John 19:22

Easy-to-Read Version

Pilate answered, "I will not change what I have written."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”

King James Version (1611)
Pilate answered, What I haue written, I haue written.

King James Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

English Standard Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

New American Standard Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

New Century Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Amplified Bible
Pilate replied, "What I have written I have written [and it remains written]."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

Legacy Standard Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

Berean Standard Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Contemporary English Version
But Pilate told them, "What is written will not be changed!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Darby Translation
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Pilate answered, What I haue written, I haue written.

George Lamsa Translation
Pilate said, What I have written, I have written.

Good News Translation
Pilate answered, "What I have written stays written."

Lexham English Bible
Pilate replied, "What I have written, I have written."

Literal Translation
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

American Standard Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

Bible in Basic English
But Pilate made answer, What I have put in writing will not be changed.

Hebrew Names Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

International Standard Version
Pilate replied, "What I have written I have written."

Etheridge Translation
Pilatos saith, That which I have written, I have written.

Murdock Translation
Pilate said: What I have written, I have written.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Pilate aunswered: What I haue written, that haue I written.

English Revised Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

World English Bible
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

Weymouth's New Testament
"What I have written I have written," was Pilate's answer.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Pilat answeride, That that Y haue writun, Y haue writun.

Update Bible Version
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

Webster's Bible Translation
Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

New English Translation
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

New King James Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

New Living Translation
Pilate replied, "No, what I have written, I have written."

New Life Bible
Pilate said, "What I have written is to stay just as it is!"

New Revised Standard
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Pilate answered - What I have written, I have written!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Pilate answered: What I have written, I have written.

Revised Standard Version
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Pylate answered: what I have written that have I written.

Young's Literal Translation
Pilate answered, `What I have written, I have written.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Pilate answered: What I haue wrytten, that haue I wrytten.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Pilate answered, what I have writ, I have writ.

THE MESSAGE
Pilate said, "What I've written, I've written."

Simplified Cowboy Version
But Pilate replied, "What's written is written."

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ Pilate told them to write a sign and put it on the cross. The sign said, " jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews ." ²⁰ The sign was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross was near the city. ²¹ The leading Jewish priests said to Pilate, "Don't write, ‘The King of the Jews.' But write, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.'" ²² Pilate answered, "I will not change what I have written." ²³ After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his tunic. It was all one piece of cloth woven from top to bottom. ²⁴ So the soldiers said to each other, "We should not tear this into parts. Let's throw lots to see who will get it." This happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Scriptures say: "They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for what I was wearing." So the soldiers did this. ²⁵ Jesus' mother stood near his cross. Her sister was also standing there with Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ Jesus saw his mother. He also saw the follower he loved very much standing there. He said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son." ²⁷ Then he said to the follower, "Here is your mother." So after that, this follower took Jesus' mother to live in his home. ²⁸ Later, Jesus knew that everything had been done. To make the Scriptures come true he said, "I am thirsty."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: John 19:12, Psalms 65:7, Psalms 76:10, Proverbs 8:29

Reciprocal: John 18:38 - I find

Cross-References

Genesis 13:10
Lot looked and saw the whole Jordan Valley. He saw that there was much water there. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. At that time the Jordan Valley all the way to Zoar was like the Lord 's Garden. This was good land, like the land of Egypt.)

Genesis 14:2
All these kings fought a war against King Bera of Sodom: King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. (Bela is also called Zoar.)

Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels came to the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting near the city gates and saw them. He got up and went to them. He bowed to show respect and said, "Sirs, please come to my house, and I will serve you. There you can wash your feet and stay the night. Then tomorrow you can continue your journey." The angels answered, "No, we will stay the night in the city square."

Genesis 19:10
But the two men staying with Lot opened the door, pulled him back inside the house, and closed the door.

Genesis 19:25
He destroyed the whole valley—all the cities, the people living in the cities, and all the plants in the valley.

Genesis 19:28
Abraham looked down into the valley toward the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He saw clouds of smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

Exodus 32:10
So now let me destroy them in anger. Then I will make a great nation from you."

Deuteronomy 9:14
Let me destroy these people completely, so no one will even remember their names. Then I will make another nation from you that is stronger and greater than these people.'

Isaiah 15:5
My heart cries, full of sorrow for Moab. Its people run away to Zoar for safety. They run to Eglath Shelishiyah. The people are crying as they go up the road to Luhith. They are crying loudly as they walk on the road to Horonaim.

Isaiah 65:8
The Lord says, "When there is new wine in the grapes, people squeeze out the wine. But they don't completely destroy the grapes because the grapes can still be used. I will do the same thing to my servants. I will not destroy them completely.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Pilate answered, what I have written I have written,.... He seems to say this, as one angry and displeased with them; either because they would not consent to release Jesus, which he was desirous of, but pressed him so very hard to crucify him; or at their insolence, in directing him in what form to put the superscription, which he determines shall stand unaltered, as he had wrote it. This he said, either because he could not alter it after it was written, for it is said w, that

"a proconsul's table is his sentence, which being once read, not one letter can either be increased or diminished; but as it is recited, so it is related in the instrument of the province;''

or if he could have altered it, he was not suffered by God to do it; but was so directed, and over ruled by divine providence, as to write, so to persist in, and abide by what he had wrote inviolably; which is the sense of his words. Dr. Lightfoot has given several instances out of the Talmud, showing that this is a common way of speaking with the Rabbins; and that words thus doubled signify that what is spoken of stands good, and is irrevocable: so a widow taking any of the moveable goods of her husband deceased for her maintenance, it is said x, מה שתפסה תפסה, "what she takes, she takes"; that is, she may lawfully do it, and retain it: it continues in her hands, and cannot be taken away from her; and so the gloss explains it, "they do not take it from her"; and in the same way Maimonides y interprets it: so of a man that binds himself to offer an oblation one way, and he offers it another way, שהביא הביא

מה, "what he has offered, he has offered z"; what he has offered is right, it stands good, and is not to be rejected: and again, among the rites used by a deceased brother's wife, towards him that refuses to marry her, if one thing is done before the other, it matters not, מה שעשוי עשוי, "what is done, is done a"; and is not to be undone, or done over again in another way; it stands firm and good, and not to be objected to: and the same writer observes, that this is a sort of prophecy of Pilate, and which should continue, and for ever obtain, that the Jews should have no other King Messiah than Jesus of Nazareth; nor have they had any other; all that have risen up have proved false Messiahs; nor will they have any other; nor indeed any king, until they seek the Lord their God, and David their king, Hosea 3:5 that is, the son of David, as they will do in the latter day; when they shall be converted, and when they shall own him as their king, their ancestors at this time were ashamed of.

w Apulei Florid. c. 9. x T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 96. 1. y Hilchot Ishot, c. 18. sect. 10. z T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 3. 1. a T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 106. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 27:32-37.

John 19:22

What I have written ... - This declaration implied that he would make no change. He was impatient, and weary of their solicitations. He had yielded to them contrary to the convictions of his own conscience, and he now declared his purpose to yield no further.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. What I have written, I have written. — That is, I will not alter what I have written. The Roman laws forbad the sentence to be altered when once pronounced; and as this inscription was considered as the sentence pronounced against our Lord, therefore, it could not be changed: but this form of speech is common in the Jewish writings, and means simply, what is done shall continue. Pilate seems to speak prophetically. This is the king of the Jews: they shall have no other Messiah for ever.