The Meaning of John 18:34 Explained

John 18:34

KJV: Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?

YLT: Jesus answered him, 'From thyself dost thou say this? or did others say it to thee about me?'

Darby: Jesus answered him, Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others said it to thee concerning me?

ASV: Jesus answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee concerning me?

Discover John 18:34

CONTEXT: What is the Context of John 18:34?

MEANING: What does John 18:34 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in John 18:34 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in John 18:34?

What is the context of John 18:34?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?

What does John 18:34 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Synoptics reported that Jesus replied, "It is as you say" (Gr. sy legeis, Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3). John also recorded that Jesus gave that answer ( John 18:37), but he included additional conversation first. This added material included Jesus" explanation of the nature of His kingship ( John 18:36).

Jesus asked Pilate His question to determine how He would answer him. If his question had arisen from his own understanding and curiosity, Jesus presumably would have dealt with Him as a sincere inquirer. If he was merely trying to clarify the essence of the Sanhedrin"s charge, Jesus would need to answer differently. If Pilate meant, "Are you a political king conspiring against Caesar?" the answer would have been, "No." If he meant, "Are you the messianic king of Israel?" the answer would have been, "Yes." The object of interrogation, Jesus, became the interrogator temporarily. The fact that Jesus questioned Pilate at all was pure grace in that it allowed Pilate to explain his motivation and possibly reduce his culpability.

Context Summary

John 18:33-40 - The King Of Truth

There was a tone of satire in Pilate's question: "Thou poor, worn, tear-stained outcast, forsaken by every friend in this hour of need-art thou a king?" Human ears have never heard more majestic words than our Lord's reply. But when He said, My kingdom is not of this world, He did not mean that it had nothing to do with this world, but that it did not originate here. It has descended from heaven, and seeks to bring the inspiration, principles, and methods of heaven into all the provinces of human activity. The one conspicuous proof of its absolutely foreign origin is its refusal to employ force. We do not fight, but sacrifice and suffer, for its maintenance. Our Lord therefore hastened to show that His Kingdom is based on the manifestation of the truth. There is no soul of man which is pure and true that does not recognize Christ's royalty, as King of Truth, when it hears Him speak. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

Greek Commentary for John 18:34

Of thyself [απο σεαυτου]
Whether a sincere inquiry on Pilate‘s part or a trap from the Sanhedrin. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 18:34

Mark 15:2 Thou sayest [συ λεγεις]
An affirmation, though in John 18:34-37 there is a second and fuller interview between Pilate and Jesus. “Here, as in the trial before the Sanhedrin, this is the one question that Jesus answers. It is the only question on which his own testimony is important and necessary” (Gould). The Jews were out on the pavement or sidewalk outside the palace while Pilate came out to them from above on the balcony (John 18:28.) and had his interviews with Jesus on the inside, calling Jesus thither (John 18:33). [source]

What do the individual words in John 18:34 mean?

Answered Jesus Of yourself you this say or others did say [it] to you concerning Me

Ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς Ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ σὺ τοῦτο λέγεις ἢ ἄλλοι εἶπόν σοι περὶ ἐμοῦ

Ἀπεκρίθη	Answered
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular Root: ἀποκρίνομαι Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
Ἰησοῦς	Jesus
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: Ἰησοῦς Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
σεαυτοῦ	yourself
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 2nd Person Singular Root: σεαυτοῦ Sense: thyself, thee.
τοῦτο	this
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular Root: οὗτος Sense: this.
λέγεις	say
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to say, to speak.
ἄλλοι	others
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ἄλλος Sense: another, other.
εἶπόν	did say [it]
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural Root: λέγω Sense: to speak, say.
σοι	to you
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Singular Root: σύ Sense: you.
περὶ	concerning
Parse: Preposition Root: περί Sense: about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near.
ἐμοῦ	Me
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my.

What are the major concepts related to John 18:34?

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