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Matthew26:57–68

Jesus before the Sanhedrin

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Matthew 26:57–68 — Jesus before the Sanhedrin. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

57

Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Hoi kratēsantes ton Iēsoun apēgagon pros Kaiaphan ton archierea hopou hoi grammateis kai hoi presbyteroi synēchthēsan

Word by word17 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΟἱHoiThoseG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
κρατήσαντεςkratēsanteswho had arrestedG2902
√ κρατέω — to use strength, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
krateō: to use strength, to seize and hold fast The participle sets the whole unit's grammar of force. The men who hold Jesus are the subject of every verb in v. 57, and the last verb of the verse is passive: they act, and the council is acted upon. Gill notes they held Him fast "perhaps taking the hint from Judas, to hold him fast, and lead him away safely," which makes the grip itself an echo of the betrayal kiss.
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦνIēsounJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
ἀπήγαγονapēgagonled [Him] awayG520
√ ἀπάγω — to take off (in various senses)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
πρὸςprosto [the house of]G4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
ΚαϊάφανKaiaphanCaiaphasG2533
√ Καϊάφας — the dellNounAccusative Masculine Singular
Kaiaphas: Caiaphas, the high priest of that year A rare name (9 verses in the canon), all of them in the passion narrative and its run-up, which is itself a comment on his significance. Poole and Gill both stress that the office had become a purchasable annual appointment under Rome, so that the man who presides here is the legal high priest and the emblem of a priesthood already undone.
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἀρχιερέαarchiereahigh priestG749
√ ἀρχιερεύς — the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
ὅπουhopouwhereG3699
√ ὅπου — what(-ever) where, iAdverb
hopou: where A hinge word: it makes Caiaphas's house, not the hall Gazith, the venue.
οἱhoitheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
γραμματεῖςgrammateisscribesG1122
√ γραμματεύς — scribe, town-clerkNounNominative Masculine Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἱhoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
πρεσβύτεροιpresbyteroieldersG4245
√ πρεσβύτερος — olderAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
συνήχθησανsynēchthēsanhad gatheredG4863
√ συνάγω — to lead together, iVerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Plural
synagō: to lead together, to gather The passive aorist reports an assembly already sitting when the prisoner arrives, which is Ellicott's and Cambridge's whole legal objection: a capital trial convened at night, in a private house, with the verdict presupposed. The same verb stands at Matthew 26:3, where these men first gathered in this same palace to plot; the Verifier records G4863 as shared between the two verses.
58

But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de ho Petros ēkolouthei autō apo makrothen heōs tēs aulēs tou archiereōs kai eiselthōn esō ekathēto meta tōn hypēretōn idein to telos

Word by word22 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΠέτροςPetrosPeterG4074
√ Πέτρος — a (piece of) rock (larger than G3037 (λίθος))NounNominative Masculine Singular
ἠκολούθειēkoloutheifollowedG190
√ ἀκολουθέω — properly, to be in the same way with, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
akoloutheō: to follow, to be in the same way with The technical verb of discipleship, here in the imperfect and qualified by "from afar." Matthew has used it for the call of the fishermen and the crowds; its last use before the denial is this one, hollowed out by distance. Gill judges that the following "showed love to him" while the distance "betrayed fear," and the verse holds both without resolving them.
αὐτῷautōHimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἀπὸapoatG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
μακρόθενmakrothena distanceG3113
√ μακρόθεν — from a distance or afarAdverb
makrothen: from a distance, from afar An adverb of measurement turned into a moral location by Henry and Barnes alike.
ἕωςheōsright upG2193
√ ἕως — a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)Preposition
τῆςtēsto theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
αὐλῆςaulēscourtyardG833
√ αὐλή — a yard (as open to the wind)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
τοῦtouof theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀρχιερέωςarchiereōshigh priestG749
√ ἀρχιερεύς — the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἰσελθὼνeiselthōnhe wentG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἔσωesōinG2080
√ ἔσω — inside (as preposition or adjective)Adverb
ἐκάθητοekathēto[and] sat downG2521
√ κάθημαι — and (to sitVerbImperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
kathēmai: to sit down, to be seated Imperfect again, and the same verb that will be used in v. 64 of the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power. Within twelve verses κάθημαι names both Peter seated among the officers of the court and the Christ seated in the place of God's power, which is the unit's sharpest unforced verbal irony.
μετὰmetawithG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
τῶνtōntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
ὑπηρετῶνhypēretōnguardsG5257
√ ὑπηρέτης — an under-oarsman, iNounGenitive Masculine Plural
hypēretēs: an under-oarsman, an attendant, an officer Not household slaves but the court's own officers (Cambridge: "Attendants," "retinue"). These are the men who will spit on Jesus in v. 67 (Ellicott, following Mark 14:65 and Luke 22:63, insists the outrages were theirs and not the Sanhedrin's), and Peter is sitting with them.
ἰδεῖνideinto seeG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Infinitive Active
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
τέλοςtelosoutcomeG5056
√ τέλος — properly, the point aimed at as a limit, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
telos: the end, the outcome, the point aimed at Peter's motive, stated in one noun. Ellicott hears in it "the fevered restlessness of uncertain expectation" rather than devotion; Pulpit notes that the whole verse is parenthetical, laid down here only to prepare the denial of vv. 69 to 75.
59

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Hoi archiereis kai to holon synedrion ezētoun pseudomartyrian kata tou Iēsou hopōs thanatōsōsin auton

Word by word15 · parsed
δὲdeNowG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΟἱHoitheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
ἀρχιερεῖςarchiereischief priestsG749
√ ἀρχιερεύς — the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ)NounNominative Masculine Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
ὅλονholonwholeG3650
√ ὅλος — "whole" or "all", iAdjectiveNominative Neuter Singular
συνέδριονsynedrionSanhedrinG4892
√ συνέδριον — a joint session, iNounNominative Neuter Singular
synedrion: a joint session, a council The Sanhedrin, here named as a single neuter body. Gill details from the rabbinic sources that it could be made up of priests, Levites and lay elders, and that an unusual venue (Caiaphas's palace rather than the appointed chamber) was probably chosen "for greater secrecy."
ἐζήτουνezētounwere seekingG2212
√ ζητέω — to seek (literally or figuratively)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
zēteō: to seek The imperfect makes the verse a scene rather than a summary: witness after witness examined, nothing sticking. Cambridge cuts to the principle: "to seek witnesses at all was against the spirit of the law," since under Deuteronomy the witnesses come forward and the court examines them, it does not go hunting for them.
ψευδομαρτυρίανpseudomartyrianfalse testimonyG5577
√ ψευδομαρτυρία — untrue testimonyNounAccusative Feminine Singular
pseudomartyria: untrue testimony A rare compound (2 verses). Matthew is the only evangelist to use it, and the other use is Matthew 15:19, in the Lord's own catalogue of what defiles. Gill notes the further irony from Deuteronomy 19:18: the very court whose business it was to detect and punish false witnesses is here the party procuring them.
κατὰkataagainstG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦIēsouJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ὅπωςhopōsin order toG3704
√ ὅπως — what(-ever) how, iConjunction
θανατώσωσινthanatōsōsinput Him to deathG2289
√ θανατόω — become dead, (cause to be) put to death, kill, mortifyVerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Plural
thanatoō: to put to death The aorist subjunctive names the end for which the testimony is wanted. Maclaren's verdict is the plainest: their effort "was but to manufacture some thin veil of legality for a judicial murder."
αὐτὸνauton. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
60

But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ouch heuron pollōn pseudomartyrōn proselthontōn de Hysteron dyo proselthontes

Word by word10 · parsed
καὶkaiButG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οὐχouchvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
εὗρονheuronthey did not find anyG2147
√ εὑρίσκω — to find (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
heuriskō: to find A very common verb (167 verses) carrying the whole legal failure. Poole's maxim states the rule they could not satisfy: "Vox unius est vox nullius," one witness is no witness, under Deuteronomy 19:15.
πολλῶνpollōn[though] manyG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveGenitive Masculine Plural
ψευδομαρτύρωνpseudomartyrōnfalse witnessesG5575
√ ψευδομάρτυρ — a spurious witness, iNounGenitive Masculine Plural
pseudomartyr: a spurious witness Rare (2 verses), and the noun form of the charge. Benson reads the failure as providential restraint: for all the rewards the council could offer, "no two consistent witnesses could be procured." That is a synthesis of the fact, not the fact itself, and Benson offers it as his own judgment.
προσελθόντωνproselthontōncame forwardG4334
√ προσέρχομαι — to approach, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveGenitive Masculine Plural
δὲdeFinallyG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὝστερονHysteron. . .G5305
√ ὕστερον — more lately, iAdverb
δύοdyotwoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
dyo: two The number is the law. Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15 require two or three, which Ellicott and Pulpit both cite here, and the appearance of exactly two is the court's attempt to satisfy the letter of a rule it had already broken in spirit.
προσελθόντεςproselthontescame forwardG4334
√ προσέρχομαι — to approach, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
proserchomai: to approach, to come forward The formal verb of stepping up to testify, used twice in one verse.
61

and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

eipan Houtos ephē Dynamai katalysai ton naon tou Theou kai oikodomēsai dia triōn hēmerōn

Word by word14 · parsed
εἶπανeipan[and] declaredG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ΟὗτοςHoutosThis [man]G3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἔφηephēsaidG5346
√ φημί — to show or make known one's thoughts, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
phēmi: to say, to make known one's thoughts Imperfect, "kept saying," which Gill notices: the charge is not only that He said it once but that He "continues to say it, and glory in it."
ΔύναμαιDynamaiI am ableG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive1st Person Singular
καταλῦσαιkatalysaito destroyG2647
√ καταλύω — to loosen down (disintegrate), iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
katalyō: to loosen down, to disintegrate, to destroy A demolition word, used of dissolving a structure stone from stone. In the reported saying it has been moved from an imperative addressed to the Jews into an infinitive of Jesus's own capability, and with that one grammatical move a promise becomes a threat. Maclaren states the reversal: in the original saying the destroying is the Jews' work, and Jesus is "the Restorer, not the Destroyer."
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ναὸνnaontempleG3485
√ ναός — a fane, shrine, templeNounAccusative Masculine Singular
naos: a shrine, a sanctuary The innermost holy house rather than the whole temple complex, which is why the charge could be framed as sacrilege. Gill adds the second edge the witnesses wanted, sorcery: a building of forty six years could not be raised in three days except by Beelzebub's help.
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ΘεοῦTheouof GodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἰκοδομῆσαιoikodomēsairebuild itG3618
√ οἰκοδομέω — to be a house-builder, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
διὰdiainG1223
√ διά — through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)Preposition
τριῶνtriōnthreeG5140
√ τρεῖς — "three"AdjectiveGenitive Feminine Plural
treis: three The number that the witnesses repeat accurately and understand not at all; it is the only part of the saying they transmit intact.
ἡμερῶνhēmerōndaysG2250
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounGenitive Feminine Plural
hēmera: day With διὰ (through, within) the phrase reads "through three days," the interval rather than the deadline.
62

So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai ho archiereus anastas eipen autō apokrinē Ouden ti houtoi katamartyrousin sou

Word by word12 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἀρχιερεὺςarchiereushigh priestG749
√ ἀρχιερεύς — the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ)NounNominative Masculine Singular
ἀναστὰςanastasstood upG450
√ ἀνίστημι — to stand up (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
anistēmi: to stand up, to rise The president rises because the process has failed, not because it has succeeded; Gill reads the rising as anger, "partly being vexed, that they could get no other and better testimony."
εἶπενeipen[and] askedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautōHimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἀποκρίνῃapokrinēHave You no answerG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive2nd Person Singular
apokrinomai: to answer, to conclude for oneself The verb of legal reply. Its absence here is the fact of the verse: the prisoner will not conclude anything for himself, and the court cannot proceed without his word. Barnes notes that Jesus knew the evidence did not "even appear to amount to anything worth a reply."
ΟὐδὲνOuden. . .G3762
√ οὐδείς — not even one (man, woman or thing), iAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
τίtiWhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
οὗτοίhoutoi{are} these [men]G3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Plural
καταμαρτυροῦσινkatamartyrousintestifying againstG2649
√ καταμαρτυρέω — to testify againstVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
katamartyreō: to testify against Rare (3 verses), and Matthew's own word for this trial and the Roman one that follows; the Verifier records G2649 as shared between Matthew 26:62 and Matthew 27:13. The Jewish court and the Roman governor put the identical question to the identical silence.
σουsouYouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
63

But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Ho Iēsous esiōpa Kai ho archiereus eipen autō Exorkizō se kata tou tou zōntos Theou hina eipēs hēmin ei sy ei ho Christos ho Huios tou Theou

Word by word28 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐσιώπαesiōparemained silentG4623
√ σιωπάω — properly, muteness, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
siōpaō: to be silent, muteness The imperfect makes the silence the longest action in the trial. Pulpit sets Isaiah 53:7 and Psalm 38:13 and 14 beside it, and quotes Chrysostom's judgment that defence was useless because this "was a show only of a court of justice." The silence is not passivity but refusal to supply the evidence the court lacks.
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἀρχιερεὺςarchiereushigh priestG749
√ ἀρχιερεύς — the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ)NounNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautōto HimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἘξορκίζωExorkizōI charge You under oathG1844
√ ἐξορκίζω — to exact an oath, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
exorkizō: to exact an oath, to adjure The single most consequential verb in the unit: it is the instrument by which the court, having failed to convict Jesus on testimony, convicts Him on His own words. Pulpit cites Leviticus 5:1, under which silence after adjuration is itself guilt, so the adjuration closes the last exit. Poole, honestly, is unconvinced that a formal oath was administered at all.
σεse. . .G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
κατὰkatabyG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ζῶντοςzōntoslivingG2198
√ ζάω — to live (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Participle ActiveGenitive Masculine Singular
zaō: to live A present participle used as a divine title. The living God is invoked as witness by men who are about to sentence the living one to death, and Barnes's note on the title's polemic against lifeless idols sharpens rather than softens that.
ΘεοῦTheouGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἵναhinaG2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
εἴπῃςeipēsTellG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Singular
ἡμῖνhēminusG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Plural
εἰeiifG1487
√ εἰ — if, whether, that, etcConjunction
σὺsyYouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 2nd Person Singular
εἶeiareG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΧριστὸςChristosChristG5547
√ Χριστός — anointed, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
Christos: anointed, Christ The office, articular, and immediately paired with "the Son of God." Gill argues that the doubling is drawn from Psalm 2, since that is the one passage where the anointed one and the Son stand together, and he cites Jarchi, Aben Ezra and Kimchi as evidence that the older Jewish reading of that psalm was messianic; Pulpit independently thinks the high priest's language is "perhaps, based on the second psalm." Barnes states the trap inside the question: confess and the charge is blasphemy, deny and the charge is imposture, so the form is honest and the intent is closed.
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΥἱὸςHuiosSonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
huios: son Pulpit cautions against reading Caiaphas's "Son of God" as a confession of consubstantiality; he probably meant no more than the popular messianic sense. Ellicott points to John 5:18, 8:58, 10:24 to show the council had good means of knowing what answer to expect, which is why the question was worth asking.
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ΘεοῦTheouof GodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular
64

“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Sy eipas ho Iēsous Legei autō plēn legō hymin ap’ arti opsesthe ton Huion tou anthrōpou kathēmenon ek dexiōn tēs dynameōs kai erchomenon epi tōn nephelōn tou ouranou

Word by word28 · parsed
ΣὺSyYouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 2nd Person Singular
εἶπαςeipashave said [it] yourselfG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
epō: to say The aorist of the court's own words thrown back: what you said, you said. Gill and Pulpit both read it as equivalent to Mark's "I am," and Ellicott makes the moment decisive against any reading of Jesus as merely a moral teacher, since "at the very crisis of His history, when denial would have saved His life," the claim is not withdrawn.
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ΛέγειLegeiansweredG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautō. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
πλὴνplēnButG4133
√ πλήν — moreover (besides), iConjunction
λέγωlegōI sayG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
ὑμῖνhyminto all of youG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ἀπ’ap’fromG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
ἄρτιartinow onG737
√ ἄρτι — just nowAdverb
arti: just now The temporal hinge of the whole trial, and the point where commentators divide: Pulpit takes it of the Passion and its immediate sequel, Barnes of the judgment on Jerusalem, Poole leaves it undecided between the resurrection, Pentecost, the fall of the city and the last day.
ὄψεσθεopsestheyou will seeG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbFuture Indicative Middle2nd Person Plural
horaō: to see, to attend to Future middle, and the same verb Peter used in v. 58 when he sat down "to see the end." Two seeings frame the unit: a disciple watching an outcome from a courtyard, and judges promised a sight of the one they are condemning.
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ΥἱὸνHuionSonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounAccusative Masculine Singular
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀνθρώπουanthrōpouof ManG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounGenitive Masculine Singular
καθήμενονkathēmenonsittingG2521
√ κάθημαι — and (to sitVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Masculine Singular
kathēmai: to sit, to be seated The participle that carries Psalm 110:1. Gill states the reference plainly and adds that the sitting "denotes his having done his work"; Geneva glosses the right hand as "like and equal honour." Within this unit the same verb was used of Peter sitting with the officers, which makes the contrast of the two seats unavoidable without straining a word.
ἐκekatG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
δεξιῶνdexiōn[the] right handG1188
√ δεξιός — the right side or (feminine) hand (as that which usually takes)AdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
δυνάμεωςdynameōsof PowerG1411
√ δύναμις — force (literally or figuratively)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
dynamis: force, power Used absolutely as a name for God, a usage Gill documents from the rabbinic "from the mouth of power." Luke 22:69 and the Vulgate spell it out as "the power of God," which Gill notes is an explanation rather than a different text.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐρχόμενονerchomenoncomingG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Masculine Singular
ἐπὶepionG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
τῶνtōntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Plural
νεφελῶνnephelōncloudsG3507
√ νεφέλη — properly, cloudiness, iNounGenitive Feminine Plural
nephelē: cloud The word that brings Daniel 7:13 into the room. Cambridge, Benson and Pulpit all cite Daniel here, and Matthew has used the same image at 16:27, 24:30 and 25:31, so the clause is Matthew's own settled vocabulary for the advent of the Son of Man, not an isolated flourish.
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
οὐρανοῦouranouof heavenG3772
√ οὐρανός — the skyNounGenitive Masculine Singular
65

At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Tote ho archiereus dierrēxen autou ta himatia legōn Eblasphēmēsen ti echomen chreian eti martyrōn ide nyn ēkousate tēn blasphēmian

Word by word19 · parsed
ΤότεToteAt thisG5119
√ τότε — the when, iAdverb
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἀρχιερεὺςarchiereushigh priestG749
√ ἀρχιερεύς — the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ)NounNominative Masculine Singular
διέρρηξενdierrēxentoreG1284
√ διαῤῥήσσω — to tear asunderVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
diarrēssō: to tear asunder Rare (5 verses). Whether the act was forbidden, permitted or required is the most disputed point in this unit: Barnes and Poole read Leviticus 21:10 as a prohibition (Barnes distinguishing the ordinary garment actually torn), Benson as a prohibition waived for blasphemy, Gill as no prohibition at all since Leviticus concerns mourning, Cambridge as a positive rabbinic requirement. We flag rather than settle it.
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
ἱμάτιαhimatiaclothesG2440
√ ἱμάτιον — a dress (inner or outer)NounAccusative Neuter Plural
himation: a garment, inner or outer Plural, and by rabbinic rule deliberately so.
λέγωνlegōn[and] declaredG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἘβλασφήμησενEblasphēmēsenHe has blasphemedG987
√ βλασφημέω — to vilifyVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
blasphēmeō: to vilify, to blaspheme The charge that the whole night's evidence had failed to produce, now stated as a finished fact on the strength of one sentence from the accused. Barnes puts the logical failure precisely: whether Jesus had given evidence of being the Messiah was "the only proper point of inquiry," and "this point they never examined." Maclaren, unusually, grants that Caiaphas understood the claim correctly and rejected it.
τίtiWhyG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἔχομενechomendo weG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Plural
χρείανchreianneedG5532
√ χρεία — employment, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
ἔτιetiany moreG2089
√ ἔτι — "yet," still (of time or degree)Adverb
μαρτύρωνmartyrōnwitnessesG3144
√ μάρτυς — a witness (literally (judicially) or figuratively (genitive case))NounGenitive Masculine Plural
martys: a witness The word the unit has been circling since v. 59, dismissed here in a rhetorical question. Under Deuteronomy 19:15 the court needed two; having got a confession, it declares witnesses superfluous.
ἴδεideLookG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
νῦνnynnowG3568
√ νῦν — "now" (as adverb of date, a transition or emphasis)Adverb
ἠκούσατεēkousateyou have heardG191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
akouō: to hear Aorist plural: "you heard," just now. Pulpit notes the effect, that the whole assembly can now testify to the allegation, which converts the councillors from judges into witnesses.
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
βλασφημίανblasphēmianblasphemyG988
√ βλασφημία — vilification (especially against God)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
66

What do you think?” “He deserves to die,” they answered.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

ti hymin dokei estin Enochos thanatou de Hoi apokrithentes eipan

Word by word10 · parsed
τίtiWhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Neuter Singular
ὑμῖνhymin{do} youG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
δοκεῖdokeithinkG1380
√ δοκέω — compare the base of G1166 (δεικνύω)) of the same meaningVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
dokeō: to seem, to think Impersonal construction; the president asks the room for a sense of the meeting.
ἐστίνestinvvvG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἜνοχοςEnochosHe deservesG1777
√ ἔνοχος — liable to (a condition, penalty or imputation)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
enochos: liable to a condition or penalty A term of art. Barnes identifies the statute behind it as Leviticus 24:10 to 16, which prescribed stoning for blasphemy, and explains that the form of words survived after Rome had removed the council's power to execute. Ellicott makes the same point from the Johannine side, that the rulers ostentatiously disclaimed the power of capital punishment (John 18:31).
θανάτουthanatouto dieG2288
√ θάνατος — (properly, an adjective used as a noun) death (literally or figuratively)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
thanatos: death The genitive of the penalty, and the same root as θανατώσωσιν in v. 59: what the council set out seeking in the imperfect it now pronounces in the indicative. Gill notes the procedural breach that frames it, that their own canon forbade both trying a capital cause at night and finishing it on the same day, let alone on the eve of a festival.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΟἱHoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
ἀποκριθέντεςapokrithentesthey answeredG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Plural
εἶπανeipan. . .G2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
67

Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Tote eneptysan eis autou to prosōpon kai ekolaphisan auton de hoi erapisan

Word by word12 · parsed
ΤότεToteThenG5119
√ τότε — the when, iAdverb
ἐνέπτυσανeneptysanthey spitG1716
√ ἐμπτύω — to spit at or onVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
emptyō: to spit at or on Gill documents from the rabbinic sources how nauseous the act was reckoned (spitting even in a master's presence was a capital offence in their reckoning), and how the tariff of insults in Bava Kamma priced a slap, a backhanded blow, and spittle. Every item in that tariff is done to Jesus here.
εἰςeisinG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
αὐτοῦautouHisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
πρόσωπονprosōponfaceG4383
√ πρόσωπον — the front (as being towards view), iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
prosōpon: the front, the face The object of the contempt, and the very thing Isaiah 50:6 says the servant did not hide.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐκολάφισανekolaphisanstruckG2852
√ κολαφίζω — to rap with the fistVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
kolaphizō: to rap with the fist Rare (5 verses). The Verifier records it as shared with Mark 14:65, the parallel account, and with 1 Corinthians 4:11, where Paul uses it of the apostles' own condition. Ellicott, Cambridge and Pulpit agree it means the clenched fist, which is why the third verb of the verse must mean something else.
αὐτόνautonHimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
οἱhoiOthersG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
hoi: the ones, others The bare article does the work of a pronoun: another set of hands takes over.
ἐράπισανerapisanslapped [Him]G4474
√ ῥαπίζω — to slapVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
rhapizō: to slap, or to strike with a rod One of only two occurrences in the canon; the other is Matthew 5:39. Pulpit leaves the sense genuinely open between an open handed slap and a beating with a stick, and the choice changes the picture without changing the point.
68

and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

legontes Prophēteuson hēmin Christe tis estin ho paisas se

Word by word9 · parsed
λέγοντεςlegontes[and] saidG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
ΠροφήτευσονProphēteusonProphesyG4395
√ προφητεύω — to foretell events, divine, speak under inspiration, exercise the prophetic officeVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
prophēteuō: to foretell, to speak under inspiration Barnes makes the lexical point that carries the scene: the word does not mean only to predict the future but "to declare anything that is unknown, or anything which cannot be known by natural knowledge or without revelation." The taunt therefore demands a genuine act of revelation as a parlour trick. Ellicott and Pulpit both note from Mark 14:65 that He had been blindfolded, which is what gives the question its point.
ἡμῖνhēminto usG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Plural
ΧριστέChristeChristG5547
√ Χριστός — anointed, iNounVocative Masculine Singular
Christos: anointed, Christ Vocative, and sarcastic. Four verses earlier the same title, spoken by Caiaphas and accepted by Jesus, produced the verdict; here it is a jeer in the mouths of the guards.
τίςtisWhoG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐστινestin. . .G1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ὁho. . .G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
παίσαςpaisashitG3817
√ παίω — to hit (as if by a single blow and less violently than G5180 (τύπτω))VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
paiō: to hit with a single blow Rare (5 verses), shared with Luke 22:64 where the Verifier records both G3817 παίω and G4395 προφητεύω for this same mockery. Gill notes that the ancient game the guards were playing has survived as blind man's buff, and adds his own warning that the Lord will one day name the man who struck Him.
σεseYouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The court that was itself on trial — 57, 59, 60

Matthew's grammar puts the force on one side and the passivity on the other: the men who κρατήσαντες (seized) lead Jesus off, and the council συνήχθησαν (was gathered), a passive whose agent Benson supplies as Caiaphas. Ellicott and Cambridge independently list the illegalities, night session, private house, sentence on the day of trial, suborned witnesses, direct interrogation of the accused, with Cambridge citing the Talmudic maxim that "the Sanhedrin is to save, not to destroy life." Poole widens the frame: "All things were now out of order in the Jewish church," the high priesthood having become an annual Roman appointment. Maclaren draws the conclusion the text implies and does not state, that the judges were "all unaware that it was themselves, not Him, that they were trying." ⚙ Our own observation is narrower and verbal: the durative imperfect ἐζήτουν (they kept seeking) in v. 59, which Ellicott rightly presses, means Matthew is not reporting a decision but a search, and the rare noun he chooses for what they searched for, ψευδομαρτυρία (2 verses in the canon), is the same word Jesus had listed at Matthew 15:19 among the things that come out of the heart and defile a man.

ii. The twisted word about the sanctuary — 60, 61

The two witnesses report Δύναμαι καταλῦσαι τὸν ναὸν, "I am able to throw down the sanctuary." Cambridge does the philological work: the actual words of John 2:19 were an imperative addressed to them, with a weaker verb, and the closing verb there is appropriate to raising from the dead, not to masonry, so "to build" is "quite different." Gill lists the perversions one by one, and names the double charge the distortion was meant to support, sacrilege and sorcery. Maclaren makes the reversal theological: in the original saying the destroying is the Jews' work and Jesus is "the Restorer, not the Destroyer," so that "the murder of Jesus was the suicide of the nation," and Caiaphas and his council "were even now pulling down the Temple." Pulpit adds the commercial motive, that Christ had twice interfered with the temple traffic from which the family of Annas profited. ⚙ Our reading simply follows the word choice: Matthew writes ναός, the shrine, not ἱερόν, the precincts, so the false charge is levelled at the holiest point of the building by men who cannot hear that the speaker meant His body.

iii. Silence, oath, and the one answer that condemns — 62, 63, 64

Two imperfects govern this movement: ἐσιώπα (He kept silent) and, against it, the aorist Ἐξορκίζω construction by which Caiaphas closes the last exit. Barnes states the dilemma exactly: confess and the charge is blasphemy, deny and the charge is imposture. Pulpit cites Leviticus 5:1, under which silence after adjuration is itself guilt, and Benson shows from the Septuagint of Genesis 24:3 that ἐξορκίζω is the standard rendering of the Hebrew causative "to make one swear." Poole dissents and doubts that any oath was truly tendered, since a defendant was not compelled to swear against himself; we keep his dissent on the record rather than smoothing it. Then the answer: Σὺ εἶπας, which Pulpit and Gill both read as the full affirmative Mark renders "I am," followed by πλὴν, which Benson and Pulpit agree means "moreover" and not "but." Ellicott is right that nothing in the Gospels is more decisive against a merely ethical Jesus: the claim is pressed at the moment when denial would have saved His life. ⚙ The verbal irony we can verify is internal to the unit: κάθημαι is used of Peter sitting down with the officers (v. 58) and of the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power (v. 64). Matthew does not comment on it, and neither will we beyond noting it.

iv. The torn robe and the spitting — 65, 66, 67, 68

Caiaphas διέρρηξεν (tore apart) his garments, and the commentators disagree about the law. Benson holds that the high priest was forbidden to rend his clothes, citing Leviticus 10:6 and 21:10, "yet in case of blasphemy, or any public calamity, it was thought allowable." Barnes distinguishes his ordinary garments from his priestly robes. Gill, with the fullest rabbinic documentation in the brief, denies there was any transgression at all, since the Leviticus prohibition concerns mourning, and adds the rule that on hearing blasphemy every hearer was obliged to rend. Cambridge says flatly that the act "was enjoined by the Rabbinical rules." Pulpit reports that the Fathers read the torn robe as a symbol of the rending of the Jewish priesthood. Maclaren's contribution is different in kind: this saying of the high priest, unlike the witnesses' version of the temple word, is "no distortion," it "correctly understands, but it fatally rejects, His claims." Then the outrages, which Ellicott and Gill assign to the officers rather than the councillors, and which Gill, Pulpit, Poole and Henry all read against Isaiah 50:6. ⚙ One ⚙ note of our own: the mockery in v. 68 asks Him to προφήτευσον, to prophesy, four verses after He has prophesied His own enthronement and advent and been condemned for it. Cambridge calls this "the coarse popular idea of prophecy," a guessing game; the unit has just shown what prophecy actually cost.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read under Sola Scriptura, and offered to be tested: this unit is about what happens to evidence. The council needs two agreeing witnesses because Deuteronomy 19:15 requires them, and it cannot get two, and Matthew says so twice. What finally convicts Jesus is not testimony at all but His own sentence under oath, which means that the only true witness in the room is the accused. That is why the high priest can say τί ἔτι χρείαν ἔχομεν μαρτύρων, why do we still have need of witnesses: from the court's side the case is closed, and from the text's side the word of the Son is the one testimony that needed no corroboration. We hold this loosely, since Matthew draws no such conclusion himself: he simply reports a failed evidentiary process followed by a self attesting answer. The line that follows is our own interpretive summary and is not Scripture; it is the tool speaking, fallibly, and it should be weighed against the text rather than quoted alongside it.

They could not find two witnesses who agreed, so they took the word of the only witness who could not lie.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

Matthew's rare word for perjury, used first by Jesus and then against Him verbal / quotation: confirmed

The noun ψευδομαρτυρία in v. 59 occurs in only two verses of the canon, and the other is Matthew 15:19, where Jesus lists false witness among the things that proceed out of the heart. The matching personal noun ψευδομάρτυρ in v. 60 is equally rare, and its only other canonical occurrence is 1 Corinthians 15:15, where Paul reckons that if Christ was not raised the apostles are found to be false witnesses of God. Both links are Greek to Greek and within the New Testament, so a verbal basis can be recorded. ⚙ We draw no typology from the Corinthians link; we note only that the same rare word stands on both sides of the resurrection.

Matthew 15:19 · 1 Corinthians 15:15

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G5577 ψευδομαρτυρία (in 2 vv, rare) with Matthew 15:19, which also shares G988 βλασφημία (in 17 vv); and shared G5575 ψευδομάρτυρ (in 2 vv, rare) with 1 Corinthians 15:15. Both refs are New Testament Greek, so the verbal tier is available and the rarity justifies it.

The slap of Matthew 5:39 lands on the Lord who commanded it verbal / quotation: confirmed

In v. 67 the officers ἐράπισαν Him, and ῥαπίζω (G4474) stands in only two verses of the whole canon. The other is Matthew 5:39, the Sermon's command about the one who slaps you on the right cheek. The Verifier records both the rare verb and G1188 δεξιός as shared between the two passages, though in v. 64 the right hand is the place of Power rather than a struck cheek. ⚙ The observation is Matthew's vocabulary, not a claim that he intended a cross reference: the evangelist who preserved the command is the evangelist who reports it being carried out on its author, and Poole's comment on v. 67 draws the same practical lesson without the lexical evidence.

Matthew 5:39

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G4474 ῥαπίζω (in 2 vv, the rarest possible non hapax) and G1188 δεξιός (in 54 vv). Both refs are in Matthew, so this is a within Testament Greek to Greek verbal link, not a quotation.

Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13 joined in one sentence structural / thematic: confirmed

Verse 64 puts the seated one of Psalm 110:1 and the one coming with the clouds of Daniel 7:13 into a single clause held by two present participles, καθήμενον and ἐρχόμενον. The identification is not ours: Pulpit says Christ "claims to apply to himself the utterance in Psalm 110:1, and the great prophecy of Daniel," Gill says "respect is had to the prophecy of him in Psalm 110:1," Benson cites Daniel 7:13 and 14, Cambridge cross references Daniel 7:13 with Matthew 16:27, 24:30 and 25:31. This is the hinge of the trial: it is the sentence that produces the verdict. It is still not tierable as verbal, because Matthew 26:64 is Greek and the two sources are Hebrew and Aramaic, so no shared Strong's number exists for the Verifier to record and qa.py rightly refuses the verbal tier across the Testaments. The basis recorded is therefore structural, and it is the strongest such case in the unit.

Psalm 110:1 · Daniel 7:13

basis: Cross Testament (Greek to Hebrew and Aramaic), so shared Strong's lexemes are impossible and no verbal basis can be computed; tiered structural for that reason even though the wording is near verbatim and the link is the hinge of the trial. Named by Pulpit (Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13), Gill (Psalm 110:1), Benson and Cambridge (Daniel 7:13).

The silence of the servant typological

The imperfect ἐσιώπα reports a sustained silence, and three of the commentators read Isaiah 53:7 in it. Ellicott: "In the silence itself we may perhaps trace a deliberate fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7," and he notes 1 Peter 2:23 as the disciples' record of that impression. Pulpit quotes Isaiah 53:7 and adds Psalm 38:13 and 14. Maclaren describes "the silence of the King before a lawless tribunal of rebels, of patient meekness, as a sheep before her shearers." Matthew himself makes no citation formula here, unlike his practice elsewhere, so the link is a figural reading of a reported behaviour rather than a quotation. ⚙ We tier it typological and mark it as the ancient and widely held reading, not a novel one, while noting that Ellicott's own "perhaps" is the right register.

Isaiah 53:7 · Psalm 38:13 · 1 Peter 2:23

basis: Cross Testament, so no shared lexeme is computable; and Matthew supplies no citation formula, so nothing verbal is claimed. A figural reading of Jesus's silence, ancient and widely held: Ellicott (Isaiah 53:7, with 1 Peter 2:23), Pulpit (Isaiah 53:7 with Psalm 38:13 and 14), Maclaren (as a sheep before her shearers), Henry (the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah).

Spitting and blows: Isaiah 50:6 read in the officers' hands typological

Verse 67 gives three verbs of violence, ἐνέπτυσαν (spat into), ἐκολάφισαν (struck with the fist) and ἐράπισαν (slapped or struck with a rod). Gill says "hereby a prophecy was fulfilled, Isaiah 50:6," and also brings in Micah 5:1 for the blow on the cheek of the judge of Israel. Pulpit says the guards "involuntarily" fulfilled Isaiah 50:6 and quotes it. Henry says these things "were exactly foretold in the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah." Poole notes the cultural background of spitting as contempt from Numbers 12:14 and Deuteronomy 25:9, and is careful to say "perhaps in all these indignities Isaiah was a type of Christ." One caution belongs on the record: Ellicott, at this verse, cites "Isaiah 1:6" where the picture he describes is that of Isaiah 50:6, and his reference should be checked rather than repeated.

Isaiah 50:6 · Micah 5:1 · Numbers 12:14

basis: Cross Testament, so no shared Strong's lexeme is computable and nothing verbal is claimed. A figural reading of the outrages, ancient and widely held: Gill (Isaiah 50:6 and Micah 5:1), Pulpit and Henry (Isaiah 50:6), Poole (Numbers 12:14 and Deuteronomy 25:9, and explicitly tentative). Ellicott's citation of Isaiah 1:6 at this verse appears to be an error for 50:6.

Two witnesses required, false witnesses risen up structural / thematic: confirmed

The court's whole procedural problem is Deuteronomy 19:15, the rule of two or three witnesses, which Ellicott and Pulpit both cite here (with Deuteronomy 17:6), and which Poole states as a maxim: one witness is no witness. Henry reads the outcome through the Psalms: "Now the Scriptures were fulfilled, which said, False witnesses are risen up against me," which is the language of Psalm 27:12 and Psalm 35:11. ⚙ We record this as structural rather than verbal in both directions: the Deuteronomy link is a legal norm the Greek text presupposes without quoting, and the Psalm link is Henry's figural identification of the sufferer, not a Matthaean citation.

Deuteronomy 19:15 · Psalm 27:12 · Psalm 35:11

basis: Cross Testament, so shared Strong's numbers cannot be used and no verbal tier is available. The recorded basis is a shared legal and lamentation pattern: the two witness rule of Deuteronomy 19:15 and 17:6 cited here by Ellicott, Pulpit and Poole, and the false witnesses of Psalm 27:12 and 35:11 applied here by Henry.

The high priest's torn robe: a contested prohibition flagged: verify source

Did Caiaphas break Leviticus 21:10 when he διέρρηξεν his garments? The brief's own authorities do not agree. Barnes: "It was not lawful for the high priest to rip his clothes," though he thinks the torn garment was an ordinary one. Benson: forbidden in some cases, "yet in case of blasphemy, or any public calamity, it was thought allowable." Poole: "he that was high priest was forbidden to do it, Leviticus 21:10," but the Jews restrain that to his priestly garments. Gill, at length and with rabbinic citation, denies any transgression, since the Leviticus rule concerns mourning and a hearer of blasphemy was obliged to rend. Cambridge says the act "was enjoined by the Rabbinical rules." ⚙ Because the basis itself is disputed among the sources, and because the rabbinic rules cited are later than the trial, we flag this link rather than confirm it.

Leviticus 21:10 · Leviticus 10:6

basis: The link is real but its force is contested within the brief itself: Barnes and Poole read Leviticus 21:10 as prohibiting the act, Benson as permitting it in cases of blasphemy, Gill and Cambridge as requiring it under rabbinic rule. The supporting rabbinic material is post-apostolic. Cross Testament in any case, so no verbal basis exists.

The same rare verb of rending, in horror at real blasphemy verbal / quotation: confirmed

διαῤῥήσσω (G1284) is rare, standing in five verses, and one of them is Acts 14:14, where Paul and Barnabas tear their garments because a crowd is treating them as gods. Ellicott makes the comparison himself, alongside Eliakim's rending at the blasphemies of Rabshakeh in 2 Kings 18:37. ⚙ The contrast is not asserted by either text, and we offer it as observation only: the identical gesture expresses genuine horror at men being called gods in Acts, and staged horror at God being called God's Son in Matthew.

Acts 14:14

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G1284 διαῤῥήσσω (in 5 vv, rare) and G2440 ἱμάτιον (in 58 vv) with Acts 14:14, plus G191 ἀκούω (in 398 vv). Both refs are New Testament Greek, so a verbal link is recordable; no quotation is claimed, only the shared rare verb, and Ellicott names Acts 14:14 at this verse.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The sanctuary they thought He threatened ancient/widely-held

⚙ The false charge of v. 61 is the truest sentence spoken by anyone in the room except Jesus. Gill sets out the exegesis: the saying of John 2:19 spoke of "the temple of his body," and of "its resurrection from the dead, on the third day," and the witnesses transferred it to the building. Cambridge shows philologically that the verb Jesus used was appropriate to raising the dead, not to masonry. Maclaren draws the whole figure: the murder of Jesus was the destruction, so far as men could effect it, of "the true Temple of His body, in which the fulness of the Godhead dwelt, and which was more gloriously reconstituted in the Resurrection," and the risen Christ "rears the true temple on earth" in His Church. This is the apostolic reading recorded by John himself and followed here by Gill, Cambridge, Maclaren and Pulpit alike.

John 2:19 · Matthew 26:61

The judged Judge: enthronement spoken from the dock ancient/widely-held

⚙ The order of v. 64 is the point. The prisoner answers an oath, and the answer is an enthronement: seated at the right hand of the Power, coming on the clouds of heaven, two present participles in one clause. Ellicott notes that at the very crisis, when denial would have saved His life, the claim is intensified rather than withdrawn. Barnes hears in it the sign from heaven the council had so often demanded, now promised as their judgment. Pulpit says Christ "thus distinctly asserts his Divinity." The court asks whether He is the Christ and the Son of God, and receives not only a yes but a notice of appeal to a higher bench: Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13 put the defendant on the seat and the judges in front of it. Maclaren asks the same question in the same place: "If His calumniators were confused when He stood as Prisoner, what will they be when He sits as a Judge?"

Psalm 110:1 · Daniel 7:13 · Matthew 26:64

The counterfeit high priest and the silent one ancient/widely-held

⚙ One man in this unit wears the office of high priest and tears his robe; the other says nothing and is condemned for what He is. Maclaren's exposition is titled from exactly this contrast, "the real high priest and his counterfeit," and he grants that Caiaphas's charge, unlike the witnesses' version of the temple word, is "no distortion": it "correctly understands, but it fatally rejects, His claims." Pulpit reports that the Fathers read the torn garments as a symbol of the rending and destruction of the Jewish priesthood, comparing 1 Samuel 15:27 and 28. Poole and Gill, meanwhile, show that the priesthood presiding here had become a Roman appointment sold and reassigned at will. ⚙ Our own step beyond the sources is modest and marked as ours: a priesthood that convicts the living God of blasphemy has already vacated its office, and the letter to the Hebrews locates the priesthood that remains in the one standing silent at the bar. Hebrews is not quoted by any voice in this brief, so we offer that connection as synthesis to be tested, not as a recorded reading: the attestation below covers the ancient core of this thread (Maclaren's contrast and the patristic reading of the torn robe reported by Pulpit), while the step into Hebrews is ours and novel.

Leviticus 21:10 · 1 Samuel 15:27 · Hebrews 4:14

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

⚙ Honesty notes for this unit. Text. Pulpit reports that in v. 59 the words "and elders" are probably spurious, omitted by the best uncials and the Vulgate, and that the second "found none" in v. 60 is expunged by many modern editors; the interlinear given in the brief has neither of these, so no reading here depends on them. In v. 62 the punctuation is genuinely undecided: Ellicott and Pulpit record both the two question division of the Received Text (followed by the BSB) and the single question of the Vulgate, Alford and Tischendorf. In v. 64 the phrase "of Power" is expanded to "the power of God" in Luke 22:69 and the Vulgate, which Gill treats as explanation rather than a different text.

Sources. Eleven authors are present in the brief. The JFB entry for every verse of this unit is only a cross reference ("For the exposition, see on Mr 14:53-72"), so it carries no quotable exposition and is not cited; ten authors are used. The Maclaren and Gill entries for several verses are capped in the brief, and we quoted only from the visible text. Much of the procedural detail that Cambridge, Gill and Poole supply (night trials forbidden, garments rent by the judges, witnesses hidden behind a wall) comes from the Mishnah, Talmud and Maimonides, all later than the trial; it is good evidence of rabbinic law and weaker evidence of what the Sanhedrin of AD 30 actually did.

What is uncertain. Whether an oath was formally administered in v. 63: Barnes, Benson and Pulpit say yes, Poole doubts it, and the force of the verse turns on the answer. What "from now on" in v. 64 refers to: Pulpit says the Passion, Barnes the destruction of Jerusalem, Poole declines to decide between the resurrection, Pentecost, the fall of the city and the last day, and we follow Poole. Whether Caiaphas broke Leviticus 21:10: contested, and flagged as such in the threads. One citation in the brief looks mistaken: Ellicott at v. 67 cites "Isaiah 1:6" for the picture of the smitten and spat upon sufferer, where Isaiah 50:6 is plainly meant, and readers should verify it. Finally, the cross Testament threads in this unit (Psalm 110:1, Daniel 7:13, Isaiah 53:7, Isaiah 50:6, Deuteronomy 19:15, the Psalms of false witness) carry no computed verbal basis and cannot: Greek and Hebrew share no Strong's numbers. They are tiered structural or typological for that reason, and the reasons are stated in each basis rather than assumed.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)