Matthew 27

Matthew 27:1

And having retired for a while, the whole sanhedrim, consisting of chief priests and rulers of the people, &c., met together in council, and there decreed that he was to be put to death, and accordingly that they would press the Roman procurator to do justice on him capitally.

Matthew 27:2

And accordingly, as one pre-condemned by them, they bound him, and led— a cast by the Jews’ sanhedrim, wished that he had not done it, and was exceedingly grieved and afflicted in mind, and brought— b I have committed a foul sin, in delivering up into your hands a most innocent person to be put to death.

Matthew 27:5

And when they would not receive the money, he would not carry it back again, but threw it down as a detestable thing that he was resolved to rid his hands of, and leaving it in the temple, departed to his home; and was there so affected with sorrow, and horror, and despair, that in a fit of melancholy or suffocation he suddenly fell down upon his face, and burst, and died, Acts i. 18.

[a] hanged himself] What is here meant by ἀπήγξατο, or how it is reconcilable with what is related of Judas, Acts i. 18, hath been a matter of some doubt and difficulty. That he hanged himself, is affirmed by many of the ancients, Origen, and St. Chrysostom and his followers, and Juvencus, and Leo, but especially by the Epistle that bears the name of Ignatius to the Philippians, but sure was not written by him. And some reverence is due to these authorities; otherwise, that which the words most easily and promptly bear, and which they might possibly mean by those words which we interpret to hanging, is this, that he fell into a violent suffocating fit of sadness or melancholy, and grieved so excessively, as to wish himself dead, and then suddenly fell flat upon his face (for so Hesychius renders πρηνὴς ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πηπτωκὼς, only falling on the face, not down any steep place) and then burst, Acts i. 18. And Phavorinus, Πρηνὴς εἰς τοῦμπροσθεν, ἐπὶ στόματος, ἐπὶ προσώπου, it signifies falling forward on the mouth, on the face; and, Πρηνὴς κείσθαι λέγεται ὁ ἐπὶ στόμα κείμενος, ὁ δὲ ἀνάπαλιν ὕπτιος, “He is said to lie πρηνὴς who lieth upon the face; and opposite thereto is lying on the back.” This seems to be a Theophylact’s understanding of it, who speaking of the excessive sorrow that the incestuous Corinthian, if not timely absolved, might probably fall into, expresseth it by εἰς ἀγχόνην ἤξη ὡς Ἰούδας, “coming to a suffocation, as Judas did.” And this seems to have caused Ecumenius on the Acts, having resolved that he died not by hanging, to fly to some fables of Papias, of his being so swollen, that he could not pass by a chariot in the way, &c. In which fable I suppose there might probably be so much truth, that by this fit of extreme melancholy he was so swollen, that, as the text saith, he burst asunder, and his bowels gushed out. So in Ælian, where it is said of Poliager, κωμωδούμενος ἀπήγξατο, “being reproached he was suffocated,” that is to be interpreted by the words immediately precedent, σκώμματα οὐ μόνον ἐλύπησε πολλάκις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπέκτεινε, “εcoffs have not only grieved men often, but also killed them with grief.” Thus in b Chrysostom, τῷ συνειδότη ἀπάγχισθαι, is “to be suffocated through grief, (strangled, as it were, or) miserably affected with conscience.” And though it signify not in this sense to die, yet it doth note a violent disease, stifling and suffocating for want of vent, and affecting the patient so as to produce that death which Judas soon came to after this, falling upon his face, and then (as upon a violent stopping all natural passages, which the violence of despair had wrought in him) bursting asunder, his guts breaking out at his navel, Acts i. 18. That exceeding horror and grief being the only thing here mentioned, (as that which immediately followed, and came in naturally

a In 1 Cor. ii. 7. b Hom. 22. ad Antioch.

Matthew 27:6

And they of the sanhedrim, ver. 3, seeing the money thus left in the temple, had some thoughts of putting it into the treasury of the temple, but considering that it was money given for the delivering one up to death, they conceived it not holy enough to be put in there.

[b] price of blood] It was a custom among the Jews, imitated by the first Christians, that it should not be lawful for executioners to offer any thing, or for any alms to be received from them (the same also of money, that came out of the publicans’ or quæstors’ exchequer): so saith Clement in Constit. τῶν δημίων οὐ δεκτὰς εἶναι καρποφορίας, that “the offerings of executioners are not acceptable,” or “fit to be received,” and so by analogy any money by which a life is bought might not be put into the treasury, it was the price of blood, and the field bought with it called the field of blood.

Matthew 27:7

And upon consultation they decreed and resolved in council, that the money (which they in this hurry did not neglect the disposing of) should be laid out for a pious use, to buy a piece of ground, which had been the potters’, for strangers to bury their dead in.

[c] strangers] The strangers here may be either, 1. men of other nations; and then the thing from hence observable is, that they would not have commerce with them, even when they were dead, and therefore provided a separate place for them; or, 2dly, (which is more likely,) the Jews, which coming from far to Jerusalem to sacrifice, &c. died there before their return, and so the priests took this care to provide a burying place for them; these perhaps are the οἱ ἐπιδημούντες Ῥωμαῖοι, Acts ii. 10, those Jews that travelled from Rome thither.

Matthew 27:8

This field was by the people, for all the hypocrisy of the sanhedrim, called—

Matthew 27:11

And Jesus was brought to the bar and examined, whether he were the Messias so long expected by that people, and he answered, Yes, I am.

Matthew 27:12

And to all the accusations sent in against him by the sanhedrim, whether by a written bill of theirs or by some attorney instructed by them, (themselves coming not in, John xviii. 28,) he made no kind of reply. Dost thou not think fit to make apology for thyself, hearing what charges are sent in by the sanhedrim, and those sufficiently testified against thee?

Matthew 27:14

All this would not move Christ to make any apology or plea for himself, at which Pilate extremely wondered.

Matthew 27:15

Now this being the time of the yearly passover, a solemn feast of the Jews, it was customary with the procurator to gratify the Jews by pardoning some prisoner of that nation, and that it might be the greater obligation to them, to give them liberty to choose whom they pleased by votes of the people. which by many is taken to be the Messias?

[d] wont to release] This custom was no custom of the Jews while the power was in their hands, but ad faciendum populum, a piece of popularity, a grace or favour of the procurator, brought in by Pilate, ver. 15. And thus the succeeding emperors, Valentinian, Theodosius, Arcadius, by a general law commanded the judges that on the first day of the passover all the prisoners of the Jews, but those which were committed for some certain faults, should be released. Of the same nature is the people’s demanding him to be put to death, giving their suffrages, ver. 22, and Luke xxiii. 23, John xix. 15, which is mentioned also by St. Paul, Acts xxvi. 10, and was a Roman custom, Ne possent consules injussu populi in caput civis animadvertere, saith Pomponius. See Rewardus ad Leg. 12. Tab. c. 24. And it seemeth, it was put into the twelve tables, De capite civis nisi per maximum comitatum ne ferunto, as Tally cites it, De Leg. l. 3. All to this purpose, that the people had their voice in putting any freeman to death.

Matthew 27:18

That which moved him to make this proposal, was because he knew it was matter of malice in some great persons among them (wherein the multitude of the people were not concerned) that Christ was thus persecuted, and so that the multitude might probably be pleased to have him released.

Matthew 27:19

And this he would have been very glad of, because, when he was on the bench, his wife sent him a message, how she had been much troubled in a dream, and by those terrors incited to stop him from giving sentence of death against Jesus.

Matthew 27:20

But they of the sanhedrim prevailed with the multitude that they should make choice of Barabbas, and by cry and clamour require Jesus to be put to death.

‘do you choose to have released or pardoned, according to that custom, ver. 15.

¶ The whole multitude, instigated by the sanhedrim, cried out, ver. 23.

¶ But the more Pilate seemed to believe him guiltless, the more violent were they in their clamours that he should be put to death.

Matthew 27:24

When Pilate discerned this, that his expressing his opinion of Christ’s innocence did not at all allay the people’s violence, but that contrariwise it made them ready to mutiny, put them into a rage and distemper, he solemnly called for water, and in the presence of them all washed his hands, desirous thereby to free himself of all guilt in doing any thing in this matter, and said, I will be guiltless, it shall (or, let the whole matter) lie upon you.

Matthew 27:25

And the whole people cried out, Let it be so; whatever guilt there is in putting him to death, let it lie upon us and our posterity.

’though he had intended to inflict no other punishment on Christ but that of scourging, Luke xxiii. 16, 22, (and therefore it appears, John xix. 1, that

Matthew 27:27

The whole band that guarded the temple came and surrounded him, as a guard to a malefactor.

robe of state, such as persons of honour wear in public assemblies.

Matthew 27:29

And to make him somewhat which might look like a crown, they took thorns and platted them into that form and put it on his head, and instead of a sceptre in his hand they gave him a reed, and made him hold it in his right hand in a kind of state: and they bowed—

30, 31. And having thus dealt with him as a mock king, and derided him long enough that way, they then took the reed out of his hand, and spit upon him, and smote him on the head, and took off the robe of state, and put his own clothes on him again, by this ceremony signifying the dethroning him from his pretended kingdom, and then carried him to the place of crucifixion.

they lighted on Simon of Cyrene, whether as a favourer of Christ, or as one which casually passed by at that time, (see Mark xv. 21,) and him (either without consideration who it was, or else particularly as a favourer of Christ, and so by the Jews’ instigation) they pressed, as usually they did men to bear burdens, (see note [f] on ch. v.) forcing him to carry the cross after him, Luke xxiii. 26, to the place of crucifying.

bitter poisonous ingredients to hasten death: and when—

Matthew 27:32

[e] bear his cross] It was the custom in that punishment of crucifixion, that he that was to be executed should himself carry the cross. So Plutarch de sera Numin. vind. ἕκαστος τῶν κακούργων ἐκφέρει τὸν αὐτοῦ σταυρόν. Hence came the name of furcifer, grown proverbial since. So Artemidorus, Ὄνειρ. l. 2. c. 61. ὁ μέλλων σταυρῷ προσηλοῦθαι, πρότερον αὐτὸν βαστάζει. So Nonius out of Plautus, Patibulum ferat per urbem, deinde affigatur cruci: “Let him carry it through the city, and then be fastened to it.” This it seems, by John xix. 17. Christ carried himself; but it being so great a burden, (and perhaps not well supportable by all that were to suffer,) they used ἀγγαρεύειν, to press somebody else, as a porter or burden-bearer, to carry it after or near the person

Matthew 27:34

gall] Χολή here signifies all kind of bitter poisonous spices or mixtures, which St. Mark, in setting down this story, determines to be myrrh. The Hebrew שָׁמָּה signifies two things, gall, and a most poisonous herb, and the Greek χολή signifying one of these, gall, is put (Deut. xxix. 18, and xxxii. 32,) for the other, the poisonous herb, קוֹבֶּה φύουσα ἐν χολῇ, where the Hebrew is best rendered, a root sprouting out with that most poisonous herb, and so the word χολή, joined with πίκριας, is used by St. Peter of Simon Magus (see note [d] Acts viii.) though metaphorical. So again the Hebrew חַנָּה signifies both anger and poison; and so, from these usages in the Hebrew language, it comes to pass very consequently, that the word χολή in Greek being (as it denotes choler or anger) all one with θυμός, wrath, both these words χολή and θυμός are used promiscuously, and both in the Old Testament taken generally for poison, which being mixed with wine, stupified and astonished the person that drank it, and was ordinarily given to them that were put to death. So in the last of the Proverbs, Give strong drink to them that are ready to die; where the Hebrew sichar, softened by the Greek into σικίρα, signifies, saith St. Basil, πᾶν τὸ δυνίμενον μίθην ἐμποήσαι, “all that can cause drunkenness.” So psalm lx. 3, οἶνος κατανόξεως, the wine of stupidity, is by the Chaldee rendered the wine of malediction, such as is given to them that are to be executed, of which saith Rabbi Shelomo, that it “obnubilates the heart, and strikes the brain,” that is, disturbs and takes away the senses. And accordingly St. Paul useth πνεῦμα κατανόξεως, Rom. xi. for the spirit of stupidity, or slumber, having eyes and not seeing, &c. Thus οἶνος θυμοῦ, Apoc. xiv. 10, is not the wine of God’s wrath, but the wine mixed with all these stupifying spices, that is, the stupifying and astonishing judgments of God. And the same is expressed in the psalmist, psalm lxxv. 9, by the phrase of οἶνος ἄκρατος πλήρης κεράσματος, wine pure, (unmixed from water, or any softening allaying mixture,) and full of all these poisonous, stupifying ingredients; and so in like manner, by the οἶνος ἄκρατος κεκερασμένος, in that place of Rev. xiv. 10, the unmixed wine, mixed, which is there the periphrasis of οἶνος θυμοῦ, or the οἶνος ἐσμνησιμένος in St. Mark, the wine with myrrh in it. This, it seems, being useful to open the pores and hasten death, Christ refused to take, meaning to make good his own words of Ego pono, I lay down my life, not for his will only, but the act also; and so, though he gave way to natural things to work, yet he reserved all to his own power; and so when he had done all that he would, he saith, It is finished, John xix. 30, and bowed the head and gave up the ghost. And this was it that the centurion considering, was amazed at, Mark xv. 39.

Matthew 27:35

And they that fastened him to the cross, the executioners, stripped him, and then divided his garments, all but the inner garment, into four parts, and took every man one, but the inner, having no seam in it, they rent not asunder, but cast lots for it: that it might—

And when they had crucified him, they parted, σταυρόσαντος δι’ δυμορίσαντος.

Matthew 27:42

He pretended to do miracles in curing of the blind, &c., why can he not now deliver himself? If he be the Messias prophesied of among the Jews, let him now free himself from death, and then we shall have some inducement to believe him. ʳ if he have any special favour unto him, and will own him (as he pretended) to be his Son.

Matthew 27:43

[g] will] The word θέλω is used by the Greek translators of the Old Testament, and writers of the New, sometimes in a notion which seldom belongs to it in other authors, as when, 1 Sam. xviii. 22, θέλει ἐν σοὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς, the king delighteth or taketh pleasure in thee. So 2 Sam. xv. 26, and very frequently in other places, upon this ground, that the Hebrew יָתָה, which signifies to will, signifies also to delight in, and so is rendered εὐδοκέω, as well as θέλω, and when θέλω, it is taken in the same sense as if it were εὐδοκέω. And so it is here, for psalm xxii. 8, (from whence these words are taken, and from the translators there

N 2

Matthew 27:44

And one of the thieves that was crucified with him spake to the same purpose, Luke xxiii. 39, but the other found fault with him for it.

[h] thieves] That which is here affirmed of the robbers in the plural number seems to be understood in the singular, only of one of them, Luke xxiii. 39, the other praying unto him and believing on him. Several examples of the like forms of speech seem to be in this book, ch. xxvi. 8, when his disciples saw it they had indignation, whereas only Judas was displeased at it, saith St. John ch. xii. 4. So ch. xxi. loose them (the ass and the foal), is Mark xi. 2, a colt tied, loose him. And this by an ordinary figure (which the Grecians call κοινότης or σύλληψις) frequently used in all languages. So when, John xiii. 28, it is said, that none of those that lay at meat with Christ knew to what purpose he spake to Judas, What thou doest, do quickly, it is not to be concluded, that John (who, ver. 25, asked, and was told, ver. 26, who it was that should betray him) was included in that number of those that knew not. So Heb. xi. 37, ἐπρίσθησαν, they were sawn asunder, in the plural, which yet is not found to belong to any, but to Isaiah only. But it is also possible that both these thieves might at first blaspheme and reproach him, and afterwards one of them confess him and pray to him. Thus Prosper understands it, cont. Collat. c. 12: Cum aliquandiu blasphemasset in Jesum Christum, repente est mutatus, &c. “When for some time he had railed on Jesus, he was suddenly changed.” And so Titus Bostrensis, p. 833. Β. Ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν οἱ δύο λῃσταὶ παραπλήσια τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐφθίγγοντο ἴσως τίνα παρ’ αὐτῶν βοήθειαν ἐντεῦθεν προσδοκῶντες εἰς ἄφεσιν “At first the two thieves spake as the Jews did, perhaps by that means expecting some help from them toward getting their pardon,” but that expectation being frustrated, and hearing him pray for his crucifiers, Luke xxiii. 34, one was thereby wrought on, ver. 40. And if so, then the words here will refer to the former time, and in St. Luke to the latter.

Matthew 27:45

Now from twelve of the clock till three there was an eclipse or obscuration of the sun, and consequently darkness over all Palestine and far beyond over other parts. ᵗ delighteth in him.

Matthew 27:47

And some that heard the word Eli, but little else, conceived ridiculously that he had mentioned Elias’s name, and called him to come unto him and rescue him; and this was generally whispered and talked about among them.

Matthew 27:50

Again Jesus said aloud, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, Luke xxiii. 46, and with those words he gave up the ghost.

Matthew 27:51

And behold the wall or partition, made of stone, which covered or veiled the sanctuary from the court where the people assembled, or else that covered the holy of holies from the sanctuary, was sent—(See note [d] on Luke xxiii.)

‘many bodies of pious men, which had been dead, arose out of their graves, and after his resurrection they also went into the city of Jerusalem, and were there seen and known by many.

• captain of the Roman guards, and the soldiers s stones, wipes. * guarding, repairers.

[i] earth did quake] This is conceived by some to be the earthquake that Macrobius mentions as “the greatest,” saith he, “which in the memory of mortal man was ever known,” in the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, twelve cities of Asia being destroyed by it, see Marcil. Ficinus de Rel. p. 78. The same is mentioned by Pliny, Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 48. But it doth not by the text here appear that this earthquake belonged to any thing but the temple of Jerusalem, the parts of which are mentioned, the veil, and the ground, and the stones of the building, and the tombs, &c. And it is not improbable that this prodigy was shewed particularly on this place, to foretell the destruction of the temple and service, upon their crucifying of Christ. So ch. xxviii. 2, where there is mentioned μέγας σεισμός, a great shaking, it is not to be imagined that this was a shaking of the whole earth, but at the most of that

P. 488.

Matthew 27:62

After the day was ended whereon he was crucified, probably on Friday evening, the chief—

Matthew 27:64

And therefore to prevent any more seduction of the people in this matter, be pleased to appoint a