What Does Mark 14:64 Mean in the King James?
Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
They turn a charge into a unanimous death verdict, and the Greek word for “condemned” keeps the act of judging inside the sentence.
THE MEANING
This verse exposes how an accusation can harden into collective judgment: everyone agrees, and the sentence is death. A shared verdict can name someone guilty, but unanimity alone cannot make that verdict true.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that a unanimous verdict proves guilt: the crowd’s agreement does not itself establish the charge.
THE ROOT
κατέκριναν
katékrinan
GROWS FROM
κριν- (κρίνω, krinō)
to judge, decide, or render a verdict
The Greek keeps the act of judging inside “condemned”; the sentence is a judgment made against him, not a fate that simply falls upon him. The same word family names both the judge and the condemnation, tracing how the room’s shared decision becomes a death sentence.
ALSO GROWS
kritēs: judge
κριτής
The judge is the one who makes a decision; here the gathered voices take up that judging role together.
katakrima: condemnation
κατάκριμα
This related word names the condemnatory judgment itself, linking their act of judging to its devastating result.
THE PATTERN
When accusation is treated as proof, gathered judgment can condemn the innocent and give lethal force to a verdict.
He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.THE THREAD
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.Mark’s κατέκριναν (katékrinan, “they condemned”) and Romans’ κατάκριμα (katakrima, “condemnation”) belong to the same κρίνω (krinō, “judge”) word family. Mark shows judgment ending in a death sentence; Romans speaks of no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
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