The title on the cross

John 19: 19 – 22: And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

Pilate had a title written and tacked to the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. When many of the Jews read this title, they were not too happy about it and insisted that it be changed. Written in Hebrew the writing read this way: “Yeshua HaNazarei v’Melech HaYehudim.” Taking the first letter of each Hebrew word gives the spelling of “Y-H-V-H” or “Yahweh” which is the name of God. It was because the title declared Jesus to be Yahweh (or God) that the chief priests came to Pilate to have him remove the title and affix another revised one to the cross.