Matthew 27:62
Encyclopedia
Matthew 27:62 is the sixty-second verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. This verse occurs after the crucifixion
and entombment of Jesus. In it the leaders of the Jewish community meet with Pontius Pilate
.
The original Koine Greek
, according to Westcott and Hort
, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
The modern World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 27:62
"The day of the preparation" is a specific Greco-Jewish term referring to the day before the Sabbath
, when the Sabbath meal was prepared. The time information is thus a complex way of stating that these events occurred on the Sabbath itself. The obscure term is also used at Mark 15:42 in a different part of the burial narrative, and it is likely Matthew's usage is borrowed from there. Morris speculates that the author of Matthew may have used this roundabout phrasing as he did not want to directly mention the Sabbath in connection with these negative events. Harrington considers a meeting of such religious leaders with Pilate on the Sabbath to be historically improbable. An event of this nature would certainly have run counter to what was considered acceptable on a festival sabbath. France thus finds it odd that the author of Matthew chooses to avoid directly mentioning that this meeting happened on the Saturday. He speculates that Matthew may have been working to emphasize that the day of importance was that of the crucifixion, not this day.
The Pharisees
, a regular villain in Matthew, reappear in this verse after being absent from crucifixion story. This is the only verse they appear during the passion narrative in any of the synoptic gospels
. They join the chief priests, who in Matthew were the main advocates for Jesus' death. This same pairing occurred at Matthew 21:45. Davies and Allison also note that this scene is similar in wording to Matthew 2:4
, where the Jewish leaders plot against the infant Jesus. The description of the petitioners coming "together to Pilate" implies a formal and solemn meeting. Historically the Pharisees and the priests were fierce rivals. Their scheming together is thus a sign of how great a threat Jesus is to the ruling powers in Matthew's story.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. This verse occurs after the crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
and entombment of Jesus. In it the leaders of the Jewish community meet with Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
.
The original Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
, according to Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, reads:
- τη δε επαυριον ητις εστιν μετα την παρασκευην συνηχθησαν
- οι αρχιερεις και οι φαρισαιοι προς πιλατον
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation,
- the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
The modern World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the
- chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 27:62
"The day of the preparation" is a specific Greco-Jewish term referring to the day before the Sabbath
Sabbath
Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...
, when the Sabbath meal was prepared. The time information is thus a complex way of stating that these events occurred on the Sabbath itself. The obscure term is also used at Mark 15:42 in a different part of the burial narrative, and it is likely Matthew's usage is borrowed from there. Morris speculates that the author of Matthew may have used this roundabout phrasing as he did not want to directly mention the Sabbath in connection with these negative events. Harrington considers a meeting of such religious leaders with Pilate on the Sabbath to be historically improbable. An event of this nature would certainly have run counter to what was considered acceptable on a festival sabbath. France thus finds it odd that the author of Matthew chooses to avoid directly mentioning that this meeting happened on the Saturday. He speculates that Matthew may have been working to emphasize that the day of importance was that of the crucifixion, not this day.
The Pharisees
Pharisees
The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...
, a regular villain in Matthew, reappear in this verse after being absent from crucifixion story. This is the only verse they appear during the passion narrative in any of the synoptic gospels
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
. They join the chief priests, who in Matthew were the main advocates for Jesus' death. This same pairing occurred at Matthew 21:45. Davies and Allison also note that this scene is similar in wording to Matthew 2:4
Matthew 2:4
Matthew 2:4 is the fourth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi have informed King Herod that they had seen portents showing the birth of the King of the Jews...
, where the Jewish leaders plot against the infant Jesus. The description of the petitioners coming "together to Pilate" implies a formal and solemn meeting. Historically the Pharisees and the priests were fierce rivals. Their scheming together is thus a sign of how great a threat Jesus is to the ruling powers in Matthew's story.