They said, “Why do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!”
Parallel translations
- KJV And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
- BSB “Why do we need any more testimony?” they declared. “We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips.”
- NKJV And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
- NASB And then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!”
- NLT “Why do we need other witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”
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 council concludes they need no more witnesses, having heard Jesus' own words. They seize on His confession as grounds for condemnation.
Overview
Jesus' acknowledgment of His identity is treated as self-incriminating testimony. The leaders use His truthful confession to justify handing Him over to Pilate. Their verdict shows that they condemn Him precisely for being who He truly is, the Son of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Matt 26:65–66Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy.
- Mark 14:63–64The high priest tore his clothes, and said, “What further need have we of witnesses?
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
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 22:71 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.