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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadCambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - John 18:37 - 18:37
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37. οὐκοῦν. Here only in N.T. Combined with the position of σύ it gives a tone of scorn to the question, which is half an exclamation: ‘So then, Thou art a King!, We might write οὔκουν and render, ‘Art Thou not then a King?’ or, ‘Thou art not then a King.’ But οὐκοῦν is simpler and is preferred by most editors. See Winer, p. 643.
σὺ λέγεις ὅτι. The rendering, Thou sayest (well), because, is much less natural than Thou sayest that. Christ leaves the royal title which Pilate misunderstands and explains the nature of His kingdom—the realm of truth.
εἰς τοῦτο. To this end have I been born and to this end am I come into the world. To be a King, He became incarnate; to be a King, He entered the world: and this in order to witness to the truth. The second εἰς τοῦτο does not, any more than the first, refer exclusively to what follows; both refer partly to what precedes, partly (1Jn 3:8) to what follows. The perfects express a past act continuing in the present; Christ has come and remains in the world. Ἐγώ is very emphatic; in this respect Christ stands alone among men. Ἔρχεσθαι εἰς τ. κόσμον is frequent in S. John (Joh 1:9, Joh 9:39, Joh 11:27, Joh 16:28). Applied to Christ it includes the notions of His mission and of His pre-existence: but Pilate would not see this.
ἵνα μαρτ. τῇ ἀλ. This is the Divine purpose of His royal power: not merely ‘witness the truth,’ i.e. give a testimony that is true, but bear witness to the objective reality of the Truth: again, not merely ‘bear witness of,’ i.e. respecting the Truth (Joh 1:7; Joh 1:15, Joh 2:25, Joh 5:31-39, Joh 8:13-18, &c.), but ‘bear witness to,’ i.e. in support and defence of the Truth (Joh 5:33). Both these expressions, ‘witness’ and ‘truth,’ have been seen to be very frequent in S. John (see especially chaps. 1, 3, 5, 8 passim). We have them combined here, as in Joh 5:33. This is the object of Christ’s sovereignty,—to bear witness to the Truth. It is characteristic of the Gospel that it claims to be ‘the Truth.’ “This title of the Gospel is not found in the Synoptists, Acts, or Apocalypse; but it occurs in the Catholic Epistles (Jam 1:19; 1Pe 1:22; 2Pe 2:2) and in S. Paul (2Th 2:12; 2Co 13:8; Eph 1:13, &c.). It is specially characteristic of the Gospel and Epistles of S. John.” Westcott, Introduction to S. John, p. xliv.
ὁ ὢν ἐκ τ. ἀλ. That has his root in the Truth, so as to draw the power of his life from it: comp. Joh 18:36, Joh 3:31, Joh 8:47, and especially 1Jn 2:21; 1Jn 3:19. “It is of great interest to compare this confession before Pilate with the corresponding confession before the high priest (Mat 26:64). The one addressed to the Jews is in the language of prophecy, the other addressed to a Roman appeals to the universal testimony of conscience. The one speaks of a future manifestation of glory, the other of a present manifestation of truth.… It is obvious how completely they answer severally to the circumstances of the two occasions.” Westcott, in loco.