Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
They took (parelabon). Second aorist active indicative of paralambanw, they took Jesus from Pilate. Cf. John 1:11; John 14:3. This is after the shameful scourging between 6 A.M. and 9 A.M. when the soldiers insult Jesus ad libitum (Mark 15:16-19; Matthew 27:27-30).
Bearing the cross for himself (bastazwn autw ton stauron). Cf. Luke 14:27 for this very picture in the words of Jesus. The dative case of the reflexive pronoun autw "for himself" is in strict accord with Roman custom. "A criminal condemned to be crucified was required to carry his own cross" (Bernard). But apparently Jesus under the strain of the night before and the anguish of heart within him gave out so that Simon of Cyrene was impressed to carry it for Jesus (Mark 15:21 f.; Matthew 27:32 f.; Luke 23:26). See Mark 15:22 f.; Matthew 27:33 f.; Luke 23:33 for the meaning of "place of a skull" or Calvary and Golgotha in Hebrew (Aramaic). Luke has simply Kranion (Skull), a skull-looking place.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 19:17:
Luke 14:27
John 5:2
John 12:6
Galatians 6:2
Hebrews 13:12
Revelation 9:11
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