Charles Ellicott Commentary John 19:8

"When Pilate therefore heard this saying, he was the more afraid;" — John 19:8 (ASV)

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid.—That is, as the verses that follow show, he was the more afraid because he wondered who Jesus really was. He must have heard some of the current impressions about His life and words; he himself had heard Him claim a kingdom that is not of this world; his wife’s dream (Matthew 27:19) had provided an evil omen, which the superstition of the most educated classes of the Roman Empire would interpret as a message from the gods; and now the Jews spoke of Him as one who claimed to be the Son of God. (Compare Notes on the words of the Roman centurion in Matthew 27:54.)