Matthew 27
Expanded Bible
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate(A)
27 Early the next morning, all the ·leading [T chief] priests and elders of the people ·decided that Jesus should die [or met together to plan Jesus’ death]. 2 They ·tied [bound] him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
3 Judas, the one who had ·given [betrayed] Jesus to his enemies, saw that ·they had decided to kill Jesus [Jesus had been condemned]. Then he was ·very sorry [filled with remorse] for what he had done. So he took the thirty silver coins back to the leading [T chief] priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I sinned; I ·handed over to you [betrayed] ·an innocent man [L innocent blood].”
The leaders answered, “What ·is that to us [do we care]? That’s your ·problem, not ours [responsibility; concern].”
5 So Judas threw the ·money [silver coins] into the ·Temple [sanctuary]. Then he went off and hanged himself.
6 The ·leading [T chief] priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple and said, “·Our law does not allow us [or It is not right] to ·keep [put] this money ·with the Temple money [in the Temple treasury], because it ·has paid for a man’s death [is blood money; L is the price of blood].” 7 So they decided to use the coins to buy ·Potter’s Field [or the potter’s field] as a place to bury ·strangers [or foreigners]. 8 That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 So what Jeremiah the prophet had said ·came true [was fulfilled]: “They took thirty ·silver coins [T pieces of silver]. That is ·how little the Israelites thought he was worth [or the price at which he was valued by the Israelites; or the value of a man with a price on his head among the Israelites; Jer. 18:2–3; 19:1–13; 32:5–15; Zech. 11:12–13]. 10 They used those thirty silver coins to buy ·Potter’s Field [or the potter’s field], as the Lord commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus(B)
11 Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “·Those are your words [It is as you say; L You say so; C an indirect affirmation].”
12 When the ·leading [T chief] priests and the elders accused Jesus, he ·said nothing [did not answer].
13 So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear them accusing you of ·all these [so many] things?”
14 But Jesus ·said nothing in answer to Pilate [did not answer a single charge], and ·Pilate [L the governor] was very ·surprised [amazed] at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus(C)
15 Every year at the ·time of Passover [festival/feast] the governor would free [L for the crowd] one prisoner whom the people chose. 16 At that time there was a man in prison, named Barabbas,[a] who was ·known to be very bad [well known; notorious]. 17 When the people gathered, Pilate said, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas[b] or Jesus who is called the ·Christ [Messiah]?” 18 [L For] Pilate knew that they turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous.
19 While Pilate was sitting there on the judge’s seat [C a special seat for speeches or judicial pronouncements], his wife sent this message to him: “·Don’t do anything to [or Have nothing to do with] that man, because he is ·innocent [righteous]. Today I had a dream about him, and it ·troubled me very much [caused me great pain/anguish].”
20 But the ·leading [T chief] priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be ·killed [executed].
21 Pilate said, “Which of these two do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas.”
22 Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the ·Christ [Messiah]?”
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 Pilate asked, “Why? What ·wrong [crime; evil] has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he ·could do nothing about this [was getting nowhere; was gaining nothing] and that a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am ·not guilty [innocent] of this man’s ·death [L blood]. ·You are the ones who are causing it [It is your responsibility now; or Take care of it yourselves]!”
25 All the people answered, “·We and our children will be responsible for his death [L His blood be on us and on our children].”
26 Then he set Barabbas free. But he had Jesus ·beaten with whips [scourged; flogged] and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.
27 The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the ·governor’s palace [fortress; headquarters; L Praetorium], and ·they all gathered around him [or the whole regiment/company/cohort was assembled; C a cohort was about five hundred soldiers; here it may mean those of the cohort on duty]. 28 They ·took off his clothes [stripped him] and put a ·red [scarlet] robe on him [C probably a scarlet military coat, whose color resembled purple, the color of royalty]. 29 Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a ·stick [reed; staff] in his right hand [C as a scepter]. Then the soldiers ·bowed [kneeled] before Jesus and ·made fun of [mocked] him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Jesus. Then they took his ·stick [reed; staff] and began to beat him on the head. 31 After they ·finished [had mocked him], the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified(D)
32 ·As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus [L As they went out], they ·met [found; came across] a man from Cyrene [C a city in northern Africa, in present-day Libya], named Simon, and forced him to carry the cross for Jesus. 33 They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means [C in Aramaic] the Place of the Skull. 34 ·The soldiers [L They; C this could be the soldiers or the women of Jerusalem] gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink [C the gall was either a sedative or further mockery, making the wine bitter; Ps. 69:21; Prov. 31:6]. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. 35 When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots [C similar to dice] to ·decide who would get [L divide up] his clothes[c] [Ps. 22:18]. 36 The soldiers sat there and ·continued watching [kept guard over] him. 37 They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 Two ·robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; C the term “robber” was used by the Romans of insurrectionists] were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left [Is. 53:12]. 39 People walked by and ·insulted [defamed; slandered; C the same Greek word used to “blaspheme”] Jesus and shook their heads [C a gesture of derision; Ps. 22:7], 40 saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!”
41 The ·leading [T chief] priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also ·making fun of [mocking] Jesus. 42 They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God, so let God ·save [rescue; deliver] him now, if God really wants him [Ps. 22:8]. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And in the same way, the robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; v. 38] who were being crucified beside Jesus also ·insulted [ridiculed; taunted] him.
Jesus Dies(E)
45 At ·noon [L the sixth hour] the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted ·for three hours [L until the ninth hour]. 46 About ·three o’clock [L the ninth hour] Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you ·abandoned [forsaken] me [Ps. 22:1; C these words are a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic]?”
47 Some of the people standing there who heard this said, “He is calling Elijah.” [C The prophet Elijah, associated with the end times (Mal. 4:5), was also viewed as a helper in time of need.]
48 ·Quickly [At once] one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with ·vinegar [or sour wine; C an inexpensive drink used by soldiers and slaves] and tied it to a ·stick [reed] and gave it to Jesus to drink [Ps. 69:21]. 49 But the others said, “·Don’t bother him [Wait; Leave him alone]. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and ·died [L released his spirit].
51 ·Then [T And behold] the curtain in the Temple [C dividing the Most Holy Place from the rest of the Temple] was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom [C representing new access to the presence of God, and perhaps God’s judgment against the Temple leadership]. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. 52 The graves opened, and many [L of the bodies] of ·God’s people [the saints] who had ·died [L fallen asleep] were raised from the dead. 53 They came out of the graves after ·Jesus was raised from the dead [L his resurrection] and went into the holy city [C Jerusalem], where they appeared to many people.
54 When the ·army officer [centurion] and ·the soldiers [L those with him] guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were ·very frightened [filled with awe] and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to ·help [provide support for; minister to] him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. 56 Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were ·there [among them].
Jesus Is Buried(F)
57 That evening a rich man named Joseph, a ·follower [disciple] of Jesus from the town of Arimathea, ·came to Jerusalem [or came forward; L came]. 58 Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. So Pilate gave orders for ·the soldiers to give it [L it to be given] to Joseph. 59 Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 He put Jesus’ body in his own new tomb that he had cut out of a wall of rock, and he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting ·near [across from; opposite] the tomb.
The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded
62 The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the ·leading [T chief] priests and the Pharisees ·went to [assembled/gathered before] Pilate. 63 They said, “Sir, we remember that while that ·liar [deceiver; impostor] was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be ·guarded closely [secured; sealed] till the third day. Otherwise, his ·followers [disciples] might come and steal the body and tell people that he has risen from the dead. ·That lie [L The last deception] would be even worse than the first one.”
65 Pilate said, “·Take some soldiers [or You have a guard; C the phrase could mean Pilate sends Roman soldiers or that the leaders should use their own temple police] and go ·guard [secure] the tomb the best way you know.” 66 So they all went to the tomb and ·made it safe from thieves [secured it] ·by sealing [or by placing a wax seal on] the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:16 Barabbas Some Greek copies read “Jesus Barabbas.”
- Matthew 27:17 Barabbas Some Greek copies read “Jesus Barabbas.”
- Matthew 27:35 clothes Some Greek copies continue, “So what God said through the prophet came true, ‘They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for my clothing.’” See Psalm 22:18.
Matthew 27
Amplified Bible
Judas’ Remorse
27 When it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) conferred together against Jesus, [plotting how] to put Him to death [since under Roman rule they had no power to execute anyone]; 2 so they bound Him, and led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor [of Judea, who had the authority to condemn prisoners to death].
3 When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was gripped with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,(A) 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They replied, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And throwing the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary, he left; and went away and [a]hanged himself. 6 The chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put these in the treasury [of the temple], because it is the price of blood.” 7 So after consultation they used the money to buy the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that piece of ground has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel;(B) 10 and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.”(C)
Jesus before Pilate
11 Now Jesus stood before [Pilate] the governor, and the governor asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” [In affirmation] Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”(D) 12 But when the charges were brought against Him by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.(E) 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” 14 But Jesus did not reply to him, not even to a single accusation, so that the governor was greatly astonished.
15 Now at the feast [of the Passover] the governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner whom the people chose.(F) 16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner [guilty of insurrection and murder], called Barabbas. 17 So when they had assembled [for this purpose], Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For Pilate knew that it was because of jealousy that the chief priests and elders had handed Jesus over to him.
19 While he was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous and innocent Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21 The governor said to them, “Which of the two do you wish me to set free for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all replied, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they continued shouting all the louder, “Let Him be crucified!”(G)
24 So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands [to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt] in the presence of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this [righteous] Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”(H) 25 And all the people answered, “Let [the responsibility for] His blood be on us and on our children!”(I) 26 So he set Barabbas free for them; but after having Jesus severely whipped (scourged), he handed Him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into [b]the Praetorium, and they gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.(J) 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet [c]robe on Him [as a king’s robe]. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand [as a scepter]. Kneeling before Him, they ridiculed Him, saying, “Hail (rejoice), King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him repeatedly on the head. 31 After they finished ridiculing Him, they stripped Him of the scarlet robe and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
32 Now as they were coming out, they found a man of [d]Cyrene named [e]Simon, whom they forced into service [f]to carry the cross of Jesus.(K)
The Crucifixion
33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means [g]Place of a Skull,(L) 34 they offered Him wine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting [h]lots.(M) 36 Then sitting down there, they began to keep watch over Him [to guard against any rescue attempt]. 37 And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, “[i]THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. 39 Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, wagging their heads [in scorn and ridicule],(N) 40 and they said [tauntingly], “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself [from death]! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, 42 “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him. 43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”(O) 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him also began to insult Him in the same way.
45 Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).(P) 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, [j]“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”(Q) 47 When some of the bystanders there heard it, they began saying, “This man is calling for [k]Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.(R) 49 But the rest said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him [from death].” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud [agonized] voice, and gave up His spirit [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan].(S) 51 And [at once] the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was [l]torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split apart.(T) 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life]; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many people. 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, they were terribly frightened and filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 There were also many women there looking on from a distance, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him. 56 Among them was [m]Mary Magdalene, and [n]Mary the mother of [o]James and Joseph, and [Salome] the [p]mother of Zebedee’s sons [James and John].
Jesus Is Buried
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.(U) 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus [so that he might bury Him], and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth (burial wrapping), 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and he rolled a large stone over the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other [q]Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, that is, the day after the [day of] preparation [for the Sabbath], the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate, 63 and said, “Sir, we have remembered that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise [from the dead].’ 64 Therefore, give orders to have the tomb made secure and safeguarded until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception [the reporting of His resurrection] will be worse than the first [the reporting that He is the Messiah].” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard [of soldiers]; go [with them], make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and [r]made the tomb secure, and along with [stationing] a guard of soldiers [to be on watch] they set a seal on the stone.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:5 Possibly people later threw Judas’ body over the cliff into the Valley of Hinnom where his body was mangled on the rocks below (Acts 1:18). Suicides were not given a proper burial.
- Matthew 27:27 The official residence of a governor of a Roman province.
- Matthew 27:28 A ranking Roman officer’s outer cloak.
- Matthew 27:32 A port city in north Africa.
- Matthew 27:32 The father of Alexander and Rufus, disciples in Rome.
- Matthew 27:32 The crossbeam was usually placed on the nape of the neck like a yoke.
- Matthew 27:33 Latin: Calvarius; or Calvary; Aram: Golgotha; Greek: Kranion.
- Matthew 27:35 This fulfilled the prophecy of Ps 22:18, “They divide My clothes among them.”
- Matthew 27:37 The wording of the inscription, which was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, varies slightly in each Gospel account and was probably a combination of them all, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
- Matthew 27:46 See note John 19:30.
- Matthew 27:47 The Jews believed that the prophet Elijah would return before the Messiah appeared.
- Matthew 27:51 God tearing the veil of the Holy of Holies is significant in that it symbolizes that God’s presence was now open to all people and not just the High Priest.
- Matthew 27:56 Jesus delivered this woman from seven demons (Luke 8:2). She was from the town of Magdala in Galilee.
- Matthew 27:56 Perhaps the same Mary identified as the wife of Clopas (Gr Alphaeus). See John 19:25. Believed to be a sister or sister-in-law of Mary the mother of Jesus.
- Matthew 27:56 This apostle was known as James the Less or James the Younger (Mark 15:40).
- Matthew 27:56 Salome, believed to be a sister of Mary the mother of Jesus (John 19:25).
- Matthew 27:61 The mother of the apostle known as James the Less or James the Younger.
- Matthew 27:66 In ancient times a tomb was secured by stretching a cord across the stone, then sealing each end of the cord to the rock wall with wax. The wax was marked with the official Roman seal.
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