Matthew 27:64

Mat 27:64. Ἀσφαλισθῆναι, to be made sure, to be secured) They ignorantly minister to the confirmation of the truth. No human ἀσφάλεια (making sure) hinders God; see Act 5:23; Act 16:23-26.—τῷ λαῷ, unto the people) The Pharisees supposed that they should not believe it themselves. They wish (as they persuade themselves) to take precautions for the people.—καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἐσχάτη πλάνη, κ.τ.λ., and the last error shall be, etc.) The latter victory of truth, however, spread more widely than the first.—ἡ ἐσχάτη, the last) A similar mode of expression occurs in 2Sa 13:16.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat_27:64 Καὶ ἔσται] is more lively and natural when not taken as dependent on μήποτε. The Vulgate renders correctly: et erit.

ἡ ἐσχάτη πλάνη] the last error (see on Eph_4:14), that, namely, which would gain ground among the credulous masses, through those who might steal away the body of Jesus pretending that He had risen from the dead.

τῆς πρώτης] which found acceptance with the multitude through giving out and encouraging others to give out that He was the Messiah.

χείρων] worse, i.e. more fatal to public order and security, etc. For the use of this expression, comp. Mat_12:45; 2Sa_13:15.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 27:64 . ἕως τ . τρίτης ἡμέρας : the definite specification of time here and in Mat 27:63 may have been imported into the story in the course of the tradition. ἡ ἐσχάτη πλάνη , the last delusion = faith in the resurrection, belief in the Messiahship of Jesus being the first. χείρων , worse, not so much in character as in consequences, more serious.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure--by a Roman guard.

until the third day--after which, if He still lay in the grave, the imposture of His claims would be manifest to all.

and say unto the people, he is risen from the dead--Did they really fear this?

so the last error shall be worse than the first--the imposture of His pretended resurrection worse than that of His pretended Messiahship.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 64. Lest his disciples come by night] Νυκτος, by night, is wanting in ten of the uncial MSS., and in several others, and in most of the versions. Erasmus, Aldus, Bengel, and Boghard, with Griesbach, leave it out of the text.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(64) Until the third day.—The phrase is worth noting as indicating the meaning which the priests attached to the words “after three days.” They were looking for the fraud which they anticipated as likely to be attempted at the beginning of the third day from the death.

The last error.—Better, deceit, to connect the word, in English as in the Greek, with the “deceiver” of Mat_27:63.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

64. by night] Omitted in the best MSS.

He is risen] Rather, He rose.

error] Better, deceit. The Greek word has the same root as deceiver, Mat_27:63.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pilate said unto them, ye have a watch,.... Meaning either the watch of the temple, said to be placed in the tower of Antonia, for the service of it: hence mention is made of the captain of the temple, Act 4:1, but it is not likely they would remove the temple guards, to watch a sepulchre night and day: or rather, therefore, the soldiers that had had the care of the crucifixion of Christ, and watched him on the cross, are designed: the words may be read imperatively, "have yea watch", or "take a watch", as the Ethiopic version renders it, and which seems best; for if they had a watch already, what occasion had they to have applied to Pilate for one? but having none, he gives them leave to take one, or such a number of soldiers as were sufficient:

go your way; as fast as you can, take the watch as soon as you please, make no stay, but satisfy yourselves in this point:

make it as sure as you can; or, as you know how to do it, and what will be proper and necessary.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.

Ver. 64. Command therefore] How fain would the devil by his agents have kept Christ still in the grave, when there they had him. But all in vain; for his resurrection was to be the demonstration of his deity, Rom 1:4, and the ground work of our safety, 1Co 15:14. He turned therefore their counsel into foolishness, and in the sight of so many armed witnesses, rose the third day, in despite of them, breaking the bonds of death as easily as Samson did the green cords, Jdg 16:7.

Lest his disciples come by night] A most vain and yet a most vexing fear, such as was that of Herod after he had beheaded John Baptist: he thought he heard that holy head ever shouting and crying out against him, for his cruelty. "This is John Baptist," said he (when he heard the fame of Jesus), "whom I have beheaded." "I will send the hornet," saith God, "before thee," Exo 23:28. What was that hornet, but the misgiving fear of the Canaanites’ self-condemning consciences, that haunted them perpetually? So here.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Until the third day - That is, during two nights and the intervening day. This proves that when the Jews spoke of “three days,” they did not of necessity mean three “whole days,” but parts of three days, as was the case in our Saviour’s lying in the grave. See the notes at Mat 12:40.

The last error shall be worse than the first - That is, the last “deception,” or the taking him from the tomb, pretending that he rose, will have a wider influence among the people than the first, or his pretending to be the Messiah.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

64. The last error — Namely, the triumph of the disciples of Christ in creating a faith in the resurrection. The first — The temporary faith produced by Christ’s miracles and preaching in the popular mind that he was the Messiah. The Jews talk as if a previous error or mismanagement had allowed Jesus a temporary triumph while living; they fear that a worse oversight may give a permanent triumph to his cause after his death. How much worse has proved that error and how much greater the triumph, than they could have imagined!

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Command therefore. In consideration of the fact which we have stated, and of our apprehension of some imposture. The rulers had no power in themselves to take the measures which they required. Jesus was a state criminal, and they dared not assume the responsibility of guarding his tomb from invasion. Until the third day. Which was all that was necessary, as Christ had promised to rise on that day neither before nor after it; and if it passed without the predicted event, he would be proved to be an impostor. Come by night (nuktov). This word is absent from the best manuscripts and from the Vulgate. It seems to have been an early interpolation. And steal him away. A most unlikely hypothesis under the circumstances. The disciples had forsaken Christ while alive, were now hiding in terror, and utterly demoralized and depressed; were they likely to incur further danger for the sake of supporting an assertion, which, unless it proved absolutely true, would only further crush their faith and hope? The rulers seem to have had an uneasy feeling that Jesus might reappear, and they thus prepared themselves to cast discredit upon him, even if, like Lazarus, he rose from the dead. This explanation of the Resurrection has obtained among the Jews from the time of Justin Martyr ("Dial. c. Tryph.," 17.; 108.), and has scarcely yet died out, though in many quarters what is called the "vision-hypothesis" has taken its place (see on Mat_28:15, and Edersheim, 2, pp. 626, etc.). The people. The Pharisees were always disdainful of the vulgar herd. "This people who knoweth not the Law are cursed". (Joh_7:49) The last error...the first. "Error" is planh , as they had called Christ planov (ver. 63), so the word here may be taken actively, as meaning "imposture." The deception arising from his death and supposed resurrection would be of graver consequence than that concerned with his previous life. Morison, considering the word to have its usual meaning of "error," regards it as used by the Pharisees in a political sense, in accordance with the governor"s standpoint: "If that deceiver"s body should be stolen by his disciples, the fickle people will undoubtedly leap back to their old conclusion, that after all he was what he professed to be. This conclusion would be, as we all know, an "error;" but yet it would be most thin, ions to the interests of Caesar. There would be more political disaffection than ever." It is more simple to say that the first error, the acceptance of Christ"s Messianic claims, was not of such decided and far-reaching consequence as would be the belief in his resurrection. They do not, indeed, see all that such belief involves; but they understood enough to know that it would give supernatural importance to all the words and acts of his life.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

64. Until the third day. That is, until Sunday morning. Friday would be the first day.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

64. νυκτός, almost certainly a gloss, with very small support.

64. τῷ λαῷ. As frequently in N.T. in a special sense, the people of Israel, the Jews.

Ἠγέρθη. ‘He rose.’

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

64. οὶ μαθηταὶ (αὐτοῦ)] add νυκτός, F G al S1. Om. א A B D al latt.

M the Second Gospel.

P Palestinian traditions.

Jos. Josephus.

O quotations from the Old Testament borrowed from a collection of Messianic prophecies. See pp.61 f.

LXX. The Septuagint Version.

Targ. Targum.

DCG. Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels.

L the Matthæan Logia.

S Syriac version: Sinaitic MS.

al i.e. with other uncial MSS.

E editorial passages.

Teb. Pap. Tebtunis Papyri.

WH. Westcott and Hort.

1 However, אca B D 157 a b c ff 2 q S1 do omit περιέθηκαν αὐτῷ, and have καὶ ἑνέδυσαν for καὶ ἑκδύσαντες This may be the original text.

2 א A L have ὁ βασιλεύς = ”Hail you ‘King’” (Moulton).

Dalm. Dalman.

B. Babylonian Talmud.

1 Add to reff. On 4:5, Isa 48:2, Isa 52:1, and cf. ἠ ἱερέ πόλις Philo, De Somniis, 37 (i. 691), ἠ ιεροπόλις Legatio ad Caium, 36 (ii. 587), 38 (ii. 590), 43 (ii. 596).

latt. Manuscripts of the Old Latin Version.

Ox. Pap. Oxyrhynchus Papyri.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Error [πλανη] . Not, as many render, deceit or imposture, referring to planov above; but error on the people's part. The last error, namely, the false impression that he has risen from the dead, will be worse than the first error - the impression made by his impostures that he was the Messiah.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.