Matthew 26:59

Matthew 26:59 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
• New International Version (NIV)The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,

Context of Matthew 26:59

57Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end. Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Matthew 26:59 word by word

Οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ τὸ συνέδριον ὅλον ἐζήτουν ψευδομαρτυρίαν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὅπως αὐτὸν θανατώσωσιν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Nowδέde · thenG1161
• the chief priestsἀρχιερεύςarchiereus · high-priestG749
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• eldersπρεσβύτεροςpresbuteros · elder (leader)G4245
• allὅλοςholos · allG3650
• the councilσυνέδριονsunedrion · councilG4892
• soughtζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
• false witnessψευδομαρτυρίαpseudomarturia · false testimonyG5577
• againstκατάkata · according toG2596
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• toὅπωςhopōs · thatG3704
• putθανατόωthanatoō · to killG2289
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846

Cross-references for Matthew 26:59

• Deuteronomy 19:16“If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime,
• 1 Kings 21:8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived.
• Psalms 27:12Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence.
• Psalms 35:11Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
• Psalms 94:20Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
• Proverbs 25:18Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.
• Mark 14:55Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any.
• Acts 6:11So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.”
• Acts 24:1Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor.

Commentaries on Matthew 26:59

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 59All 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…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 59False 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 57-68Verses 57-68 Jesus was hurried into Jerusalem. It looks ill, and bodes worse, when those who are willing to be Christ's disciples, are not willing to be known to be so. Here began Peter's denying him: for to follow Christ afar off, is to begin to go back from him. It is more our concern to prepare for the end, whatever it may be, than curiously to ask what the end will be. The event is God's, but the duty is ours. Now the Scriptures were fulfilled, which…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 59were seeking false testimony: The verb tense suggests a long and possibly desperate attempt to find any testimony to support a formal accusation (see Mark 14:55–56).Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 26:59

• Accusation, False
• Church
• Court
• False Teachers
• Government
• Jesus, the Christ
• Judge
• Perjury
• Persecution
• Prayer
• Priest
• Prisoners
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Adjure
• Annas
• Blood
• Covenant
• Cup
• Curse
• Elder
• Friend

Commentaries on Matthew 26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings