But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
Parallel translations
- WEB He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
- KJV And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
- NKJV But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
- NASB And still He did not answer him in regard to even a single charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.
- NLT But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
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
Jesus answers not a single word, and Pilate is greatly amazed. His silence is remarkable for an accused man.
Overview
Jesus gives no reply at all, leaving the experienced governor astonished, for no innocent man typically refuses to defend himself. This total silence fulfills prophecy and reveals a willing victim, not a helpless one. Jesus restrains His power not from weakness but in obedient love, steadily moving toward His atoning death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Isa 8:18Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
- Ps 71:7I have become a portent to many, but You are my strong refuge.
- Zech 3:8Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.
- 1 Cor 4:9For it seems to me that God has displayed us apostles at the end of the procession, like prisoners appointed for death. We have become a spectacle to the whole world, to angels as well as to 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
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 27:14 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.