Matthew 26:66

66 What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.

Matthew 26:66 in Other Translations

66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

66 What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death."

66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

66 Are you going to stand for such blasphemy?" They all said, "Death! That seals his death sentence."

66 what think ye? They answered and said, He is worthy of death.

66 What's your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves the death penalty!"

66 What is your decision?" They answered, "He deserves death!"

66 What do you think?" "He must die!" they answered.

Matthew 26:66 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 26:66

What think ye?
&c.] Of the words just now spoken by him; do not they in your opinion amount to a charge of blasphemy and what punishment do you think ought to be inflicted on him? is he guilty of death, or not? This question he put, as being president of the court:

they answered and said, he is guilty of death;
they were unanimous in their vote, for Mark says, "they all condemned him to be guilty of death"; only Joseph of Arimathea must be excepted, who consented not to their counsel and deed, ( Luke 23:51 ) , and so must Nicodemus, if he was present; who seeing what they were determined to do, withdrew themselves before the question came to be put, and so it passed "nemine contradicente"; and indeed, if he had been guilty of blasphemy, as they charged him, the sentence would have been right. Now this was in the night, in which they begun, carried on, and finished this judicial procedure, quite contrary to one of their own canons ^F23 which runs thus:

``pecuniary causes they try in the day, and finish in the night; capital causes (such was this) they try in the day, and finish in the day; pecuniary causes they finish the same day, whether for absolution, or condemnation; capital causes they finish the same day for absolution, and the day following for condemnation; wherefore they do not try causes neither on the sabbath eve, nor on the eve of a feast day.''

But in this case, they begun the trial in the night, examined the witnesses, finished it, and passed the sentence of condemnation, and that in the eve of a grand festival, their Chagigah.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 4. sect. 1. Maimom. Hilch. Sanhedrin, c. 11. sect. 1, 2. T. Hieros. Yom Tob, fol. 63. 1.

Matthew 26:66 In-Context

64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

66 What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.

67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him

68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

Cross References

• 1. Leviticus 24:16; John 19:7