YHN 19:21 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. ἔλεγον
2. legō
3. were saying
4. said
5. 30040
6. VIIA3··P
7. ˓were˒ saying
8. ˓were˒ saying
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79720
1. Οὖν
2. oun
3. Therefore
4. -
5. 37670
6. C·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. S
10. Y33
11. 79721
1. τῷ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79722
1. Πιλάτῳ
2. pilatos
3. to Pilatos
4. Pilate
5. 40910
6. N····DMS
7. ˱to˲ Pilatos
8. ˱to˲ Pilate
9. U
10. Y33; F79729
11. 79723
1. οἱ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79724
1. ἀρχιερεῖς
2. arχiereus
3. chief priests
4. chief priests
5. 7490
6. N····NMP
7. chief_priests
8. chief_priests
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79725
1. τῶν
2. ho
3. of the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMP
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79726
1. Ἰουδαίων
2. ioudaios
3. Youdaiōns
4. -
5. 24530
6. S····GMP
7. Youdaiōns
8. Jews
9. U
10. Y33
11. 79727
1. Μή
2. mē
3. not
4. “Don't
5. 33610
6. C·······
7. not
8. not
9. D
10. Y33
11. 79728
1. γράφε
2. grafō
3. Be writing
4. -
5. 11250
6. VMPA2··S
7. ˓be˒ writing
8. ˓be˒ writing
9. -
10. Y33; R79723
11. 79729
1. Ὁ
2. ho
3. The
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. D
10. Y33
11. 79730
1. Βασιλεύς
2. basileus
3. king
4. -
5. 9350
6. N····NMS
7. king
8. King
9. G
10. Y33
11. 79731
1. τῶν
2. ho
3. of the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMP
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79732
1. Ἰουδαίων
2. ioudaios
3. Youdaiōns
4. -
5. 24530
6. S····GMP
7. Youdaiōns
8. Jews
9. U
10. Y33
11. 79733
1. ἀλλʼ
2. alla
3. but
4. -
5. 2350
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79734
1. ὅτι
2. hoti
3. that
4. -
5. 37540
6. C·······
7. that
8. that
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79735
1. ἐκεῖνος
2. ekeinos
3. that one
4. -
5. 15650
6. R····NMS
7. that ‹one›
8. that ‹one›
9. -
10. Y33; R79711; Person=Jesus
11. 79736
1. εἶπεν
2. legō
3. said
4. -
5. 30040
6. VIAA3··S
7. said
8. said
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79737
1. Βασιλεύς
2. basileus
3. king
4. -
5. 9350
6. N····NMS
7. king
8. King
9. G
10. Y33
11. 79738
1. Εἰμί
2. eimi
3. I am
4. -
5. 15100
6. VIPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ am
8. ˱I˲ am
9. D
10. Y33
11. 79739
1. τῶν
2. ho
3. of the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMP
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79740
1. Ἰουδαίων
2. ioudaios
3. Youdaiōns
4. -
5. 24530
6. S····GMP
7. Youdaiōns
8. Jews
9. U
10. Y33
11. 79741
1. εἰμί
2. eimi
3. -
4. -
5. 15100
6. VIPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ am
8. ˱I˲ am
9. -
10. R79711; Person=Jesus
11. 79742

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 19:16b–27: Soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross

This section describes how the soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross to die. Pilate ordered that they put a sign on the cross saying that Jesus was the King of the Jews. The chief priests complained to Pilate, but he did not change it. While Jesus was dying, the soldiers divided his clothes among themselves. Also, Jesus gave his mother into the care of the disciple whom he loved.

Here are other possible titles for this section:

Jesus’ enemies crucified him

Jesus on the cross

The crucifixion of Jesus

Paragraph 19:16b–22

The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross to die. Pilate wrote a sign announcing that he was the King of the Jews. The high priests complained about this sign, but Pilate did not change it.

19:21a

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’

The Jewish chief priests said to Pilate, “You should not have written ‘The king of the Jews.’
So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, “Why does the sign say that he is King of the Jews?

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate: The conjunction So indicates the result of many Jews reading the notice. The Jewish chief priests were unhappy that Pilate told the soldiers to write that Jesus was their king. So they objected (complained) to Pilate. Some translations do not include of the Jews because it is understood that the chief priests were Jews. For example:

Therefore the leading priests complained to Pilate, saying

Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate (NLT)

the chief priests of the Jews: This phrase refers to the leading or most important priests of the Jews. See how you translated this phrase in 19:15.

Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’: Pilate had in fact already written the sign. The chief priests criticized the sign that he had already made. They wanted him to remove this notice and replace it. Indicate this meaning in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

You should not have written, ‘The King of the Jews’

Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ (NLT)

Why did you write, “the King of the Jews”?

In some languages it may be natural to translate this clause with the notice as the subject of the clause. For example:

The/Your^(sing) notice should not say, “the King of the Jews.”

See the General Comment on 19:21a–b for suggestions on how to translate the words of the notice using indirect speech.

19:21b

but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”

Instead you^(sing) should have written, ‘This man said, “I am the king of the Jews.”’”
You^(sing) should order that they change it to ‘He claimed to be the king of the Jews.’”
You^(sing) should command that it be changed. Let/Make it say, ‘This fellow wanted/pretended to be the king of the Jewish people.’”

but only: The conjunction that the BSB translates as but here connects a negative statement (19:21a) to a positive statement (19:21b). This kind of sentence emphasizes the positive statement. Languages have different ways to indicate this type of emphasis. Here are some ways to show the emphasis:

Use the conjunction but as in the BSB.
Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ (NCV)
Use a conjunction other than but. This is a common way in English to show this type of emphasis. For example:
Don’t write, ‘The king of the Jews!’ Instead, write, ‘He said that he is the king of the Jews.’ (GW)
What you^(sing) should have written, it is not ‘King of the Jews’ but rather ‘This-one said he was King of the Jews.’ ” (Kankanaey Back Translation)
Do not use a conjunction. For example:
Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’ (NLT)
Why did you write that he is King of the Jews? You should have written, ‘He claimed to be King of the Jews.’ (CEV)
Change the order of the clauses. For example:
Say, ‘This man said that he was King of the Jews,’ not just ‘The King of the Jews.’

You should translate this emphasis in the way that is most natural in your language.

that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’: This clause is the statement that the chief priests wanted Pilate to put on the notice. By adding the words He said, it would imply that the words were not true. (The word “claimed” does the same thing: “He claimed/said that he was the King of the Jews, but he is not.”) This clause includes a quotation inside a quotation, inside the quotation of the priests’ words. See the General Comment on 19:21a–b for other ways to translate the whole statement of the chief priests. There are two ways to translate the words that they wanted on the notice:

Use a direct quotation. For example:
‘This man said, I am king of the Jews.’ (NET)
Use an indirect quotation. For example:
that this man claimed to be king of the Jews (NIV)

that He said: The chief priests referred to Jesus in a way that did not show respect. It also showed that they did not believe him. In some languages it may be natural to imply this. For example:

This man claimed

This person pretended to be

I am the King of the Jews: This was not something Jesus ever actually said. However, you should translate it literally, and translate King of the Jews as you did in 19:19b.

General Comment on 19:21a–b

The chief priests quoted what they wanted the sign to say, which quoted what they accused Jesus of saying. In some languages it is more natural to translate one or both of the inside quotations as indirect speech. For example:

So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, “Why did you write that he is King of the Jews? You should have written, ‘He claimed to be King of the Jews.’ ” (CEV)

So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, “You should not write that Jesus is the King of the Jews. Instead, you should write that he said that he was the King of the Jews.”

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἔλεγον οὖν τῷ Πειλάτῳ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων

˓were˒_saying (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔλεγον Οὖν τῷ Πιλάτῳ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων Μή γράφε Ὁ Βασιλεύς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν Βασιλεύς Εἰμί τῶν Ἰουδαίων)

The chief priests had to go back to Pilate’s headquarters in order to speak to him. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [Then the chief priests of the Jews went back to Pilate and said to him]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐκεῖνος

that_‹one›

The Jewish leaders say That one as a disrespectful way to refer to Jesus and to avoid saying his name. If your language has a similar way to refer to someone in an indirect but derogatory manner, you may use it here. Alternate translation: [That so-and-so]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν, Βασιλεὺς εἰμι τῶν Ἰουδαίων

that_‹one› said (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔλεγον Οὖν τῷ Πιλάτῳ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων Μή γράφε Ὁ Βασιλεύς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν Βασιλεύς Εἰμί τῶν Ἰουδαίων)

If the direct quotation inside a direct quotation would be confusing in your language, you could translate the second direct quotation as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: [That one said that he is the King of the Jews]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Therefore
2. -
3. 37670
4. S
5. oun
6. C-·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. S
10. Y33
11. 79721
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····NMP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79724
1. chief priests
2. chief priests
3. 7490
5. arχiereus
6. N-····NMP
7. chief_priests
8. chief_priests
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79725
1. of the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····GMP
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79726
1. Youdaiōns
2. -
3. 24530
4. U
5. ioudaios
6. S-····GMP
7. Youdaiōns
8. Jews
9. U
10. Y33
11. 79727
1. were saying
2. said
3. 30040
5. legō
6. V-IIA3··P
7. ˓were˒ saying
8. ˓were˒ saying
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79720
1. to
2. Pilate
3. 40910
4. U
5. pilatos
6. N-····DMS
7. ˱to˲ Pilatos
8. ˱to˲ Pilate
9. U
10. Y33; F79729
11. 79723
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····DMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79722
1. Pilatos
2. Pilate
3. 40910
4. U
5. pilatos
6. N-····DMS
7. ˱to˲ Pilatos
8. ˱to˲ Pilate
9. U
10. Y33; F79729
11. 79723
1. Be
2. -
3. 11250
5. grafō
6. V-MPA2··S
7. ˓be˒ writing
8. ˓be˒ writing
9. -
10. Y33; R79723
11. 79729
1. not
2. “Don't
3. 33610
4. D
5. mē
6. C-·······
7. not
8. not
9. D
10. Y33
11. 79728
1. writing
2. -
3. 11250
5. grafō
6. V-MPA2··S
7. ˓be˒ writing
8. ˓be˒ writing
9. -
10. Y33; R79723
11. 79729
1. The
2. -
3. 35880
4. D
5. ho
6. E-····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. D
10. Y33
11. 79730
1. king
2. -
3. 9350
4. G
5. basileus
6. N-····NMS
7. king
8. King
9. G
10. Y33
11. 79731
1. of the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····GMP
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79732
1. Youdaiōns
2. -
3. 24530
4. U
5. ioudaios
6. S-····GMP
7. Youdaiōns
8. Jews
9. U
10. Y33
11. 79733
1. but
2. -
3. 2350
5. alla
6. C-·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79734
1. that
2. -
3. 37540
5. hoti
6. C-·······
7. that
8. that
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79735
1. that one
2. -
3. 15650
5. ekeinos
6. R-····NMS
7. that ‹one›
8. that ‹one›
9. -
10. Y33; R79711; Person=Jesus
11. 79736
1. said
2. -
3. 30040
5. legō
6. V-IAA3··S
7. said
8. said
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79737
1. I am
2. -
3. 15100
4. D
5. eimi
6. V-IPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ am
8. ˱I˲ am
9. D
10. Y33
11. 79739
1. king
2. -
3. 9350
4. G
5. basileus
6. N-····NMS
7. king
8. King
9. G
10. Y33
11. 79738
1. of the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····GMP
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 79740
1. Youdaiōns
2. -
3. 24530
4. U
5. ioudaios
6. S-····GMP
7. Youdaiōns
8. Jews
9. U
10. Y33
11. 79741

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.