John reports another seemingly unnecessary detail: “The name of the slave was Malchus.” Why does John alone give the man’s name? The explanation is provided by a minor fact stated in passing only in John’s account—John “was known to the high priest.” He was also known to the high priest’s household; the servants were acquainted with him, and he with them.d (John 18:10, 15, 16) It is only natural, then, that John should mention the injured man’s name, whereas the other Gospel writers, to whom the man evidently was a stranger, do not.