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Read the Bible

New King James Version

John 19:22

Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Character;   Death;   Indictments;   Jesus, the Christ;   Thompson Chain Reference - Pilate, Pontius;   Pontius Pilate;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Persecution;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Christianity;   Humiliation of Christ;   Jesus Christ;   Holman Bible Dictionary - John, the Gospel of;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 5;  

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.
Easy-to-Read Version
Pilate answered, "I will not change what 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 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 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, "The King of the Jews,' but, "He said, "I am the King of the Jews.""' 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them,And for My clothing they cast lots." Psalms 22:18 ">[fn]
Therefore the soldiers did these things. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. 28 After this, Jesus, knowing [fn] that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"

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
And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
Genesis 14:2
that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
Genesis 19:1
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
Genesis 19:10
But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
Genesis 19:25
So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
Genesis 19:28
Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
Exodus 32:10
Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."
Deuteronomy 9:14
Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.'
Isaiah 15:5
"My heart will cry out for Moab;His fugitives shall flee to Zoar,Like a three-year-old heifer. Jeremiah 48:34) ">[fn] For by the Ascent of LuhithThey will go up with weeping;For in the way of HoronaimThey will raise up a cry of destruction,
Isaiah 65:8
Thus says the LORD: "As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, "Do not destroy it, For a blessing is in it,' So will I do for My servants' sake, That I may not destroy them all.

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.


 
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