Pilate was not asking for Jesus' hometown. Barnes explains: "Pilate knew that he was a Galilean, but this question was asked to ascertain whether he claimed to be the Son of God - whether a mere man, or whether divine." Gill says Pilate wanted to know "from whence he sprung, who were his ancestors, and whether his descent was from the gods, or from men."

Fear drove the question. John says Pilate "was the more afraid" when he heard the charge (John 19:8). Barnes says the evangelist does not state the cause, but it "was probably, however, the alarm of his conscience, and the fear of vengeance if he suffered such an act of injustice to be done as to put an innocent man to death."

"But Jesus gave him no answer" (John 19:9). Pilate pressed, "Speakest thou not unto me?" (John 19:10). Only then did Jesus speak, and not about where He came from but about where Pilate's power came from: "except it were given thee from above" (John 19:11).

The commentators give reasons for the silence. Among the probable reasons Barnes lists are that Jesus had already told Pilate the nature of His kingdom (John 18:36-37) and had said enough to satisfy him of His innocence. Matthew Henry calls it "a patient silence," fulfilling Isaiah 53:7, and also "a prudent silence," since Pilate did not understand his own question.

The "judgment hall" is the praitōrion in Greek (the praetorium), the Roman governor's headquarters, which is why the ESV says "headquarters." The question word is pothen, "from where."

Pilate already knew Jesus came from Galilee. Luke records that when Pilate "heard of Galilee," he sent Jesus to Herod, who ruled that region (Luke 23:6-7). In John's Gospel, "whence" Jesus came is a running question. Barnes points back to John 7:27, where people said, "we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is."

Pilate asked, without knowing it, the central question of John's Gospel. Jesus had answered it many times: "I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come" (John 8:14), and "I am from above" (John 8:23). Jesus had also said plainly, "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world" (John 16:28).

Jesus' silence also fulfilled Scripture. Matthew Henry points to Isaiah 53:7: "as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." Jesus did not argue for His life. He had already spoken the truth to Pilate (John 18:36-37), and now He was willing to suffer rather than plead His case.