And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.
Parallel translations
- WEB They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him.
- KJV And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
- NKJV Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.
- NASB and they repeatedly came up to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapped Him in the face again and again.
- NLT “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.
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
The soldiers hail Jesus as 'King of the Jews' in mockery while striking him. Their ridicule ironically declares the truth they fail to see.
Overview
The repeated mock salute and slapping continue the soldiers' cruel theater, treating Jesus' kingship as a joke. John's account is rich with irony: in deriding Jesus they speak the truth, for he genuinely is the King. He endures this humiliation in silence, embodying the suffering Servant who was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Matt 27:29And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
- Matt 26:49Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
- Luke 1:28The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
- John 19:19–22Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
- John 18:33Pilate went back into the Praetorium, summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
- John 18:22When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”
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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 19:3 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
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