For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.
- KJV For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
- NKJV For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
- NASB For he knew that it was because of envy that they had handed Him over.
- NLT (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
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 realizes the leaders handed Jesus over out of envy. He sees through their motives.
Overview
Matthew reveals that Pilate discerned the true cause behind the charges: the religious leaders' envy of Jesus' influence and popularity. This insight makes Pilate's later capitulation all the more culpable, for he knew Jesus was innocent. The note also exposes the corrupt heart behind the prosecution of the Messiah.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Prov 27:4Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
- Mark 15:10For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
- Acts 5:17Then the high priest and all his associates, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They went out
- Acts 13:45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.
- Jas 4:5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
- Gen 37:11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
- Acts 7:9Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him
- Eccl 4:4I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
- Ps 106:16In the camp they envied Moses, as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.
- Isa 26:11O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!
- 1 Sam 18:7–11And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
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 27:18 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.