Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, April 9th, 2026
Thursday in Easter Week
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

John 18:30

They answered, and sayde vnto him: Yf he were not an euell doer, we had not delyuered him vnto the.

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 (1611)
They answered, & said vnto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not haue deliuered him vp vnto thee.
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.'
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 Caiphas in to the comon hall. And it was early in the mornynge. And they them selues wete not in to the como hall, lest they shulde be defyled, but yt they might eate ye Pascall lambe. 29 Then wente Pilate out vnto the, and sayde: What accusacion brynge ye agaynst this man? 30 They answered, and sayde vnto him: Yf he were not an euell doer, we had not delyuered him vnto the. 31 Then sayde Pilate vnto the: Take ye him, and iudge him after yor lawe. Then sayde ye Iewes vnto him: It is not laufull for vs to put eny ma to death. 32 That ye worde of Iesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, whan he signified, what death he shulde dye. 33 Then entred Pilate in to the comon hall agayne, and called Iesus, & sayde vnto him: Art thou the kynge of the Iewes? 34 Iesus answered: Sayest thou that of thy self, or haue other tolde it the of me? 35 Pilate answered: Am I a Iewe? Thy people and the hye prestes haue delyuered the vnto me. What hast thou done? 36 Iesus answered: My kyugdome is not of this worlde. Yf my kyngdome were of this worlde, my mynisters wolde fight therfore, yt I shulde not be delyuered vnto the Iewes. But now is my kyngdome not from hence. 37 The sayde Pilate vnto hi: Art thou a kynge the? Iesus answered: Thou sayest it, for I am a kynge. For this cause was I borne, and came in to the worlde, that I shulde testifye the trueth. Who so euer is of the trueth, heareth my voyce.

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 toke butter and mylke and of the calfe that he had prepared, and set it before the, stode him self by them vnder the tre, & they ate.
Genesis 18:9
Then saide they vnto him: where is Sara thy wyfe? He answered: within in ye tent.
Genesis 18:11
And Abraham and Sara were both olde, & well stryken in age: so that it wente nomore with Sara after ye maner of wemen:
Genesis 18:16
Then the men stode vp from thence, and turned them towarde Sodome: and Abraham wente with them, to brynge them on their waye.
Genesis 18:28
Peraduenture there maye be fyue lesse then fiftie righteous therin: Wilt thou then destroye the whole cite because of those fyue? He sayde: yf I fynde fyue and fourtie therin, I will not destroye them?
Genesis 18:29
And he proceded further to speake vnto him, and sayde: Peraduenture there might be fourtie founde therin. And he sayde: I wil do nothinge vnto them for those fourtyes sake.
Genesis 44:18
The stepte Iuda vnto him, and sayde: My lorde, let thy seruaunt speake one worde in thine eares my lorde, be not displesed at yi seruaunt also, for thou art eue as Pharao.
Judges 6:39
And Gedeon sayde vnto God Be not wroth at me, that I speake yet this one tyme. I wyl proue yet but once with the flese, let it be drye onely vpon the flese, and dew vpon all the grounde.
Job 40:4
Beholde, I am to vyle a personne, to answere the, therfore will I laye my hande vpon my mouth.
Psalms 9:12
And why? he maketh inquysicion for their bloude, and remembreth them: he forgetteth not the complaynte of the poore.

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