Bible Strands
Matthew 27:13
Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Pilate addresses Jesus during His trial before the chief priests and elders, immediately after Jesus remains silent to their initial accusations. This occurs at the moment the governor confronts the defendant about the volume of the charges brought against Him.
The words — The Greek ἀκοῦεις (akoueis) literally means "do you hear," paired with πόσα (posa), meaning "how many things." Pilate uses these terms to foreground the quantity of accusations rather than their specific content.
The thread — This judicial confrontation mirrors the high priest’s demand for a response in Matthew 26:62 and aligns with Pilate’s earlier questioning in John 18:35. The pattern of formal interrogation continues in Acts 22:24, where authorities attempt to extract testimony through procedural pressure.
Why it lands — The text records Jesus’ continued silence as a deliberate refusal to engage with a flawed legal process, not as a failure to respond. It requires the reader to observe how authority figures react when confronted with unyielding restraint.
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
Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
Cross-references
- Matthew 26:62 So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?”
- John 18:35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?”
- Acts 22:24 the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.