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Joh_19:6-8. Of the presence of the people (who perhaps kept silence, Lücke thinks; comp. Luthardt, according to whom the high priests desired to forestall any possible expressions of compassion on the part of the people) the text says nothing; the Ἰουδαῖοι , Joh_18:31; Joh_18:38, were just pre-eminently the ἀρχιερεῖς of the present passage.
ὅτε οὖν εἶδον ] The spectacle, instead of calming their bitterness, goads them on.
λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς , κ . τ . λ .] A paradox, amounting to a peevish and irritated refusal, since the Jews did not possess the right of execution, and crucifixion was certainly not a Jewish capital punishment. Crucify him yourselves, if you will have him crucified!
Now, however, they introduce the authority of their law, according to which Jesus (as being a blasphemer, namely, of God, Lev_24:16; Mat_26:63-64) must die. They thus prudently give to their demand another legal basis, to be respected by the procurator in conformity with Roman policy, and to the accusation the corresponding religious sanction. An admission, however, that their political suspicion of Jesus had only been a pretext (Steinmeyer), is not contained in this; it is only another turn given to the charge.
ἡμεῖς ] With haughty emphasis, opposed to the preceding ἐγὼ … αἰτίαν . On ὅτι υἱὸν , κ . τ . λ ., comp. Joh_5:18, Joh_10:33.
μᾶλλον ἐφοβ .] His fear only became the greater ( μᾶλλ ., see Joh_5:18), namely, of suffering Jesus to be executed. To the previous fear of conscience was now, in truth, added the fear of the vengeance of a God, namely, of Jehovah, the God of the Jews, in case the assertion mentioned should turn out to be true. He explained to himself the υἱὸς θεοῦ after the analogy of pagan heroes, like the centurion, Mat_27:54. That he was moved by the idea of the unity of God (Hengstenberg) has nothing to support it; nay, viewed in the light of the wanton words, Joh_18:38, very improbable.