3. *Hail, king of the Jews.* The soldiers had derisively arrayed Him in the insignia of royalty; nothing was wanting but the mockery of their homage; this they now offer. St. Matthew is more explicit: “And bowing the knee before him, they mocked him, saying: Hail, king of the Jews” (Matt. xxvii. 29). *And they gave him blows.* From St. Matthew we learn, too, that “spitting upon him, they took the reed, and struck his head” (Matt. xxvii. 30). 4. Exivit ergo iterum Pilatus 4. Pilate therefore went forth foras, et dicit eis: Ecce again, and saith to them: adduco vobis eum foras, ut Behold I bring him forth unto cognoscatis quia nullam you, that you may know that I invenio in eo causam. find no cause in him. 4. Pilate now brought Jesus forth, hoping that the wretched plight to which our Saviour had been reduced, that the mockery and degradation and suffering to which He had been subjected, would satisfy them, and with this view he says to them in effect: Behold I bring Him forth to you that I may make known to you again that I can find no reason for condemning Him; see, then, the miserable state to which He is reduced, and be satisfied. 5. (Exivit ergo Iesus portans 5. Jesus therefore came forth coronam spineam, et purpureum bearing the crown of thorns, vestimentum). Et dicit eis: and the purple garment. And he Ecce homo. saith to them: Behold the Man. 5. This verse gives us the graphic description of an eye‐witness. *Behold the Man.* “Behold” is an interjection, not a verb. It it were a verb, “man” would be in the accusative case governed by it. This, indeed, is what is suggested by our translation and punctuation: “Behold the Man.” But in the original, “man” is in the nominative case (ὁ ἄνθρωπος), and the meaning is: Behold, here before you is _the Man_. 6. Cum ergo vidissent eum 6. When the chief priests pontifices et ministri therefore and the servants had clamabant dicentes: Crucifige, seen him, they cried out, crucifige eum, Dicit eis saying: Crucify him, crucify Pilatus: accipite cum vos et him. Pilate saith to them: crucifigite: ego enim non Take him you, and crucify him; invenio in eo causam. for I find no cause in him. 6. As soon as Jesus appeared, the chief‐priests and the ministers at once raised the savage cry, fearing lest the sight of His bleeding and mangled body might melt the hearts of the people. Pilate’s words: *Take him, you, and crucify him*, are thought by some to be ironical, as if he said: Take him you, if you dare. We prefer, however, to understand the words, like the similar words in verse xviii. 31, as the expression of his desire to please the Jews. He was convinced that Jesus was innocent, and was unwilling himself to condemn Him; yet, to please the Jews, he would permit them to put Him to death.