Juan 18:22

22 Y como él hubo dicho esto, uno de los criados que estaba allí, dió una bofetada á Jesús, diciendo: ¿Así respondes al pontífice?

Juan 18:22 Meaning and Commentary

John 18:22

And when he had thus spoken
What was so right and reasonable, in so becoming a manner, without heat or passion:

one of the officers which stood by;
it may be one of those who had been sent to him and had been a hearer of him, whom Jesus might look wistfully at, or point unto, when he said the above words, at which he might be provoked: and therefore

stroke Jesus with the palm of his hand;
or gave him a rap with a rod, or smote him with a staff, as some think, is the sense of the phrase; though the Syriac, agreeably to our version, reads it, he smote him, (yhwewl le) , "upon his cheek"; gave him, what we commonly call, a slap on the face; and which is always esteemed a very great affront, and was a piece of rudeness and insolence to the last degree in this man:

saying, answerest thou the high priest so?
This he said, as well as gave the blow, either out of flattery to the high priest, or to clear himself from being a favourer of Christ; which, by what had been said, he might think would be suspected: some have thought this was Malchus, whose ear Christ had healed; if so, he was guilty of great ingratitude.

Juan 18:22 In-Context

20 Jesús le respondió: Yo manifiestamente he hablado al mundo: yo siempre he enseñado en la sinagoga y en el templo, donde se juntan todos los Judíos, y nada he hablado en oculto.

21 ¿Qué me preguntas á mí? Pregunta á los que han oído, qué les haya yo hablado: he aquí, ésos saben lo que yo he dicho.

22 Y como él hubo dicho esto, uno de los criados que estaba allí, dió una bofetada á Jesús, diciendo: ¿Así respondes al pontífice?

23 Respondióle Jesús: Si he hablado mal, da testimonio del mal: y si bien, ¿por qué me hieres?

24 Y Anás le había enviado atado á Caifás pontífice.