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 anyone to death.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Pilate’s clever deflection reveals a crucial detail: the Jewish leaders, despite their religious authority, no longer possessed the power to execute anyone themselves. Their insistence on bringing Jesus to Pilate wasn't just about Roman jurisdiction; it was a calculated move to shift the ultimate responsibility for Jesus' death, a death they desired but couldn't directly enact.
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 anyone to death.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Pilate, trying to avoid the responsibility of condemning Jesus, pushes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus by their own law. They refuse, claiming they don't have the legal authority to execute anyone, forcing the situation back onto Pilate. This exchange highlights the Jews' reluctance to carry out Jesus' death sentence themselves and their desire to have the Romans do it, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy about how he would die.
Why did Pilate push back when the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to him? It wasn't just about justice; it was a strategic move.
Pilate, the Roman governor, was in a tough spot. The Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus but brought him to Pilate without a clear charge that fit Roman law.
The Jewish leaders claimed they couldn't execute anyone. But was this about law, or was it about avoiding the messiness of the Passover?
The response, 'It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,' is a critical moment revealing the leaders' complex motivations.
Ask a follow-up
This tense exchange between Pilate and the Jewish leaders wasn't just a political standoff; it was divinely ordained.
This entire scene, with its back-and-forth and legal maneuvering, was not accidental. It was a crucial part of God's plan.
Understand the original words
krinete · Greek Verb
In a judicial sense, to exercise authority to determine guilt or innocence and pass sentence according to a set of standards or statutes.
nomos · Greek Noun
A system of rules, divine or civil, regulating conduct. In this context, it refers to the Mosaic Law held by the Jewish leaders.
apokteinōmen · Greek Verb
The capital punishment or termination of physical life. In John, it often carries deeper significance regarding Jesus' redemptive sacrifice.
The exchange between Pilate and the Jewish leaders highlights the complex political and legal situation under Roman occupation, where the Jewish authorities had lost the power of capital punishment, forcing them to rely on the Roman governor to carry out executions.
c. 6 BC
Herod Archelaus Deposed
Following the death of Herod the Great, his son Archelaus was deposed by the Roman emperor Augustus. Judea then became a Roman province directly governed by a Roman prefect or procurator.
c. AD 26-36
Pontius Pilate Governs Judea
Pontius Pilate served as the Roman prefect of Judea during this period. His governorship was marked by a number of clashes with the Jewish population due to his insensitivity to their religious customs.
c. AD 30
The Passover Feast
The events surrounding Jesus' arrest and trial take place during the Passover festival, a time of heightened religious and nationalistic fervor in Jerusalem.
c. AD 30
Jewish Council Convenes
Jesus is brought before the Jewish high council (Sanhedrin) for a preliminary hearing. The council, including chief priests and elders, sought to condemn Jesus.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
The Jewish leaders, unable to execute Jesus themselves under Roman rule, bring Him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, to secure a death sentence.
c. AD 30
Pilate Declines Jurisdiction
Pilate attempts to shift responsibility back to the Jewish leaders, telling them to judge Jesus by their own law. They respond that they lack the authority to inflict a death penalty.
This verse directly shows the Jews framing Jesus with charges of treason against Rome ('We found this man subverting our nation and opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar and saying that he himself is Christ, a king'), a tactic discussed in the commentaries as a way to coerce Pilate into executing Jesus when they lacked the authority themselves.
Acts 7:58-59This passage describes the stoning of Stephen, which commentators note as a potential example of a 'popular tumult' or mob action, as opposed to a lawful execution, aligning with the discussion about the Jews' lost authority for formal capital punishment.
Matthew 27:19Pilate's wife's warning to him about Jesus, mentioned here, is seen by commentators as a possible reason for Pilate's repeated attempts to avoid sentencing Jesus to death, adding context to his interaction with the Jewish leaders.
John 19:10-11Pilate's assertion of his authority over Jesus' life and death, and Jesus' affirmation of this divine allowance, directly reinforces the point that the ultimate power of execution resided with the Roman governor, not the Jewish leaders.
vincentJohn 18:31: "Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:"
Take ye him (λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς)The A.V. obscures the emphatic force of ὑμεῖς, you. Pilate's words display great practical shrewdness in forcing the Jews to commit themselves to the admission that they desired Christ's death. "Take him yourselves (so Rev.), and judge him according to your law." "By our law," reply t…
henryJohn 18:28-32: "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover."
18:28-32 It was unjust to put one to death who had done so much good, therefore the Jews were willing to save themselves from reproach. Many fear the scandal of an ill thing, more than the sin of it. Christ had said he should be delivered to the Gentiles, and they should put him to…
Pilate’s clever deflection reveals a crucial detail: the Jewish leaders, despite their religious authority, no longer possessed the power to execute anyone themselves. Their insistence on bringing Jesus to Pilate wasn't just about Roman jurisdiction; it was a calculated move to shift the ultimate responsibility for Jesus' death, a death they desired but couldn't directly enact.
Pilate, trying to avoid the responsibility of condemning Jesus, pushes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus by their own law. They refuse, claiming they don't have the legal authority to execute anyone, forcing the situation back onto Pilate. This exchange highlights the Jews' reluctance to carry out Jesus' death sentence themselves and their desire to have the Romans do it, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy about how he would die.
Pilate, trying to avoid the responsibility of condemning Jesus, pushes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus by their own law. They refuse, claiming they don't have the legal authority to execute anyone, forcing the situation back onto Pilate. This exchange highlights the Jews' reluctance to carry out Jesus' death sentence themselves and their desire to have the Romans do it, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy about how he would die.
"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 anyone to death.”" — Pilate’s clever deflection reveals a crucial detail: the Jewish leaders, despite their religious authority, no longer possessed the power to execute anyone themselves. Their insistence on bringing Je…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026