15:12
So Pilate asked them again: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as So Pilate asked them occurs at the beginning of 15:12. Some versions place the words Pilate asked them at the end of this verse instead, after quoting his words. Place these words where it is most natural in your language.
What then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?: There is a textual issue in this verse. Some Greek manuscripts include a word that means “you wish”:
(1) Some Greek manuscripts do not include this word. They have only “What should I do…?” For example:
Then what shall I do with the man…? (Revised Standard Version)
(New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible)
(2) Other Greek manuscripts include this word, as the Berean Standard Bible does. They have “What do you wish/want I should do…?” For example:
What do you want me to do with this man…? (Contemporary English Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version, King James Version, NET Bible)
Option (1) has the strongest manuscript support. However, there is no significant difference in meaning between the two options. So you may follow whatever option is more natural in your language.
Pilate asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus if he released Barabbas. In some languages, it may be natural to make this information explicit. For example:
If I release Barabbas, what shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?
then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then is literally “therefore” or “so.” For example, the New Century Version says:
So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews? (New Century Version)
It does not mean “next.”
In Greek, this word occurs after the word “what,” as the Berean Standard Bible translates it. You should place it where it is natural in your language.
the One you call the King of the Jews:
There is a textual issue in this part of the verse. Many major Greek manuscripts (and the UBS4 page 185 and Majority Text) include the phrase “the one you call” here. However, many others do not include it. Of the versions consulted, only the God’s Word omits this phrase.
Pilate used the phrase the One you call the King of the Jews to indicate that he was using the same title for Jesus that the Jews used. (However, the leaders of the Jews did not call Jesus that.)
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
this man you call the king of the Jews (New Living Translation)
-or-
this man you say is the king of the Jews (Contemporary English Version)
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