Matthew 26:59

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Matthew 26:57-68

We have here the arraignment of our Lord Jesus in the ecclesiastical court, before the great sanhedrim. Observe, I. The sitting of the court; the scribes and the elders were assembled, though it was in the dead time of the night, when other people were fast asleep in their beds; yet, to gratify their malice against Christ, they denied themselves that natural rest, and sat up all night, to be ready to fall upon the prey which Judas and his men, they hoped, would seize. See, 1. Who they were,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 26:59

Now the chief priests and elders, and all the counsel ,.... Or sanhedrim, which consisted, as the Jewish writers say F21 Maimon. Hilch. Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 1, 2. Abarbinel in Tora, fol. 366. 2. , of priests, Levites, and Israelites, of both ecclesiastics and laics; the ecclesiastics were the priests and Levites, and the laics the Israelites, or elders of the people; for if priests and Levites could not be found, a sanhedrim might consist of those only; and so those words in ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 26:59

All the council sought false witness - What a prostitution of justice! - they first resolve to ruin him, and then seek the proper means of effecting it: they declare him criminal, and after that do all they can to fix some crime upon him, that they may appear to have some shadow of justice on their side when they put him to death. It seems to have been a common custom of this vile court to employ false witness, on any occasion, to answer their own ends. See this exemplified in the case of... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 26:59

Verse 59 59.Sought false witness. By these words the Evangelists remark, that nothing was farther from the design of the priests than to inquire into the cause, so that, when the matter was thoroughly understood, they might decide what was proper. For they had previously resolved to put Christ to death, and now they only seek a pretense for oppressing him. Now it is impossible that equity can have any place where an examination of the cause is not the first step. In seeking false witnesses,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 26:57-68

Jesus before Caiaphas, informally condemned to death. ( Mark 14:53-65 ; Luke 22:54 , Luke 22:63-65 ; John 18:24 .) read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 26:57-68

Christ before Caiaphas. The key to the examination of our Lord by Caiaphas is found in the fact that Caiaphas was the person who had declared it to be expedient that one man should die for the people. This, reduced from the high-sounding phraseology of an abstract maxim to its practical significance as a policy, meant that justice to individuals must not be too scrupulously cared for if the good of the state seems to require injustice; that at any cost of injustice to an individual the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 26:57-68

The demoralized council. The tribunal before which Jesus was arraigned was composed of "all the chief priests," with the high priest at their head, and all the "elders and scribes." It was the Sanhedrin, by the Jews claimed to have originated in the time of Moses, and by learned critics acknowledged to have been at least as ancient as the time of Jonathan Maccabaeus. Once a venerable judicial assembly, it had now degenerated into a cabal. I. ITS COUNCILORS ARE MURDERERS . 1 .... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 26:57-75

The palace of Caiaphas. I. THE PRELIMINARY TRIAL . 1. The meeting of the Sanhedrin. St. John tells us that our Lord was led first before Annas, for a hasty informal examination. Perhaps it was thought that the astute Annas, with that snake-like cunning which was attributed to him, might elicit something which might tell against the Prisoner. But the craft of the old high priest and the brutality of his officers were alike unavailing; and the Lord was sent to Caiaphas. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 26:59

The chief priests, [ and elders ,] and all the council . The words in brackets are probably spurious; they are omitted by the best uncials and the Vulgate. The words cannot imply strictly that the whole Sanhedrin was present and consenting to the present proceedings; for we know that such members as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea did not consent to the infamous deeds of the rest ( Luke 23:51 ; John 19:39 ). Sought ( ἐζη ì τουν , were seeking ) false witness .... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 26:59

False witness - That is, they sought for witnesses who would accuse him of crime of violation of the laws of the land or of God. We are not to suppose that “they wished” them to be “false” witnesses. They were indifferent, probably, whether they were true or false, if they could succeed in condemning him. “The evangelist” calls it false testimony. Before these witnesses were sought, we learn from John John 18:19-23 that the high priest asked Jesus of his disciples and his doctrine. Jesus... read more

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