Matthew 27:41
in Matthew 27In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
In like manner also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
KJV
Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
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This verse in Matthew 27
Commentary
9 notes on this verseChief priests - scribes and elders - To these, several ancient MSS. and versions add, και Φαρισαιων, and Pharisees. But though the authority for this reading is respectable, yet it does not appear that the Pharisees joined in with the others in the condemnation of our Lord. Probably his discourses and parables, related in some of the preceding chapters, which were spoken directly to them, had so far convinced them that they would at least have no hand in putting him to death. All the infamy of this seems to fall upon the Priests, scribes, and elders.
This site's exposition
shaking their heads
on Matthew 27:39-44
Passersby turn his words from 26:61 into a taunt, though John 2:19-21 says he meant his body. The chief priests promise that "we will believe in Him" if he comes down, the sign Jesus refused them at 12:38-39. Even "the robbers who were crucified with Him" join the abuse.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Serm. 55. 2.) From what source of error, O Jews, have ye sucked in the poison of such blasphemies? What teacher delivered it to you? What learning moved you to think that the true King of Israel, that the veritable Son of God, would be He who would not suffer Himself to be crucified, and would set free His body from the fastenings of the nails? Not the hidden meaning of the Law, not the mouths of the Prophets. Had ye indeed ever read, I hid not my face from the shame of spitting; (Is. 50:6.) or that again, They pierced my hands and my feet, they told all my bones. (Ps. 22:16.) Where have ye ever read that the Lord came down from the cross? But ye have read, The Lord hath reigned from the tree.e
The Medieval Church3 voices
Then the mockery by the rulers follows: "in like manner also the chief priests, mocking etc." Hence not only the people, but the rulers mocked him. A man is not greatly distressed if he is condemned by the lowly, but he cannot bear the derision …
Had He then been prevailed on by their taunts to leave the cross, He would not have proved to us the power of endurance; but He waited enduring their mockery; and He who would not come down from the cross, rose again from the tomb.
And they that passed by reviled Him, shaking their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Likewise also the chief priests,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
These verses describe the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ after his condemnation by Pilate, his sufferings in the hands of the brutal Roman soldiers, and his final sufferings on the cross. They form a marvelous record. They are marvelous when we remember the sufferer—the eternal Son of God. They are marvelous when we remember the persons for whom these sufferings were endured. We and our sins were the cause of all this sorrow! He “died for our sins” ( 1 Corinthians 15:3 ). Let us observe in the first place the extent and reality of our Lord’s sufferings. The catalogue of all the pains endured by our Lord’s body is indeed a fearful one: seldom has such suffering been inflicted on one body in the last few hours of a life. The most savage tribes, in their refinement of cruelty, could hardly have heaped more agonizing tortures on an enemy than were accumulated on the flesh and bones of our beloved Master. Never let it be forgotten that he had a real human body, a body exactly like our own, just as sensitive, just as vulnerable, just as capable of feeling intense pain. And then let us see what that body endured. Our Lord, we must remember, had already passed a night without sleep, and endured excessive fatigue. He had been taken from Gethsemane to the Jewish council, and from the Council to Pilate’s judgment hall. He had been twice placed on his trial, and twice unjustly condemned. He had been already scourged and beaten cruelly with rods. And now, after all this suffering, he was delivered up to the Roman soldiers, a body of men no doubt expert in cruelty, and, of all people, least likely to behave with delicacy or compassion. These hard men at once proceeded to work their will.
These verses describe the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ after his condemnation by Pilate, his sufferings in the hands of the brutal Roman soldiers, and his final sufferings on the cross. They form a marvelous record. They are marvelous when we remember the sufferer—the eternal Son of God. They are marvelous when we remember the persons for whom these sufferings were endured. We and our sins were the cause of all this sorrow! He “died for our sins” ( 1 Corinthians 15:3 ). Let us observe in the first place the extent and reality of our Lord’s sufferings.
The words behind it
11 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὁμοίως | homoios | Likewise | G3668 → | 30 times |
| καὶ | kai | also | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀρχιερεῖς | archiereis | chief priests | G749 → | 122 times |
| ἐμπαίζοντες | empaizontes | mocking | G1702 → | 13 times |
| μετὰ | meta | with | G3326 → | 461 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γραμματέων | grammateon | scribes | G1122 → | 62 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πρεσβυτέρων | presbuteron | elders | G4245 → | 65 times |
| ἔλεγον· | elegon | were saying; | G3004 → | 1325 times |
ὁμοίωςLikewise
homoiosG3668 →30 times
καὶalso
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
ἀρχιερεῖςchief priests
archiereisG749 →122 times
ἐμπαίζοντεςmocking
empaizontesG1702 →13 times
μετὰwith
metaG3326 →461 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
γραμματέωνscribes
grammateonG1122 →62 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πρεσβυτέρωνelders
presbuteronG4245 →65 times
ἔλεγον·were saying;
elegonG3004 →1325 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 28:22So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.
it leads to
- Isaiah 10:22–23
Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.
- Isaiah 24:1–23
Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—
- Isaiah 10:22–23
Through
Luke 22:52Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?
it leads to
- Luke 22:4
And Judas went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them.
- Luke 22:4
Through
Zechariah 11:8And in one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.
it leads to
- John 7:7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.
- John 15:18
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- Isaiah 49:7
Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes…
- John 7:7
Through
Psalms 35:26May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.
it leads to
- Job 8:22
Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
- Psalms 38:16
For I said, “Let them not gloat over me— those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
- Job 8:22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies18
About Matthew
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Leo the Great, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Rabanus Maurus, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.