Mark 15:14

Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.)

English Translation

Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they cried out exceedingly, "Crucify him!"

World English Bible · Public Domain

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περισσῶς

perissōs

G4057

“exceedingly”

Adverb

Appears 5× in the Greek New Testament
First appears at Matthew 27:23

Full Thayer's Definition

Origin: from G4053

TDNT: None

1. beyond measure, extraordinary 2. greatly, exceedingly

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

15: words
12: distinct lemmas
Gospels: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is περισσῶς exceedingly G4057 — appearing just 5 times in the whole Greek New Testament.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

περισσῶς exceedingly G4057 occurs in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:

Repetition

Words recur within this verse:

ὁ the G3588 ×2
δὲ but G1161 ×2
αὐτοῖς he G846 ×2

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Mark 15:14 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Luke 23:41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."
Psalms 69:4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. Those who want to cut me off, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. I have to restore what I didn't take away.
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we didn't respect him.
Isaiah 53:9 They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Matthew 27:4 saying, "I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? You see to it."
Matthew 27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him."
Matthew 27:23–25 But the governor said, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they cried out exceedingly, saying, "Let him be crucified!"
Matthew 27:54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God."

Luke 23:4 Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."
Luke 23:14–15 and said to them, "You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and see, I have examined him before you, and found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.
Luke 23:21 but they shouted, saying, "Crucify! Crucify him!"
Luke 23:23–24 But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed.
Luke 23:47 When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous man."
John 18:38 Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
John 19:6 When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, "Crucify! Crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him."
John 19:12–15 At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you release this man, you aren't Caesar's friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!"

Acts 7:54–57 Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
Acts 19:34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
Acts 22:22–23 They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice, and said, "Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn't fit to live!"
Hebrews 7:26 For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
1 Peter 1:19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, the blood of Christ;

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Notes on Mark 15:14 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Expositor's Greek Testament

ed. W. Robertson Nicoll

Mar 15:14 . This final speech of Pilate presents a subtle combination of honesty and craft. He says what he really thinks: that Jesus is innocent, and he makes sure that the people really mean to stand to what they have said. περισσῶς , beyond measure: the positive here is stronger than the comparative περισσοτέρως (T.R.), and it is far better attested.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

14. But they cried out the more] “Why and wherefore?” There were no questions with them. They were resolved to have His life. Nothing else would satisfy. The cry was kept up unbroken, Away with this man, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! In vain Pilate expostulated. In vain he washed his hands openly before them all (Mat_27:24) in token of his conviction of the perfect innocence of the Accused. His wavering in the early stage of the trial was bringing on its terrible consequences.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

And so Pilate, willing to content the people,.... To satisfy and make them easy, who were become very noisy and tumultuous, and fearing the consequences of their resentment, should he not comply, of which he had formerly had experience; therefore to humour them, and keep in their favour, after he had washed his hands, to testify his innocence in the matter,

he released Barabbas unto them; the seditious person, robber, and murderer, as they desired:

and delivered Jesus when he had scourged him; or having scourged him; for this he had done before, hoping the Jews would have been satisfied with that, and not have insisted on any further punishment. The Arabic version very wrongly renders the words, "and delivered unto them Jesus, that he might be scourged": as if this was afterwards to be done by the Jews, or Roman soldiers; whereas he had scourged him before, and now delivered him

to be crucified, as they desired; in which he acted contrary to law and justice, to the violation of his own conscience, and merely to gratify the humour of the people; See Gill on Mat 27:26.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

unfoldingWord translationNotes

Door43 World Missions Community

Pilate said to them

"Pilate said to the crowd"

to satisfy the crowd

"make the crowd happy by doing what they wanted him to do"

He scourged Jesus

Pilate did not actually scourge Jesus but rather his soldiers did.

scourged

"flogged." To "scourge" is to beat with an especially painful whip.

then handed him over to be crucified

Pilate told his soliders to take Jesus away to crucify him. This can be stated in active form. AT: "told his soldiers to take him away and crucify him" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

Pilate

crucify

Barabbas

hand

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges

14. περισσῶς ([3415][3416][3417][3418][3419] rather than περισσοτέρως ([3420][3421]), which occurs nowhere in the Gospels.

[3415] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[3416] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.

[3417] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[3418] Codex Ephraemi. 5th cent. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out, and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it; but a great deal of the original writing has been recovered; of Mark we have Mar 1:17 to Mar 6:31, Mar 8:5 to Mar 12:29, Mar 13:19 to Mar 16:20. In the National Library at Paris.

[3419] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mar 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[3420] Codex Monacensis. 10th cent. Contains Mar 6:47 to Mar 16:20. Many verses in 14, 15, 16 are defective.

[3421] Codex Oxoniensis. 9th cent. Contains Mark, except Mar 3:35 to Mar 6:20.

14. Τί γὰρ ἐποίησεν κακόν; In all three Synoptists. “I can hardly do that, for what evil hath He done?” This is well expressed by “Why” (A.V., R.V.). Pilate falls lower and lower. While acting as Roman judge, he allows clamorous Jews to dictate his decision, and even argues with them, and that in a way which declares that he regards their decision as iniquitous. He says, “You are sentencing an innocent man to crucifixion,” and their only answer is to shout the iniquitous decision again with vehemence. See crit. note and cf. Mar 10:26 and Act 26:11.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

International Critical Commentary

14. Τί γὰρ ἐποίησεν κακόν;—Why, what evil did he do?1 Pilate still hoped that by this unanswerable question he might confuse the people, and stop their clamor. περισσῶς ἔκραξαν—they cried vehemently. The previous statement is, they cried. Now, the cry becomes vehement. Pilate’s endeavor to check it only adds vehemence to it.

περισσῶς, instead of περισσοτέρως, more vehemently, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א ABCDGHKM ΔΠ

This verse defines exactly the state of the case. Pilate insists so far that the people shall give him some ground for proceeding against Jesus, and even hints that he does not think that there is any good reason for it. That is, up to this point, he acts as the judge. The people, on the other hand, confess judgment by their refusal to answer Pilate’s question, implying that they have no case. And they fall back on popular clamor, simply reiterating their demand that Jesus be put to death.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Mark, in the Gospels, opens this verse with 15 words (12 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is perissōs (“exceedingly”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

How does “exceedingly” (perissōs) shape what this verse is saying?
Matthew 27:23 shares the word «exceedingly» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
“the” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
Reading how Expositor's Greek Testament and The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

These translations choose different wording for 10 words in this verse.
“the” occurs 2× in this single verse.
12 distinct Greek lemmas span 15 words in this verse.