Now Pilate summoned to himself the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,
Parallel translations
- WEB Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
- KJV And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
- BSB Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,
- NKJV Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,
- NLT Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people,
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 gathered the chief priests, rulers, and people to render his judgment. This public assembly sets the stage for Pilate's repeated declarations of Jesus' innocence.
Overview
Pilate convenes the leaders and the crowd to address the charges formally. Luke's careful narration emphasizes the openness of the proceedings, leaving the verdict that follows without excuse. The gathering of all parties underscores the corporate responsibility for what is about to take place, even as God's saving purpose advances through it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Matt 27:21–23But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”
- Mark 15:14Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, “Crucify him!”
- John 18:38Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
- John 19:4Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”
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 23:13 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.