And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
Parallel translations
- WEB They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
- BSB And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”
- NKJV and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
- NASB and they began saluting Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”
- NLT Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”
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 mockingly hail Jesus as King of the Jews. Their scorn ironically proclaims the truth.
Overview
Imitating the salute given to Caesar, the soldiers jeer at Jesus' royal claim. Their mockery, meant to humiliate, unknowingly declares what is true. The King receives derision from those he came to save, enduring shame for the joy set before him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 27:42–43He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
- Gen 37:20Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
- Gen 37:10And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
- Mark 15:29–32And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
- John 19:14–15And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
- Mark 15:2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.
- Luke 23:36–37And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 15:18 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.