deuided out of thy bowelles, and the one nation shalbe mightier then the other, and the elder shalbe seruaunt vnto the younger.

Genesis 27:10
And thou shalt bryng it to thy father that he may eate, and that he may blesse thee before his death.

Genesis 27:12
My father shall peraduenture feele mee, and I shall seeme vnto hym as though I went about to begyle hym, and so shall I bryng a curse vpon me, and not a blessyng.

Genesis 27:28
God geue thee of the deawe of heauen, and of the fatnesse of the earth, and plentie of corne and wine.

Genesis 27:29
People be thy seruauntes, and nations bowe to thee: be lorde ouer thy brethren, and thy mothers children stowpe with reuerence vnto thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

2 Samuel 8:14
And he put a garison in Edom, euen throughout all Edom put he souldiers, and all they of Edom became Dauids seruauntes: And the Lorde kept Dauid whatsoeuer he toke in hand.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And set up over his head his accusation written,.... The Evangelist John calls it a "title", John 19:19, and Luke, a "superscription", Luke 23:38, and Mark, the "superscription of his accusation", Mark 15:26: it was what contained the sum and substance of what he was accused, and for which he was condemned, and suffered. The Syriac and Persic versions here render it, "the cause of his death". It was written by Pilate in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, that all might read it; and by his orders it was put upon the cross, and over the head of Jesus by the soldiers. This title, or inscription, setting forth the person's crime, used to be carried before him, or put upon him, as he was led to execution x: but here it was set upon the cross, and perhaps nailed unto it; to which the apostle seems to allude in Colossians 2:14, the substance of it was,

this is Jesus the king of the Jews. This was what the chief priests accused him of to Pilate, and about which he questioned him, and for which they desired he might be crucified; urging, that should he let him go, he could not be Caesar's friend. Hence Pilate wrote his accusation in this form, not so much in derision of Jesus; for by conversation with him he understood what sort of a king he was, as to the reproach of the Jews for crucifying him who was their king; being the person that was prophesied of in their books, as king of Zion, and whom they expected as such, though now they denied and rejected him.

x Lipsius de Cruce, l. 2. c. 11.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And set up over his head - John says John 19:19 that Pilate wrote the title and put it upon the cross. Probably Pilate wrote it or caused it to be written, and directed the soldiers to set it up. A man is often said to do what he directs others to do. It was customary to set up over the heads of persons crucified the crime for which they suffered, and the name of the sufferer The accusation on which Jesus had been condemned by Pilate was his claiming to be the King of the Jews.

This is Jesus, the King of the Jews - The evangelists differ in the account of this title. Mark Mark 15:26 says it was, “The King of the Jews.” Luke Luke 23:38, “This is the King of the Jews.” John John 19:19, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” But the difficulty may be easily removed. John says that the title was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. It is not at all improbable that the inscription “varied” in these languages. One evangelist may have translated it from the Hebrew, another from the Greek, a third from the Latin, and a fourth may have translated one of the inscriptions a little differently from another. Besides, the evangelists all agree in the main point of the inscription, namely, that he was the King of the Jews.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 37. His accusation — It was a common custom to affix a label to the cross, giving a statement of the crime for which the person suffered. This is still the case in China, when a person is crucified. Sometimes a person was employed to carry this before the criminal, while going to the place of punishment.

It is with much propriety that Matthew calls this αιτια, accusation; for it was false that ever Christ pretended to be KING OF THE JEWS, in the sense the inscription held forth: he was accused of this, but there was no proof of the accusation; however it was affixed to the cross. From John 19:21, we find that the Jews wished this to be a little altered: Write, said they, that HE said, l am king of the Jews; thus endeavouring, by the addition of a vile lie, to countenance their own conduct in putting him to death. But this Pilate refused to do. Both Luke, Luke 23:38, and John, John 19:20, say that this accusation was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. In those three languages, we may conceive the label to stand thus, according to the account given by St. John; the Hebrew being the mixed dialect then spoken.

In Hehrew - εβραιστι:

ישוע נצריא מלכא דיהודיא

In Greek - ελληνιστα:

ΙΗΣΟΥΣ Ο ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΟΣ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΕ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ

In Latin - ρωμαιστι:

IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM

It is only necessary to observe, that all the letters, both of the Greek and Roman alphabets, were those now called square or uncial, similar to these above.