Discovery BoxLuke 23:6-15 
Context23:6 Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 23:7 When 1 he learned that he was from Herod’s jurisdiction, 2 he sent him over to Herod, 3 who also happened to be in Jerusalem 4 at that time. 23:8 When 5 Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform 6 some miraculous sign. 7 23:9 So 8 Herod 9 questioned him at considerable length; Jesus 10 gave him no answer. 23:10 The chief priests and the experts in the law 11 were there, vehemently accusing him. 12 23:11 Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, 13 dressing him in elegant clothes, 14 Herod 15 sent him back to Pilate. 23:12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other, 16 for prior to this they had been enemies. 17
23:13 Then 18 Pilate called together the chief priests, the 19 rulers, and the people, 23:14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading 20 the people. When I examined him before you, I 21 did not find this man guilty 22 of anything you accused him of doing. 23:15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing 23 deserving death. 24
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 sn Learning that Jesus was from Galilee and therefore part of Herod’s jurisdiction, Pilate decided to rid himself of the problem by sending him to Herod.
3 sn Herod was Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. See the note on Herod in 3:1.
4 sn Herod would probably have come to Jerusalem for the feast, although his father was only half Jewish (Josephus, Ant. 14.15.2 [14.403]). Josephus does mention Herod’s presence in Jerusalem during a feast (Ant. 18.5.3 [18.122]).
map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
6 tn Grk “to see some sign performed by him.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style.
7 sn Herod, hoping to see him perform some miraculous sign, seems to have treated Jesus as a curiosity (cf. 9:7-9).
8 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous statements in the narrative about Herod’s desire to see Jesus.
9 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
12 sn Luke portrays the Jewish leadership as driving events toward the cross by vehemently accusing Jesus.
13 tn This is a continuation of the previous Greek sentence, but because of its length and complexity, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying “then” to indicate the sequence of events.
14 sn This mockery involved putting elegant royal clothes on Jesus, either white or purple (the colors of royalty). This was no doubt a mockery of Jesus’ claim to be a king.
15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 sn Herod and Pilate became friends with each other. It may be that Pilate’s change of heart was related to the death of his superior, Sejanus, who had a reputation for being anti-Jewish. To please his superior, Pilate may have ruled the Jews with insensitivity. Concerning Sejanus, see Philo, Embassy 24 (160-61) and Flaccus 1 (1).
17 tn Grk “at enmity with each other.”
18 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
19 tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
20 tn This term also appears in v. 2.
21 tn Grk “behold, I” A transitional use of ἰδού (idou) has not been translated here.
22 tn Grk “nothing did I find in this man by way of cause.” The reference to “nothing” is emphatic.
23 sn With the statement “he has done nothing,” Pilate makes another claim that Jesus is innocent of any crime worthy of death.
24 tn Grk “nothing deserving death has been done by him.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style.
