For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
For many bare false witness against him, and their witness agreed not together.
for many were bearing false testimony against him, and their testimonies were not alike.
For many bore false witness against him, and their testimony did not agree.
Mark — The Gospel of the servant in motion. The narrative hinges at Peter's confession (8:27). Before: the Servant revealed. After: the Servant suffers.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
The verses this one reaches2
the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.
And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
Voices4
For many bare false witness against him,....
John Gill· Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)reformed
But iniquity lied as the queen did against Joseph, and the priests against Susannah, but a flame goes out, if it has no fuel; wherefore it goes on, And found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. For whatever is not consistent is held to be doubtful.
Pseudo-Jerome· Catena Aurea by Aquinas, 9999patristic
But at the very time when His enemies were saying, "God hath forsaken Him; persecute and take Him; for there is none to deliver Him" (Ps 71:11), He whose Witness He was and whose work He was doing was keeping Him as the apple of His eye, and while He was making the wrath of man to praise Him, was restraining the remainder of that wrath (Ps 76:10).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871reformed
Their evidences were not sufficient - The Greek words literally rendered are, Were not equal: not equal to the charge of a capital crime: it is the same word in the 59th verse.
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755evangelical
