Jesus, King of the jews

In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the King of the Jews, both at the beginning of his life and at
the end. In the Koine Greek of the New Testament, e.g., in John 19:3, this is written as Basileus ton
Ioudaion (βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων).[1]

Jesus, crowned with thorns in a Tyrian purple robe as the King of the Jews, being mocked and beaten
during his Passion, depicted by van Baburen, 1623.

Both uses of the title lead to dramatic results in the New Testament accounts. In the account of the
nativity of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, the Biblical Magi who come from the east call Jesus the “King
of the Jews”, causing Herod the Great to order the Massacre of the Innocents. Towards the end of the
accounts of all four canonical Gospels, in the narrative of the Passion of Jesus, the title “King of the
Jews” leads to charges against Jesus that result in his crucifixion.[2][3]

The initialism INRI (Latin: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum) represents the Latin inscription (in John
19:19), which in English translates to “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”, and John 19:20 states that
this was written in three languages—Hebrew,[a] Latin, and Greek—during the crucifixion of Jesus.

The title “King of the Jews” is only used in the New Testament by gentiles, namely by the Magi, Pontius
Pilate, and the Roman soldiers. In contrast, the Jewish leaders use the designation “Messiah”. They use
Hebrew words and did not say ‘Christ’, a Greek translation word.[7] Although the phrase “King of the
Jews” is used in most English translations,[b] it has also been translated wrongly “King of the Judeans”
(see Ioudaioi).[8]