John 18:37

Truth and honesty Jesus Christ The kingdom of God

³⁵ “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?”

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”

“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”

³⁸ “What is truth?” Pilate asked. And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against Him.

³⁹ But it is your custom that I release to you one prisoner at the Passover. So then, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: “Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”
KJV: Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
WEB: Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
ASV: Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
DARBY: Pilate therefore said to him, Thou art then a king? Jesus answered, Thou sayest [it], that I am a king. I have been born for this, and for this I have come into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.
BLB: Therefore Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a king!” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, so that I may testify to the truth. Everyone being of the truth hears My voice.”

ÅB: Pilatus sa da til ham: Så er du dog konge? Jesus svarte: Du sier det; jeg er konge. Jeg er dertil født og dertil kommet til verden at jeg skal vitne for sannheten. Hver den som er av sannheten, hører min røst.
OTB: "Så du er en konge!" sa Pilatus. Jesus svarte: "Du sier at jeg er en konge. For denne grunn ble jeg født og kom inn i verden: for å vitne om sannheten. Alle som er på sannhetens side, lytter til min stemme."
B1930: Pilatus sa da til ham: Så er du dog konge? Jesus svarte: Du sier det; jeg er konge. Jeg er dertil født og dertil kommet til verden at jeg skal vidne for sannheten. Hver den som er av sannheten, hører min røst.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

1 John 4:6
We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
Read in context
John 8:47
Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Read in context
John 8:14
Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.
Read in context
John 10:26–27
But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
Read in context
1 John 3:19
And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:
Read in context
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Read in context
Isaiah 55:4
Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.
Read in context
John 7:17
If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.
Read in context