John 19:22

Revised Standard Version

Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”

King James Version (1611)
Pilate answered, What I haue written, I haue written.

King James Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

English Standard Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

New American Standard Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

New Century Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Amplified Bible
Pilate replied, "What I have written I have written [and it remains written]."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

Legacy Standard Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

Berean Standard Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Contemporary English Version
But Pilate told them, "What is written will not be changed!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Darby Translation
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

Easy-to-Read Version
Pilate answered, "I will not change what I have written."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Pilate answered, What I haue written, I haue written.

George Lamsa Translation
Pilate said, What I have written, I have written.

Good News Translation
Pilate answered, "What I have written stays written."

Lexham English Bible
Pilate replied, "What I have written, I have written."

Literal Translation
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

American Standard Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

Bible in Basic English
But Pilate made answer, What I have put in writing will not be changed.

Hebrew Names Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

International Standard Version
Pilate replied, "What I have written I have written."

Etheridge Translation
Pilatos saith, That which I have written, I have written.

Murdock Translation
Pilate said: What I have written, I have written.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Pilate aunswered: What I haue written, that haue I written.

English Revised Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

World English Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

Weymouth's New Testament
"What I have written I have written," was Pilate's answer.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Pilat answeride, That that Y haue writun, Y haue writun.

Update Bible Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

Webster's Bible Translation
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

New English Translation
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

New King James Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

New Living Translation
Pilate replied, "No, what I have written, I have written."

New Life Bible
Pilate said, "What I have written is to stay just as it is!"

New Revised Standard
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Pilate answered - What I have written, I have written!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Pilate answered: What I have written, I have written.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Pylate answered: what I have written that have I written.

Young's Literal Translation
Pilate answered, `What I have written, I have written.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Pilate answered: What I haue wrytten, that haue I wrytten.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Pilate answered, what I have writ, I have writ.

THE MESSAGE
Pilate said, "What I've written, I've written."

Simplified Cowboy Version
But Pilate replied, "What's written is written."

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" ²² Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." ²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; ²⁴ so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." ²⁵ So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. ²⁸ After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: John 19:12, Psalms 65:7, Psalms 76:10, Proverbs 8:29

Reciprocal: John 18:38 - I find

Cross-References

Genesis 13:10
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw that the Jordan valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zo'ar; this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomor'rah.

Genesis 14:2
these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomor'rah, Shinab king of Admah, Sheme'ber king of Zeboi'im, and the king of Bela (that is, Zo'ar).

Genesis 19:1
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth,

Genesis 19:10
But the men put forth their hands and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.

Genesis 19:25
and he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

Genesis 19:28
and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomor'rah and toward all the land of the valley, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

Exodus 32:10
now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation."

Deuteronomy 9:14
let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.'

Isaiah 15:5
My heart cries out for Moab; his fugitives flee to Zo'ar, to Eg'lath-shelish'iyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horona'im they raise a cry of destruction;

Isaiah 65:8
Thus says the LORD: "As the wine is found in the cluster, and they say, 'Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,' so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Pilate answered, what I have written I have written,.... He seems to say this, as one angry and displeased with them; either because they would not consent to release Jesus, which he was desirous of, but pressed him so very hard to crucify him; or at their insolence, in directing him in what form to put the superscription, which he determines shall stand unaltered, as he had wrote it. This he said, either because he could not alter it after it was written, for it is said w, that

"a proconsul's table is his sentence, which being once read, not one letter can either be increased or diminished; but as it is recited, so it is related in the instrument of the province;''

or if he could have altered it, he was not suffered by God to do it; but was so directed, and over ruled by divine providence, as to write, so to persist in, and abide by what he had wrote inviolably; which is the sense of his words. Dr. Lightfoot has given several instances out of the Talmud, showing that this is a common way of speaking with the Rabbins; and that words thus doubled signify that what is spoken of stands good, and is irrevocable: so a widow taking any of the moveable goods of her husband deceased for her maintenance, it is said x, מה שתפסה תפסה, "what she takes, she takes"; that is, she may lawfully do it, and retain it: it continues in her hands, and cannot be taken away from her; and so the gloss explains it, "they do not take it from her"; and in the same way Maimonides y interprets it: so of a man that binds himself to offer an oblation one way, and he offers it another way, שהביא הביא

מה, "what he has offered, he has offered z"; what he has offered is right, it stands good, and is not to be rejected: and again, among the rites used by a deceased brother's wife, towards him that refuses to marry her, if one thing is done before the other, it matters not, מה שעשוי עשוי, "what is done, is done a"; and is not to be undone, or done over again in another way; it stands firm and good, and not to be objected to: and the same writer observes, that this is a sort of prophecy of Pilate, and which should continue, and for ever obtain, that the Jews should have no other King Messiah than Jesus of Nazareth; nor have they had any other; all that have risen up have proved false Messiahs; nor will they have any other; nor indeed any king, until they seek the Lord their God, and David their king, Hosea 3:5 that is, the son of David, as they will do in the latter day; when they shall be converted, and when they shall own him as their king, their ancestors at this time were ashamed of.

w Apulei Florid. c. 9. x T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 96. 1. y Hilchot Ishot, c. 18. sect. 10. z T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 3. 1. a T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 106. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 27:32-37.

John 19:22

What I have written ... - This declaration implied that he would make no change. He was impatient, and weary of their solicitations. He had yielded to them contrary to the convictions of his own conscience, and he now declared his purpose to yield no further.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. What I have written, I have written. — That is, I will not alter what I have written. The Roman laws forbad the sentence to be altered when once pronounced; and as this inscription was considered as the sentence pronounced against our Lord, therefore, it could not be changed: but this form of speech is common in the Jewish writings, and means simply, what is done shall continue. Pilate seems to speak prophetically. This is the king of the Jews: they shall have no other Messiah for ever.