• John 19:31
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 31 Οἱ The οὖν therefore Ἰουδαῖοι, Jews, ἐπεὶ since παρασκευὴ Preparation ἦν, it was, ἵνα in order that μὴ not μείνῃ might remain ἐπὶ upon τοῦ the σταυροῦ stake τὰ the σώματα bodies ἐν in τῷ the σαββάτῳ, sabbath, ἦν it was γὰρ for μεγάλη great ἡ the ἡμέρα day ἐκείνου of that τοῦ of the σαββάτου, sabbath, ἠρώτησαν they requested τὸν the Πειλᾶτον Pilate ἵνα in order that κατεαγῶσιν might be broken αὐτῶν of them τὰ the σκέλη legs καὶ and ἀρθῶσιν. they might be lifted off.

  • John 19:31
    The Bible in Living English

    • 31 So the Jews, since it was Friday, asked Pilate, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a great day) to have their legs broken and have them taken away.

  • John 19:31
    American Standard Version

    • 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the sabbath (for the day of that sabbath was a high day ), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

  • John 19:31
    The Emphasized Bible

    • 31 The Jews therefore since it was a preparation that the bodies might not remain upon the cross during the Sabbath,—for that Sabbath day was great requested Pilate that their legs might be broken and they be taken away.

  • John 19:31
    King James Version

    • 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

  • John Study Notes—Chapter 19
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 19:31

      the day of Preparation: The day preceding the weekly Sabbath. During this day, the Jews got ready for the Sabbath by preparing extra meals and by finishing any work that could not wait until after the Sabbath. In the case mentioned here, the day of Preparation fell on Nisan 14. (Mr 15:42; see Glossary, “Preparation.”) According to the Mosaic Law, dead bodies “should not remain all night on the stake” but, rather, should be buried “on that day.”​—De 21:22, 23; compare Jos 8:29; 10:26, 27.

      that Sabbath day was a great one: Nisan 15, the day after Passover, was always a sabbath, regardless of the day of the week on which it fell. (Le 23:5-7) When this special Sabbath coincided with the regular Sabbath (the seventh day of the Jewish week, which runs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday), it was “a great” Sabbath. Such a sabbath followed the day of Jesus’ death, which was on a Friday. From 31 to 33 C.E., the only year in which Nisan 14 fell on a Friday was the year 33 C.E. This fact leads to the conclusion that Jesus died on Nisan 14, 33 C.E.

      to have the legs broken: In Latin, this practice was called crurifragium. A brutal form of punishment, it was likely done in this case to hasten the death of those executed on stakes. A person hanging on a stake had difficulty breathing. With his legs broken, he would not be able to raise his body and relieve the pressure on his lungs, so he would suffocate.