Matthäus 26:59

Lutherbibel

Die Hohenpriester aber und die Ältesten und der ganze Rat suchten falsch Zeugnis gegen Jesus, auf daß sie ihn töteten,

Parallel Translations

Schlachter Bibel (1951)
Aber die Hohenpriester und die Ältesten und der ganze Rat suchten falsches Zeugnis gegen Jesus, um ihn zum Tode zu bringen.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sought: Deuteronomy 19:16-21, 1 Kings 21:8-13, Psalms 27:12, Psalms 35:11, Psalms 35:12, Psalms 94:20, Psalms 94:21, Proverbs 25:18, Mark 14:55, Mark 14:56, Acts 6:11-13, Acts 24:1-13

Reciprocal: Genesis 39:14 - he came Exodus 20:16 - General Exodus 23:1 - an unrighteous witness 1 Samuel 22:9 - Doeg 1 Kings 21:10 - two men Nehemiah 6:13 - that Psalms 2:2 - rulers Psalms 22:13 - gaped Psalms 31:13 - while Psalms 52:2 - Thy Psalms 55:3 - for they Psalms 64:6 - search Psalms 109:2 - the mouth Psalms 119:69 - proud Psalms 120:2 - from lying lips Proverbs 6:19 - A false Proverbs 12:17 - but Proverbs 24:28 - not Ecclesiastes 3:16 - General Isaiah 32:7 - instruments Jeremiah 20:10 - I heard Jeremiah 26:8 - the priests Ezekiel 22:9 - men that carry tales Habakkuk 1:4 - for Matthew 5:22 - the council Matthew 10:17 - councils Matthew 21:15 - when Luke 6:7 - that Luke 22:63 - the men Luke 23:2 - forbidding John 11:53 - put John 18:21 - ask Acts 4:27 - the people Acts 24:9 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now the chief priests and elders, and all the counsel,.... Or sanhedrim, which consisted, as the Jewish writers say u, 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 Deuteronomy 21:2, "thy elders", are thus interpreted w,

זה בית דין הגדול, this is the great sanhedrim; and though a king of Israel might not sit in the sanhedrim, yet an high priest might, if he was a man of wisdom x, and it seems as if Caiaphas was now at the head of this council, by its being assembled at his palace; which though it was not the usual place where they met, yet might be chose at this time for greater secrecy. Now these thus assembled together,

sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; they first take him up, and then seek out for witnesses against him; being determined, right or wrong, to put him to death, if possible; and false witnesses too, even those whose business it was, to examine and detect false witnesses, and to inflict the same punishment upon them, which they by their false testimony intended to have brought on another, Deuteronomy 19:18. And besides, it was in the night, when it was forbid by their canons to begin the trial of capital causes, or to receive and admit of witnesses y. Indeed the Syriac and Persic versions read, only witnesses, or witness, and leave out the word "false"; perhaps imagining, that men could never be so wicked, to seek out for false witnesses: but this need not be wondered at, when these men were bent upon the death of Christ at any rate; and were aware that nothing true could be objected to him, that would legally take away his life; and besides, their manner of procedure in judgment against a false prophet, a deceiver, and one that enticed to idolatry, and such an one they would have Jesus to be, was quite different from what they took with other persons: their canon runs thus z:

"the judgment of a deceiver, is not as the rest of capital judgments; his witnesses are hid; and he has no need, or ought not to have any premonition, or warning, as the rest of those that are put to death; and if he goes out of the sanhedrim acquitted, and one says I can prove the charge against him, they turn him back; but if he goes out condemned, and one says I can prove him innocent the do not return him.''

So in the Misna a it is said,

"of all that are condemned to death in the law, none have their witnesses hidden but this (the deceiver, or one that entices to idolatry)--and they hide his witnesses behind a wall, or hedge; and he (whom he endeavoured to seduce) says to him, say what thou hast said to me privately; and if he repeats it to him, he must say, how shall we leave our God that is in heaven, and go and serve stocks and stones! if he repents, it is well; but if he should say, so we are bound to do, and so it becomes us, they that stand behind the wall, or hedge, shall carry him to the sanhedrim and stone him.''

In the Gemara it is thus expressed b,

"they light up a lamp in the innermost house, and set the witnesses in the outermost house, so that they can see him and hear his voice, and he cannot see them.''

And then follows what is said before, to which is added, "so they did to Ben Stada"; by whom they mean Jesus of Nazareth. Moreover, this need not seem strange, that they took such a course with Christ, when in the case of Stephen, they suborned and set up false witnesses against him. The sanhedrim cannot be thought to do this in person, but they sent out their officers to seek for such men, as could or would produce anything against him, and no doubt promised them an handsome reward.

u Maimon. Hilch. Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 1, 2. Abarbinel in Tora, fol. 366. 2. w T. Hieros. Sota, fol. 23. 3. x Maimon. ib. sect. 4. y Maimon. ib. c. 3. sect. 3, 4. z lb. c. 11. sect. 5. a Sanhedrin, c. 7. sect. 10. b T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 67. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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 replied that he had taught openly in the temple, and in secret had said nothing; that is, he had no “secret doctrines” which he had not been willing openly to teach, and he referred the high priest to those who had heard him. In a firm, dignified manner he put himself on trial, and insisted on his rights. “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?” John 18:23. This conversation took place, probably, before the council was assembled, and during this time the denials by Peter occurred. Luke informs us Luke 22:66 that the council came together as soon as it was day; that is, probably, near the morning, or not far from the break of day - after Peter had denied him and gone out.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 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 Stephen, Acts 6:11-13.