John 18:23 — ExegesisTAB

The verse opens with a concise response verb, apekrithe {ἀπεκρίθη | a-pe-KRÍ-thē} ‘answered’, which frames the line as a direct rebuttal inside a formal hearing. The dative auto {αὐτῷ | au-TÔ} marks the person being addressed, while the explicit subject Iesous {Ἰησοῦς | Iē-SOÛS} places Jesus in sharp focus before the speech begins. The first conditional clause, Ei kakōs elalēsa {Εἰ κακῶς ἐλάλησα | Ei ka-KÔS e-LA-le-sa}, presents the accusation as a hypothetical question of speech quality, and the imperative martyreson {μαρτύρησον | mar-TÝ-rē-son} moves the dialogue from accusation to evidence. The phrase peri tou kakou {περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ | pe-RÍ tou ka-KOÛ} narrows the issue to a specific alleged wrong rather than a broad moral debate. The second clause, ei de kalōs {εἰ δὲ καλῶς | ei de ka-LOS}, creates a strong antithesis: if the speech was good, then the blow has no justification. The interrogative ti me dereis {τί με δέρεις | TI ME DE-reis} ends the verse with a pointed rhetorical question that exposes the injustice of violence when no valid proof has been offered. The parallel conditional structure gives the saying its legal force: either demonstrate the charge or acknowledge that the strike is unwarranted.