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Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

John 18:30

They answered him, "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Accusation, False;   Indictments;   Jesus, the Christ;   Persecution;   Pilate, Pontius;   Priest;   Prisoners;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Rome;   Sanhedrin;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Persecution;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Trial of Jesus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Pilate;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Malefactor;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Aceldama;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Malefactor;   Pilate, Pontius;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”
King James Version (1611)
They answered, & said vnto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not haue deliuered him vp vnto thee.
King James Version
They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.
English Standard Version
They answered him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you."
New American Standard Bible
They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you."
New Century Version
They answered, "If he were not a criminal, we wouldn't have brought him to you."
Amplified Bible
They answered, "If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you [for judgment]."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you."
Legacy Standard Bible
They answered and said to him, "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you."
Berean Standard Bible
"If He were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed Him over to you."
Contemporary English Version
They answered, "He is a criminal! That's why we brought him to you."
Complete Jewish Bible
They answered, "If he hadn't done something wrong, we wouldn't have brought him to you."
Darby Translation
They answered and said to him, If this [man] were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up to thee.
Easy-to-Read Version
They answered, "He is a bad man. That is why we brought him to you."
Geneva Bible (1587)
They answered, and saide vnto him, If hee were not an euill doer, we woulde not haue deliuered him vnto thee.
George Lamsa Translation
They answered and said to him, If he were not an evil-doer, we would not have delivered him up also to you.
Good News Translation
Their answer was, "We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime."
Lexham English Bible
They answered and said to him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have handed him over to you!"
Literal Translation
They answered and said to him, If this One were not an evildoer, then we would not have delivered Him to you.
American Standard Version
They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee.
Bible in Basic English
They said to him in answer, If the man was not a wrongdoer we would not have given him up to you.
Hebrew Names Version
They answered him, "If this man weren't an evildoer, we wouldn't have delivered him up to you."
International Standard Version
They answered him, "If he weren't a criminal, we wouldn't have handed him over to you."
Etheridge Translation
They answered and said to him, If he were not a worker of evils, we would not to thee have delivered him.
Murdock Translation
They replied, and said to him: If he were not a malefactor, we should not have delivered him up to thee.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They aunswered, and said vnto him: Yf he were not an euyll doer, we would not haue deliuered hym vnto thee.
English Revised Version
They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee.
World English Bible
They answered him, "If this man weren't an evildoer, we wouldn't have delivered him up to you."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They answered and said to him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him to thee.
Weymouth's New Testament
"If the man were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei answeriden, and seiden to hym, If this were not a mysdoere, we hadden not bitakun hym to thee.
Update Bible Version
They answered and said to him, If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up to you.
Webster's Bible Translation
They answered and said to him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to thee.
New English Translation
They replied, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."
New King James Version
They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."
New Living Translation
"We wouldn't have handed him over to you if he weren't a criminal!" they retorted.
New Life Bible
The Jews said, "If He had not done wrong, we would not have brought Him to you."
New Revised Standard
They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They answered and said unto him - If this one had not been doing, mischief, unto thee, had we not delivered him up.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They answered and said to him: If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to thee.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
They answered and sayd vnto him. If he were not an evyll doar we wolde not have delyvered him vnto the.
Young's Literal Translation
they answered and said to him, `If he were not an evil doer, we had not delivered him to thee.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They answered, and sayde vnto him: Yf he were not an euell doer, we had not delyuered him vnto the.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they answered him, if he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him to you.
THE MESSAGE
They said, "If he hadn't been doing something evil, do you think we'd be here bothering you?"
Simplified Cowboy Version
The Jews said, "He is a criminal. Why else would we have brought him to you?"

Contextual Overview

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Ca'iaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" 30 They answered him, "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over." 31 Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." 32 This was to fulfil the word which Jesus had spoken to show by what death he was to die. 33 Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 34 Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" 35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?" 36 Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world." 37 Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

If: John 19:12, Mark 15:3, Luke 20:19-26, Luke 23:2-5

delivered: Mark 10:33, Luke 24:7, Acts 3:13

Reciprocal: Psalms 64:6 - search Jeremiah 26:11 - saying Luke 18:32 - delivered John 9:24 - we know Acts 21:33 - and demanded Acts 25:5 - if

Cross-References

Genesis 18:8
Then he took curds, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Genesis 18:9
They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "She is in the tent."
Genesis 18:11
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Genesis 18:16
Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way.
Genesis 18:28
Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."
Genesis 18:29
Again he spoke to him, and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it."
Genesis 44:18
Then Judah went up to him and said, "O my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself.
Judges 6:39
Then Gideon said to God, "Let not thy anger burn against me, let me speak but this once; pray, let me make trial only this once with the fleece; pray, let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew."
Job 40:4
"Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Psalms 9:12
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They answered and said unto him,.... Offended at the question put to them, and filled with indignation that they should be so interrogated, with an air of haughtiness and insolence reply to him:

if he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee; insinuating, that he was guilty of some very wicked action; not merely of a breach of some of their laws peculiar to them; for then they would have tried and judged him according to them, and not have brought him before him; but they suggest, that he was guilty of some crimes recognizable by Caesar's court; and which they did not care to mention expressly, lest they should not succeed, not having it may be as yet, their witnesses ready; and hoped he would have took their own word for it, without any further proof, they being men of such rank and dignity, and of so much knowledge, learning, and religion; and therefore took it ill of him, that he should ask such persons as they were, so famous for their prudence, integrity, and sanctity, such a question: however, they own themselves to be the betrayers and deliverers up of our Lord, which Christ had before foretold, and which Stephen afterwards charged them with.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If he were not a malefactor - A violator of the law. If we had not determined that he was such, and was worthy of death, Matthew 26:66. From this it appears that they did not deliver him up to be tried, but hoped that Pilate would at once, give sentence that he should be executed according to their request. It is probable that in ordinary cases the Roman governor was not accustomed to make very strict inquiry into the justice of the sentence. The Jewish Sanhedrin tried causes and pronounced sentence, and the sentence was usually approved by the governor; but in this case Pilate, evidently contrary to their expectations, proceeded himself to rehear and retry the cause. He had doubtless heard of the miracles of Jesus. He seems to have been strongly pre-possessed with the belief of his innocence. He knew that they had delivered him from mere envy Matthew 27:18, and hence, he inquired of them the nature of the case, and the kind of charge which they expected to substantiate against him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 30. If he were not a malefactor — So they did not wish to make Pilate the judge, but the executor of the sentence which they had already illegally passed.


 
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