Matthew 27:58 in 8 translations
7 distinct wordings, grouped by what each translation is trying to do. Differences from the King James text are marked below.
Early modern English
Seventeenth-century wording and sentence shape. Familiar, rhythmic, and the version most quotations you have heard are taken from.
He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
1611 / 1769 · Public domain · The Authorised Version, revised to the 1769 Blayney text. Includes the Apocrypha as printed in 1611.
Literal, word-for-word
Follows Hebrew and Greek word order and grammar closely, even where the English becomes stiff. Useful for seeing what the underlying sentence is doing.
this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
*He*, going to Pilate, begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
he having gone near to Pilate, asked for himself the body of Jesus; then Pilate commanded the body to be given back.
1898 · Public domain · The most extreme word-for-word rendering here, keeping Hebrew and Greek tense and word order at the cost of natural English.
Modern English
Contemporary vocabulary and punctuation, aiming for the sentence a present-day reader would write while staying close to the source.
This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
He went to see Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered it to be given him.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
This man went in to Pilate, and made a request for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate gave orders for it to be given to him.
1949 · Public domain · Written with roughly a thousand basic English words plus a small Bible vocabulary. The plainest reading available here.
What changes between the King James and modern wording
The modern rendering is printed below with every word that differs from the King James text marked, so the actual divergence is visible rather than left for you to spot.
This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up.
Word-for-word swaps
- He→This
- the→asked
- delivered→given
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.