When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid,
Parallel translations
- WEB When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.
- KJV When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;
- NKJV Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid,
- NASB Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid;
- NLT When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever.
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
Pilate becomes more afraid when he hears Jesus called the Son of God. The claim unsettles a man already troubled by this prisoner.
Overview
As a Roman, Pilate would have feared the possibility of dealing wrongly with someone of divine status, and his wife's warning (Matthew 27:19) added to his unease. His growing fear shows a conscience pulling against political pressure. Yet fear without faith does not lead him to do right, a warning that mere religious dread is not the same as saving belief.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- John 19:13When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrew is Gabbatha.
- Acts 14:11–19When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: “The gods have come down to us in human form!”
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Original language
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