John 18 · Verse 30

John 18:30

They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.
John 18:30, King James Version

John 18:30 in other translations

BSB“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.”
WEBThey answered him, “If this man weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have delivered him up to you.”
ASVThey answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee.
YLTthey answered and said to him, ‘If he were not an evil doer, we had not delivered him to thee.'
DARBYThey answered and said to him, If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up to thee.
BBEThey said to him in answer, If the man was not a wrongdoer we would not have given him up to you.
WebsterThey answered and said to him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to thee.

What does John 18:30 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 18:29-32

29-32. Pilate went out to them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?--State your charge.

Read the full comment on John 18:29-32 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 30. If he were not a malefactor. A violator of the law. If we had not determined that he was such, and was worthy of death, Mt 26:66. From this it appears that they did not deliver him up to be tried, but hoped that Pilate would at once give sentence that he should be executed according to their request. It is probable that in ordinary cases the Roman governor was not accustomed to make very strict inquiry into the justice of the sentence. The Jewish Sanhedrim tried causes and pronounced sentence, and the sentence was usually approved by the governor; but in this case Pilate, evidently contrary to their expectations, proceeded himself to rehear and retry the cause. He had doubtless heard of the miracles of Jesus. He seems to have been strongly prepossessed with the belief of his innocence. He knew that they had delivered him from mere envy (Mt 27:18), and hence he inquired of them the nature of the case, and the kind of charge which they expected to substantiate against him.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 30 If he were not a malefactor - So they did not wish to make Pilate the judge, but the executor of the sentence which they had already illegally passed.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 18:28-32

It was unjust to put one to death who had done so much good, therefore the Jews were willing to save themselves from reproach. Many fear the scandal of an ill thing, more than the sin of it. Christ had said he should be delivered to the Gentiles, and they should put him to death; hereby that saying was fulfilled. He had said that he should be crucified, lifted up. If the Jews had judged him by their law, he had been…

Read the full comment on John 18:28-32 →

John 18:30 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.

ἀπεκρίθησανapekrithēsanThey answeredG611
καὶkaiandG2532
εἶπανeipanthey saidG2036
αὐτῷ·autōto him;G846
εἰeionlyG1487
μὴmēexceptG3361
ἦνēnwereG1510
οὗτοςhoutosHeG3778
κακὸνkakonevilG2556
ποιῶν,poiōndoing,G4160
οὐκouk[then] notG3756
ἄνanwouldG302
σοιsoito youG4771
παρεδώκαμενparedōkamenwe have deliveredG3860
αὐτόν.autonHim.G846

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

Cross references for John 18:30

  • Mark 15:3

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

  • 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 Cesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Cesar.

  • Luke 23:2-5

    And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. 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 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 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. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cesar, or no? …

  • 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.

  • 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.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
If.
19:12; Mr 15:3; Lu 20:19-26; 23:2-5
delivered.
Mr 10:33; Lu 24:7; Ac 3:13

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

Context

  • John 18:29

    Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?

  • John 18:30

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

  • John 18:31

    Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:

Read all of John 18

John 18:30 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Respondieron y dijéronle: Si éste no fuera malhechor, no te le habríamos entregado.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ils répondirent et lui dirent: Si cet homme n’était pas un malfaiteur, nous ne te l’aurions pas livré.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Sie antworteten und sprachen zu ihm: Wenn dieser nicht ein Übeltäter wäre, würden wir ihn dir nicht überliefert haben.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Responderunt, et dixerunt ei: Si non esset hic malefactor, non tibi tradidissemus eum.