John 18:30
New International Version
“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

New Living Translation
“We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.

English Standard Version
They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”

Berean Standard Bible
“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.”

Berean Literal Bible
They answered and said to him, "If He were not doing evil, we would not have delivered Him to you."

King James Bible
They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.

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 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.”

NASB 1995
They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”

NASB 1977
They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up 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.”

Amplified Bible
They answered, “If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you [for judgment].”

Christian Standard Bible
They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed Him over to you.”

American Standard Version
They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they answered, and they were saying to him, “If he were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you.”

Contemporary English Version
They answered, "He is a criminal! That's why we brought him to you."

Douay-Rheims Bible
They answered, and said to him: If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Jews answered Pilate, "If he weren't a criminal, we wouldn't have handed him over to you."

Good News Translation
Their answer was, "We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime."

International Standard Version
They answered him, "If he weren't a criminal, we wouldn't have handed him over to you."

Literal Standard Version
They answered and said to him, “If He were not doing evil, we had not delivered Him to you.”

Majority Standard Bible
“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.”

New American Bible
They answered and said to him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

NET Bible
They replied, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."

New Revised Standard Version
They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

New Heart English Bible
They answered him, "If this man weren't an evildoer, we would 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.

Weymouth New Testament
"If the man were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

World English Bible
They answered him, “If this man weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have delivered him up to you.”

Young's Literal Translation
they answered and said to him, 'If he were not an evil doer, we had not delivered him to thee.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus Before Pilate
29So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?” 30“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, we would not have handed Him over to you.” 31“You take Him and judge Him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “We are not permitted to execute anyone,” the Jews replied.…

Cross References
John 18:29
So Pilate went out to them and asked, "What accusation are you bringing against this man?"

John 18:31
"You take Him and judge Him by your own law," Pilate told them. "We are not permitted to execute anyone," the Jews replied.

2 Timothy 2:9
for which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained!

1 Peter 4:15
Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.


Treasury of Scripture

They answered and said to him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to you.

If.

John 19:12
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

Mark 15:3
And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.

Luke 20:19-26
And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them…

delivered.

Mark 10:33
Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:

Luke 24:7
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

Acts 3:13
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

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John 18
1. Judas betrays Jesus.
6. The officers fall to the ground.
10. Peter cuts off Malchus' ear.
12. Jesus is taken, and led unto Annas and Caiaphas.
15. Peter's denial.
19. Jesus examined before Caiaphas.
25. Peter's second and third denial.
28. Jesus arraigned before Pilate.
36. His kingdom.
40. The Jews prefer Barabbas.














(30) If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.--They take the position that the Roman is the executive, and their own the judicial power. They bring no legal charge against Jesus, but assert, in effect that they themselves, who understood and had investigated the whole matter, had condemned Him to death, and that the fact that they had done so was in itself sufficient proof that He was worthy of death. They use the vague word "malefactor," "evil-doer," though in the trial before Caiaphas they had not sought to prove any evil deed, and they expect that upon this assertion Pilate will pronounce on Him, as on other malefactors, the sentence of death.

Verses 30, 31. - They answered and said, if he were not a malefactor, we should not have delivered him up to thee. This was somewhat audacious. It was as much as to say, "We have judged, you have only to register our decisions. We are not bound to go through our evidence before you." If it had been so, the deprivation of the jus gladii, the power of capital execution would have mattered little to them. Pilate, in scorn and irony, replies, "If that be so, why have ye brought him to me? If you are unwilling to comply with the terms of Roman jurisprudence, then it must be some ease which you can dispose of according to your own rules." Take ye him yourselves, and according to your Law judge him. Pilate saw their animus, and that they were thirsting for the blood of Jesus, and wished at once to flout them and make them confess their impotence and admit his suzerainty. For them to judge (κρίνειν) was not equivalent to put to death (ἀποκτεῖμαι), and Pilate clearly suggested that much. The Jews [therefore] said to him, It is not lawful (οὐκ ἔξεστι) to us to put any man to death. This was perfectly true, notwithstanding the tumultuary and violent acts and threats, and incipient stonings of Jesus, to which the Gospel refers (John 8:3, 59; John 7:25). Other interpretations of this exclamation have been supplied, viz. "to execute criminals of state" (Krebs), "to do so on feast-days" (Semler); but the power had been formally taken from even the supreme court, forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem. The instance of the massacre of James the Just, occurring between the departure of one Roman governor and the arrival of another, is mentioned by Josephus ('Ant.,' 20:09. 1) as a distinct infringement and violation of law. The stoning of Stephen in a wild tumult, and the proceedings of Herod Agrippa, are rather confirmations than violations of the rule. Thus the malign disposition and distinct purpose of the Jews were revealed. They would not have brought Jesus at all before the Roman governor, nor admitted his claim to decide any case involving religious ideas and practices, if they had not fully decided that Jesus must die. Bat John sees a deeper reason still.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“If
Εἰ (Ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

He
οὗτος (houtos)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

were
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

not
μὴ (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

a criminal,”
κακὸν (kakon)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2556: Bad, evil, in the widest sense. Apparently a primary word; worthless, i.e. depraved, or injurious.

they replied,
Ἀπεκρίθησαν (Apekrithēsan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 611: From apo and krino; to conclude for oneself, i.e. to respond; by Hebraism to begin to speak.

“we would not have handed Him over
παρεδώκαμεν (paredōkamen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 3860: From para and didomi; to surrender, i.e yield up, intrust, transmit.

to you.”
σοι (soi)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.


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NT Gospels: John 18:30 They answered him If this man weren't (Jhn Jo Jn)
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