{If this man were not an evil-doer} (ei m(8820)(886e) houtos kakon
poi(936e)). Condition (negative) of second class (periphrastic
imperfect indicative), assumed to be untrue, with the usual
apodosis (an and aorist indicative, first aorist plural with
k). This is a pious pose of infallibility not in the Synoptics.
They then proceeded to make the charges ( Lu 23:2 ) as indeed
John implies ( 18:31,33 ). Some MSS. here read kakopoios
(malefactor) as in  1Pe 2:12,14 , with which compare Luke's
kakourgos ( 23:32f. ; so also  2Ti 2:9 ), both meaning
evil-doer. Here the periphrastic present participle poi(936e) with
kakon emphasizes the idea that Jesus was a habitual evil-doer
(Abbott). It was an insolent reply to Pilate (Bernard).