Luke 23:5

But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The chief priests and a crowd speak to Pontius Pilate immediately after he declares he finds no legal basis to condemn Jesus. Their response follows his initial assessment and precedes his inquiry into Jesus’ geographic origin.

The words — The Greek ἐπίσχυον (epischuon) literally means “they were pressing hard” or “they were insisting,” describing the crowd’s relentless verbal pressure. It appears alongside λέγοντες (legontes), “saying,” to mark their continuous, unyielding accusation.

The thread — The accusation that Jesus’ ministry spans from Galilee to Judea runs through Mark 1:14, which notes his entry into Galilee after John’s arrest, John 1:43, which records his decision to travel there, and John 2:11, which identifies Cana as the starting point of his public work. These passages establish the geographic arc the accusers now weaponize.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe that political condemnation often substitutes repeated accusations for proven guilt. A reader must note how the crowd’s insistence shifts the trial’s focus from legal evidence to geographic influence and popular agitation.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.

Cross-references

Mark 1:14 After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.
John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”
John 2:11 Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Psalms 22:12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Psalms 22:16 For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
Psalms 57:4 My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Psalms 69:4 Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me—my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
Matthew 4:12 When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.
Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”