John 19:7 — ExegesisTAB

The clause begins with the verb apekrithēsan {ἀπεκρίθησαν | apekríthēsan} “they answered,” an aorist passive form used deponently to introduce a formal response. The indirect object autō {αὐτῷ | autō} “to him” identifies Pilate as the addressee. The subject is made explicit by the article–noun combination hoi Ioudaioi {οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι | hoi Ioudaîoi} “the Jews,” foregrounding the group that issues the legal charge. The emphatic pronoun Hēmeis {Ἡμεῖς | Hēmeîs} “we” precedes the object–verb sequence nomon echomen {νόμον ἔχομεν | nómon échomen} “law we have,” highlighting their corporate possession of a legal tradition. The prepositional phrase kata ton nomon {κατὰ τὸν νόμον | katá tón nómon} “according to the law” specifies the standard by which they demand action, with kata marking conformity to that norm. The verb opheilei {ὀφείλει | opheílei} “he ought” governs the infinitive apothanein {ἀποθανεῖν | apothaneîn} “to die,” forming a necessity construction that expresses moral–legal obligation rather than mere possibility. The conjunction hoti {ὅτι | hóti} “because” introduces the rationale: huion theou heauton epoiēsen {υἱὸν θεοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἐποίησεν | huión theoû heautón epoíēsen}, literally “himself he made (to be) Son of God.” Here heauton {ἑαυτὸν | heautón} functions as a reflexive object and huion theou {υἱὸν θεοῦ | huión theoû} stands in predicate position, intensifying the claim that Jesus has appropriated a divine-filial title. The word order clusters the legal basis (“according to the law,” “he ought to die”) closely with the theological claim (“Son of God”), underscoring that, in the accusers’ perspective, the alleged blasphemy directly grounds the demand for the death penalty.