Limitless Word
And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
Acts 13:28 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.
  • BSB And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.
  • NKJV And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.
  • NASB And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed.
  • NLT They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Though they found no grounds for death, they demanded Pilate execute him. Jesus suffered though innocent.

Overview

Paul stresses Jesus' innocence: no valid charge warranted his death, yet his accusers pressed Pilate to kill him. The note of injustice underscores that Jesus died not for his own sin but as the spotless one. His unjust death prepares the way for the message of his resurrection and the salvation it secures.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • Matt 27:22–25Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
  • Luke 23:14–16Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
  • Luke 23:21–25But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
  • John 19:4Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
  • Luke 23:4–5Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
  • Mark 15:13–15And they cried out again, Crucify him.
  • Acts 3:13–14The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
  • John 18:38Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
  • Matt 27:19When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
  • John 19:12–16And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 13:28YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 13:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.