John 18:30

THE MESSAGE

They said, "If he hadn't been doing something evil, do you think we'd be here bothering you?"

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.'

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.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The Jews said, "He is a criminal. Why else would we have brought him to you?"

Contextual Overview

²⁸They led Jesus then from Caiaphas to the Roman governor's palace. It was early morning. They themselves didn't enter the palace because they didn't want to be disqualified from eating the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and spoke. "What charge do you bring against this man?" ³⁰ They said, "If he hadn't been doing something evil, do you think we'd be here bothering you?" ³¹Pilate said, "You take him. Judge him by your law." The Jews said, "We're not allowed to kill anyone." (This would confirm Jesus' word indicating the way he would die.) ³³ Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, "Are you the ‘King of the Jews'?" ³⁴ Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?" ³⁵ Pilate said, "Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?" ³⁶ "My kingdom," said Jesus, "doesn't consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn't be handed over to the Jews. But I'm not that kind of king, not the world's kind of king." ³⁷ Then Pilate said, "So, are you a king or not?" Jesus answered, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice." ³⁸Pilate said, "What is truth?" Then he went back out to the Jews and told them, "I find nothing wrong in this man. It's your custom that I pardon one prisoner at Passover. Do you want me to pardon the ‘King of the Jews'?" ⁴⁰ They shouted back, "Not this one, but Barabbas!" Barabbas was a Jewish freedom fighter.

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 18:9
The men said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He said, "In the tent."

Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were old by this time, very old. Sarah was far past the age for having babies. Sarah laughed within herself, "An old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old man of a husband?"

Genesis 18:16
When the men got up to leave, they set off for Sodom. Abraham walked with them to say good-bye.

Genesis 18:29
Abraham spoke up again, "What if you only find forty?" "Neither will I destroy it if for forty."

Genesis 44:18
Judah came forward. He said, "Please, master; can I say just one thing to you? Don't get angry. Don't think I'm presumptuous—you're the same as Pharaoh as far as I'm concerned. You, master, asked us, ‘Do you have a father and a brother?' And we answered honestly, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only son left from that mother. And his father loves him more than anything.'

Judges 6:39
Then Gideon said to God, "Don't be impatient with me, but let me say one more thing. I want to try another time with the fleece. But this time let the fleece stay dry, while the dew drenches the ground."

Psalms 10:17
The victim's faint pulse picks up; the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood as you put your ear to their lips. Orphans get parents, the homeless get homes. The reign of terror is over, the rule of the gang lords is ended.

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.