Therefore 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;
- BSB When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid,
- NKJV Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the 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 therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”
- Acts 14:11–19When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
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 19:8 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.