Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus answered him, “Do you say this by yourself, or did others tell you about me?”
- KJV Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
- BSB “Are you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked, “or did others tell you about Me?”
- NASB Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about Me?”
- NLT Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
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
Jesus asks whether Pilate speaks on his own or on the report of others. He probes what Pilate really means by 'king.'
Overview
Jesus' counter-question draws out whether Pilate is making a Roman political charge or echoing the Jewish leaders' accusation. It invites Pilate to consider the matter personally rather than as a mere formality. Jesus, though on trial, leads the conversation toward the deeper question of truth and his true identity.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 18:34 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.