Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, December 30th, 2025
the Tuesday after Christmas
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

King James Version (1611 Edition)

John 18:30

They answered, & said vnto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not haue deliuered him vp vnto thee.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Accusation, False;   Indictments;   Jesus, the Christ;   Persecution;   Pilate, Pontius;   Priest;   Prisoners;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Rome;   Sanhedrin;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Persecution;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Trial of Jesus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Pilate;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Malefactor;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Aceldama;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Malefactor;   Pilate, Pontius;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”
King James Version
They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.
English Standard Version
They answered him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you."
New American Standard Bible
They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you."
New Century Version
They answered, "If he were not a criminal, we wouldn't have brought him to you."
Amplified Bible
They answered, "If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you [for judgment]."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you."
Legacy Standard Bible
They answered and said to him, "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you."
Berean Standard Bible
"If He were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed Him over to you."
Contemporary English Version
They answered, "He is a criminal! That's why we brought him to you."
Complete Jewish Bible
They answered, "If he hadn't done something wrong, we wouldn't have brought him to you."
Darby Translation
They answered and said to him, If this [man] were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up to thee.
Easy-to-Read Version
They answered, "He is a bad man. That is why we brought him to you."
Geneva Bible (1587)
They answered, and saide vnto him, If hee were not an euill doer, we woulde not haue deliuered him vnto thee.
George Lamsa Translation
They answered and said to him, If he were not an evil-doer, we would not have delivered him up also to you.
Good News Translation
Their answer was, "We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime."
Lexham English Bible
They answered and said to him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have handed him over to you!"
Literal Translation
They answered and said to him, If this One were not an evildoer, then we would not have delivered Him to you.
American Standard Version
They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee.
Bible in Basic English
They said to him in answer, If the man was not a wrongdoer we would not have given him up to you.
Hebrew Names Version
They answered him, "If this man weren't an evildoer, we wouldn't have delivered him up to you."
International Standard Version
They answered him, "If he weren't a criminal, we wouldn't have handed him over to you."
Etheridge Translation
They answered and said to him, If he were not a worker of evils, we would not to thee have delivered him.
Murdock Translation
They replied, and said to him: If he were not a malefactor, we should not have delivered him up to thee.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They aunswered, and said vnto him: Yf he were not an euyll doer, we would not haue deliuered hym vnto thee.
English Revised Version
They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee.
World English Bible
They answered him, "If this man weren't an evildoer, we wouldn't have delivered him up to you."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They answered and said to him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him to thee.
Weymouth's New Testament
"If the man were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei answeriden, and seiden to hym, If this were not a mysdoere, we hadden not bitakun hym to thee.
Update Bible Version
They answered and said to him, If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up to you.
Webster's Bible Translation
They answered and said to him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to thee.
New English Translation
They replied, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."
New King James Version
They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."
New Living Translation
"We wouldn't have handed him over to you if he weren't a criminal!" they retorted.
New Life Bible
The Jews said, "If He had not done wrong, we would not have brought Him to you."
New Revised Standard
They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They answered and said unto him - If this one had not been doing, mischief, unto thee, had we not delivered him up.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They answered and said to him: If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to thee.
Revised Standard Version
They answered him, "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
They answered and sayd vnto him. If he were not an evyll doar we wolde not have delyvered him vnto the.
Young's Literal Translation
they answered and said to him, `If he were not an evil doer, we had not delivered him to thee.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They answered, and sayde vnto him: Yf he were not an euell doer, we had not delyuered him vnto the.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they answered him, if he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him to you.
THE MESSAGE
They said, "If he hadn't been doing something evil, do you think we'd be here bothering you?"
Simplified Cowboy Version
The Jews said, "He is a criminal. Why else would we have brought him to you?"

Contextual Overview

28 Then led they Iesus from Caiaphas vnto the hall of Iudgement: And it was earely, and they themselues went not into the Iudgement hall, lest they should be defiled: but that they might eat the Passeouer. 29 Pilate then went out vnto them, and said, What accusation bring you against this man? 30 They answered, & said vnto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not haue deliuered him vp vnto thee. 31 Then saide Pilate vnto them, Take ye him, and iudge him according to your law. The Iewes therefore said vnto him, It is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death: 32 That the saying of Iesus might be fulfilled, which hee spake, signifying what death he should die. 33 Then Pilate entred into the Iudgement hall againe, and called Iesus, and saide vnto him, Art thou the King of the Iewes? 34 Iesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thy selfe? or did others tell it thee of me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Iew? Thine owne nation, and the chiefe Priests haue deliuered thee vnto mee: What hast thou done? 36 Iesus answered, My kingdome is not of this world: if my kingdome were of this world, then would my seruants fight, that I should not be deliuered to the Iewes: but now is my kingdome not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore saide vnto him, Art thou a King then? Iesus answered, Thou saiest that I am a King. To this end was I borne, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should beare witnesse vnto the trueth: euery one that is of the trueth heareth my voice.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

If: John 19:12, Mark 15:3, Luke 20:19-26, Luke 23:2-5

delivered: Mark 10:33, Luke 24:7, Acts 3:13

Reciprocal: Psalms 64:6 - search Jeremiah 26:11 - saying Luke 18:32 - delivered John 9:24 - we know Acts 21:33 - and demanded Acts 25:5 - if

Cross-References

Genesis 18:8
And he tooke butter, and milke, and the calfe which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them vnder the tree: and they did eate.
Genesis 18:9
And they said vnto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
Genesis 18:11
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age: and it ceased to be with Sarah after the maner of women.
Genesis 18:16
And the men rose vp from thence, and looked toward Sodome: and Abraham went with them, to bring them on the way.
Genesis 18:28
Peraduenture there shall lacke fiue of the fiftie righteous: wilt thou destroy all the citie for lacke of fiue? And he said, If I find there fourtie and fiue, I will not destroy it.
Genesis 18:29
And hee spake vnto him yet againe, and said, Peraduenture there shall be fourtie found there: and he said, I will not doe it for fourties sake.
Genesis 44:18
Then Iudah came neere vnto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy seruant, I pray thee, speake a word in my lords eares, & let not thine anger burne against thy seruant: for thou art euen as Pharaoh.
Judges 6:39
And Gideon said vnto God, Let not thine anger be hote against me, and I will speake but this once: Let mee prooue, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece. Let it now be drie onely vpon the fleece, and vpon all the ground let there be deaw.
Job 40:4
Behold, I am vile, what shall I answere thee? I wil lay my hand vpon my mouth.
Psalms 9:12
When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembreth them: he forgetteth not the crie of the humble.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They answered and said unto him,.... Offended at the question put to them, and filled with indignation that they should be so interrogated, with an air of haughtiness and insolence reply to him:

if he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee; insinuating, that he was guilty of some very wicked action; not merely of a breach of some of their laws peculiar to them; for then they would have tried and judged him according to them, and not have brought him before him; but they suggest, that he was guilty of some crimes recognizable by Caesar's court; and which they did not care to mention expressly, lest they should not succeed, not having it may be as yet, their witnesses ready; and hoped he would have took their own word for it, without any further proof, they being men of such rank and dignity, and of so much knowledge, learning, and religion; and therefore took it ill of him, that he should ask such persons as they were, so famous for their prudence, integrity, and sanctity, such a question: however, they own themselves to be the betrayers and deliverers up of our Lord, which Christ had before foretold, and which Stephen afterwards charged them with.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If he were not a malefactor - A violator of the law. If we had not determined that he was such, and was worthy of death, Matthew 26:66. From this it appears that they did not deliver him up to be tried, but hoped that Pilate would at once, give sentence that he should be executed according to their request. It is probable that in ordinary cases the Roman governor was not accustomed to make very strict inquiry into the justice of the sentence. The Jewish Sanhedrin tried causes and pronounced sentence, and the sentence was usually approved by the governor; but in this case Pilate, evidently contrary to their expectations, proceeded himself to rehear and retry the cause. He had doubtless heard of the miracles of Jesus. He seems to have been strongly pre-possessed with the belief of his innocence. He knew that they had delivered him from mere envy Matthew 27:18, and hence, he inquired of them the nature of the case, and the kind of charge which they expected to substantiate against him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 30. If he were not a malefactor — So they did not wish to make Pilate the judge, but the executor of the sentence which they had already illegally passed.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile