Acts 13 · Verse 28

Acts 13:28

And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
Acts 13:28, King James Version

Acts 13:28 in other translations

BSBAnd though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.
WEBThough they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.
ASVAnd though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain.
YLTand no cause of death having found, they did ask of Pilate that he should be slain,
DARBYAnd having found no cause of death in him, they begged of Pilate that he might be slain.
BBEAnd though no cause of death was seen in him, they made a request to Pilate that he might be put to death.
WebsterAnd though they found no cause of death in him, yet they desired Pilate that he should be put to death.

What does Acts 13:28 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 13:26-31

26-31. children ... of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God--Gentile proselytes. to you is the word of this salvation sent--both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.

Read the full comment on Acts 13:26-31 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 28. And though they found, etc. They found no crime which deserved death. This is conclusively shown by the trial itself. After all their efforts; after the treason of Judas; after their employing false witnesses; still no crime was laid to his charge. The sanhedrim condemned him for blasphemy; and yet they knew that they could not substantiate this charge before Pilate, and they therefore endeavoured to procure his condemnation on the ground of sedition. Comp. Lk 22:70,71, with Lk 23:1,2.

Yet desired they Pilate, etc. Mt 27:1,2, Lk 23:4,6.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 28 They found no cause of death in him - No reason why he should be condemned. Though they accused him of several things, yet they could not substantiate the most trifling charge against him; and yet, in opposition to all justice and equity, desired Pilate to put him to death! This points their perfidy in the strongest light.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 13:14-31

When we come together to worship God, we must do it, not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God. The bare reading of the Scriptures in public assemblies is not enough; they should be expounded, and the people exhorted out of them. This is helping people in doing that which is necessary to make the word profitable, to apply it to themselves. Every thing is touched upon in this…

Read the full comment on Acts 13:14-31 →

Acts 13:28 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
μηδεμίανmēdemiannoG3367
αἰτίανaitiancauseG156
θανάτουthanatouof deathG2288
εὑρόντεςheuronteshaving foundG2147
ᾐτήσαντοētēsantothey beggedG154
ΠιλᾶτονPilatonPilateG4091
ἀναιρεθῆναιanairethēnaito executeG337
αὐτόν.autonhim.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Acts 13:28

  • Luke 23:21-25

    But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. …

  • Matthew 27:22-25

    Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

  • John 19:4

    Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

  • Luke 23:14-16

    Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

  • John 18:38

    Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

  • Acts 3:13-14

    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. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

  • Matthew 27:19

    When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

  • Luke 23:4-5

    Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.

  • Mark 15:13-15

    And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

  • John 19:12-16

    And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Cesar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cesar. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
3:13,14; Mt 27:19,22-25; Mr 15:13-15; Lu 23:4,5,14-16,21-25
Joh 18:38; 19:4,12-16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Acts 13:27

    For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.

  • Acts 13:28

    And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

  • Acts 13:29

    And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

Read all of Acts 13

Acts 13:28 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y sin hallar en él causa de muerte, pidieron á Pilato que le matasen.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et quoiqu’ils n’aient trouvé en lui aucun crime qui soit digne de mort, ils prièrent Pilate de le faire mourir.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und obschon sie keine Ursache des Todes fanden, baten sie den Pilatus, daß er umgebracht würde.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et nullam causam mortis invenientes in eo, petierunt a Pilato ut interficerent eum.