And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
Parallel translations
- WEB Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long.
- BSB Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so.
- NKJV Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.
- NASB Now Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.
- NLT Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet.
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 is surprised Jesus has died so quickly and summons the centurion to confirm it. The reality of Jesus' death is officially verified.
Overview
Crucifixion often took many hours or days, so Pilate's surprise is natural and he checks with the officer in charge. This detail establishes beyond doubt that Jesus truly died, refuting later claims that he merely swooned. The certainty of his death is essential to the certainty of his resurrection.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- John 19:31–37The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
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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 15:44 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
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