Mark 15:4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!”

What does Pilate do after the chief priests accuse Jesus harshly?

“Then Pilate questioned Him again…” (Mark 15:4).

•   ἐπηρώτα (epērōta) (“questioned”)

3S Imperfect Active Indicative of ἐπερωτάω,

"to put a question to, ask; of a judge’s questioning (interrogation) in making an investigation" (BDAG, 362).

•  πάλιν (palin) (“again”)

"pertaining to repetition in the same (or similar) manner, again, once more, anew of something a person has already done" (BDAG, 752).

What does Pilate say when he questions Jesus again?

“…saying, ‘Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!’” (Mark 15:4).

• λέγων (legōn) (“saying”)

Masculine Nominative Singular Present Active Participle of λέγω,

"to express oneself orally or in written form, utter in words, say, tell, give expression to" (BDAG, 588).

• οὐκ ἀποκρίνῃ (ouk apokrinē) (“not answer”)

2S Present Middle/Passive Indicative of ἀποκρίνομαι,

"answer, reply" (BDAG, 113).

•   οὐδέν (ouden)

"nothing" (BDAG, 735)

o  “Pleonastic negatives, which were frequent in classical Attic and well suited to the lively Greek temperament, are not as plentiful now. The negative was strengthened by sequences like…Mark 15:4-5 (οὐ ... οὐδέν often in Ptol. papyri)” (James Hope Moulton and Nigel Turner, A Grammar of New Testament Greek: Syntax, V 3, p. 286).

o  οὐκ…οὐδὲ in Matthew 27:14b, “And He did not (οὐκ) answer him with regard to even (οὐδὲ) a single charge…”

o  “An offspring of Ionic, Attic was the dialect of Athens, during the ‘golden age’ of classical Greek (4^th-5^th centuries BCE). In this golden age, Athens was both the political and literary center of Greece. ‘Classical Greek,’ though technically referring to all four dialects, is normally equated with Attic Greek, because of the proliferation of literary works that come from this dialect. Attic was thus a vehicle of refinement, precision, and beauty’ through which some of the world’s great literature was conveyed: ‘In it were composed the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the comedies of Aristophanes, the histories of Thucydides and Xenophon, the orations of Demosthenes, and the philosophical treatises of Plato'” (Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, p. 15).

• πόσα (posa) (“how many”) (Neuter Accusative Plural)

"in the plural πόσα, how many things?" (BDAG, 856)

o  “Exclamations are usually expressed in the older Greek by the pronouns οἷος, ὁποῖος, ὅσος, but occasionally the interrogative forms are so used. So πόσα in Mk. 15:4 and πηλίκος in Gal. 6:11. Cf. also τί θέλω εἰ ἤδη ἀνήφθη (Lu. 12:49). Cf. also ὡς ὡραῖοι in Rom 10:15” (A. T. Robertson, A Short Grammar of the Greek New Testament, for Students Familiar with the Elements of Greek, p. 179).

o  πόσα in Matthew 27:13, “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Do You not hear how many (πόσα) things they testify against You?”

• κατηγοροῦσιν (katēgorousin) (“they bring against”)

3P Present Active Indicative of κατηγορέω,

"nearly always as legal technical term: bring charges in court; τί τινος accuse someone of a thing" (BDAG, 533).

"In view of Pilate's suspicion of the priests' motives (v10) it is quite possible that a protestation of innocence on Jesus' part would have swung Pilate more definitely onto his side, but not for the first time Jesus fails to take an opportunity to influence the outcome of the trial and so avoid the fate which he has accepted at Gethsemane as the Father's will" (R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: a Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary, p. 629).

 "Some scholars suspected that Tactitus was in error and that Pilate was a governor of the rank of prefect, not procurator. An inscription found at Caesarea Maritima in 1961 confirmed this suspicion... The Pilate inscription thus confirms the governor's rank as prefect, and it may also provide an important indication of what major projects occupied the attention of the governor of Judea" (Dictionary of New Testament Background, p. 804).

Father,

Jesus stood in magnificent silence before His accusers, revealing His submission to Your will and to the cross, just as You had revealed in Your Word through the prophets. Glory to Yeshua for His restrained power at this critical juncture in Your work of salvation. And Your Word reveals the mystery that had been hidden for ages but is now revealed in Christ. The Bible records the magnificent revelation of Your divine nature and eternal power. In Jesus is the radiance of Your glory and the exact representation of Your nature. You are the God of the Bible, and Your glory is revealed in and through Your Son. Through faith alone in Jesus are sinners saved by Your grace. And through Christ, the veil of unbelief is removed. Jesus opens our minds to understand the Bible. All Scripture is inspired by You and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. The inerrancy of Your Word, testifying of actual historical events as well as absolute propositional truth, reveals Your glory and Your power to guard and preserve Your revelation through the ages. All that You have revealed through the prophets has and will come to pass, for You watch over Your Word to fulfill it. You alone know the beginning and the end. You reveal prophecy and You fulfill it. Glory to You for the marvelous gift of Your Word and the Spirit’s ministry to lead us into the fullness of Your truth, for Your Word is true. May You sanctify us in Your truth, for Your Word is true. May the Words of Jesus dwell in us richly. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.