Matthew 27:42

George Lamsa Translation

And they were saying, He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe in him.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

King James Version (1611)
He saued others, himselfe he cannot saue: If he be the King of Israel, let him now come downe from the Crosse, and we will beleeue him.

King James Version
He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

English Standard Version
"He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

New American Standard Bible
"He saved others; He cannot save Himself! He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

New Century Version
They said, "He saved others, but he can't save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him.

Amplified Bible
"He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

Legacy Standard Bible
"He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

Berean Standard Bible
"He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

Contemporary English Version
"He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross! Then we will believe him.

Complete Jewish Bible
"He saved others, but he can't save himself!" "So he's King of Isra'el, is he? Let him come down now from the stake! Then we'll believe him!"

Darby Translation
He saved others, himself he cannot save. He is King of Israel: let him descend now from the cross, and we will believe on him.

Easy-to-Read Version
They said, "He saved others, but he can't save himself! People say he is the king of Israel. If he is the king, he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He saued others, but he cannot saue him selfe: if he be ye King of Israel, let him now come downe from ye crosse, and we will beleeue in him.

Good News Translation
"He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Isn't he the king of Israel? If he will come down off the cross now, we will believe in him!

Lexham English Bible
"He saved others; he is not able to save himself! He is the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him!

Literal Translation
He saved others; He is not able to save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe Him.

American Standard Version
He saved others; himself he cannot save. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

Bible in Basic English
A saviour of others, he has no salvation for himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will have faith in him.

Hebrew Names Version
"He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the King of Yisra'el, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

International Standard Version
"He saved others but can't save himself! He is the king of Israel. Let himIf he is the king of Israel, let him">[fn] come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

Etheridge Translation
He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Isroel, let him now descend from the cross, that we may see and believe in him.

Murdock Translation
and said: He gave life to others, his own life he cannot preserve. If he is the king of Israel, let him now descend from the cross, and we will believe in him. ‡2

Bishop's Bible (1568)
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.

English Revised Version
He saved others; himself he cannot save. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

World English Bible
"He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
If he be the king of Israel,

Weymouth's New Testament
"He saved others," they said, "himself he cannot save! He is the King of Israel! Let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
seiden, He made othere men saaf, he may not make hym silf saaf; if he is kyng of Israel, come he now doun fro the crosse, and we bileuen to hym;

Update Bible Version
He saved others; himself he can't save. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

Webster's Bible Translation
He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he is King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

New English Translation
"He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If he comes down now from the cross, we will believe in him!

New King James Version
"He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, [fn] let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. [fn]

New Living Translation
"He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him!

New Life Bible
"He saved others but He cannot save Himself. If He is the King of the Jews, let Him come down from the cross. Then we will believe in Him.

New Revised Standard
"He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Israel's King, he is! Let him come down, now, from the cross, - and we will believe on him!

Douay-Rheims Bible
He saved others: himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross: and we will believe him.

Revised Standard Version
"He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
He saved other him sylfe he can not save. If he be ye kynge of Israel: let him now come doune from the crosse and we will beleve him.

Young's Literal Translation
`Others he saved; himself he is not able to save! If he be King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he hath helped other, and can not helpe himself: Yf he be the kynge of Israel, let him come downe now from the crosse, and we wil beleue him

Mace New Testament (1729)
he saved others, said they, but cannot save himself: if he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

Simplified Cowboy Version
"He rescued other cowboys, now let's see if he can come down off that cross and rescue himself. If he does, then we'll believe he is who he says he is.

Contextual Overview

³³ And they came to a place which is called Golgotha, which is interpreted The Skull. ³⁴ And they gave him to drink vinegar mixed with gall; and he tasted it, but he would not drink. ³⁵ And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And they were sitting there and watching him. ³⁷ And they placed above his head in writing the reason for his death: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. ³⁸ And there were crucified with him two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ And those who passed by blasphemed against him, nodding their heads, ⁴⁰ And saying, O you who can tear down the temple and build it in three days, deliver yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross. ⁴¹ The high priests likewise were mocking, together with the scribes, the elders and the Pharisees. ⁴² And they were saying, He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe in him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

saved: John 9:24, John 12:47, Acts 4:14

the King: Matthew 27:37, Matthew 2:2, Luke 19:38, John 1:49

Reciprocal: Genesis 37:19 - Behold Deuteronomy 10:10 - the Lord hearkened 1 Kings 22:24 - Which way Psalms 3:2 - no Psalms 22:8 - He trusted Psalms 69:12 - They Psalms 71:11 - God Jeremiah 19:1 - the ancients of the people Mark 15:18 - Hail John 4:48 - Except John 19:7 - because John 20:25 - Except

Cross-References

Genesis 27:12
Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a mocker; and I Shall bring a curse upon myself, and not a blessing.

Genesis 27:14
So he went and picked them up, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made a stew, such as his father liked.

Genesis 27:16
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the back of his neck;

Genesis 27:17
And she gave the stew and the bread which she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob.

Genesis 27:18
And he brought them in to his father, and said, My father; and he said, Here am I. Then he said, Who are you, my son?

Genesis 27:20
And Isaac said to his son, How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD your God brought it my way.

Genesis 27:21
Then Isaac said to Jacob his son, Come near me, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are my son Esau or not.

Genesis 27:22
And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacobs voice, but the hands are Esaus.

1 Samuel 30:5
And Davids two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

Psalms 64:5
They encourage themselves with evil speech; they plan to hide snares; they say, Who shall see us?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He saved others, himself he cannot save,.... This was not so much a concession of theirs, that he had done many saving works, as healing the sick, cleansing lepers, causing the blind to see, and the lame to walk, and raising the dead; but rather a suggestion, that these were only pretensions and illusions; that either they were not really done, or done by the help of the devil; since now he himself was in the utmost extremity, he could not save himself: but of this they might have been convinced by his striking many of them to the ground, that came to apprehend him in the garden, and of which these men were eyewitnesses; and he, as man, could easily have obtained of his Father more than twelve legions of angels that would have rescued him out of their hands: but so it must not be; he came not to save himself, but others, and to save them spiritually and eternally by dying himself.

If he be the king of Israel; that is, the Messiah, who was promised and expected as a king, as Zion's king, or king of Israel; see John 1:49, hence in Mark 15:32 it is Christ the king of Israel.

Let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. The Persic version reads, "that the people may see, and believe in him"; and the Syriac and Arabic versions, "that we may see, and believe in him", as in Mark 15:32. But, alas! they had seen greater things already than this, and yet had not believed. He could easily have caused the nails to have given way, and unloosed himself, and come down, who had done such mighty works among them; and if he had, there is no reason to conclude they would have believed him to be the Son of God, and the true Messiah; for though after this, he did a much greater work, raised himself from the dead, of which they had the fullest evidence, yet they remained unbelieving.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He saved others - It does not seem probable that they meant to admit that he had actually saved others, but only that he “pretended” to save them from death by miracles, or that he claimed to be the Messiah, and thus affirmed that he “could” save them. This is, therefore, cutting irony.

If he be the King of Israel ... - It may seem strange to some that Jesus did not vindicate by a miracle his claims to be the Messiah, and come down from the cross. But the time had come for him to make an atonement. He had given full and sufficient proof that he was the Christ. Those who had rejected him, and who mocked and taunted him, would have been little likely to admit his claims if he had come down from the cross, since they had set at naught all his other miracles. They said this for the purpose of insult; and Jesus chose rather to suffer, though his character was assailed, than to work a new miracle for their gratification. He had foretold his death, and the time had come; and now, amid revilings, and gibes, and curses, and the severe sarcasms of an angry and apparently triumphant priesthood, he chose to die for the sins of the world. To this they added “insult” to God, profanely calling upon him to interpose by miracle and save him, if he was his friend; and all this when their prophets had foretold this very scene, and when they were fulfilling the predictions of their own Scriptures. See the Isaiah 53:0 notes, and Daniel 9:24-27 notes. So wonderful is the way by which God causes His word to be fulfilled.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 42. He saved others; himself he cannot save. — Or, Cannot he save himself? Several MSS. read this with the mark of interrogation as above; and this makes the sarcasm still more keen.

A high priest who designs to destroy the temple of God: a Saviour who saves not himself; and the Son of God crucified: these are the contradictions which give offence to Jews and libertines. But a high priest who dispels the types and shadows, only that he may disclose the substance of religion, and become the minister of a heavenly sanctuary; a Saviour who dies only to be the victim of salvation; and the Son of God who confines his power within the bounds of the cross to establish the righteousness of faith: this is what a Christian adores; this is the foundation of his hope, and the fountain of his present comfort and final blessedness. See Quesnel.

We will believe him. — Instead of αυτω, him, many excellent MSS. have επ' αυτῳ, IN him: this is a reading which Griesbach and other eminent critics have adopted.