Mat 27:2, 27-30 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 2. And when they had bound him . He was bound when they took him in the garden, . Probably when he was tried before the sanhedrim, in the palace of Caiaphas, he had been loosed from his bonds--being there surrounded by multitudes, and supposed to be safe. As they were about to lead him to another part of the city now, they again bound him. The binding consisted, probably, in nothing more than tying his hands. Pontius Pilate the governor . The governor, appointed by the Romans, over Judea. The governor commonly resided at Caesarea; but he came up to Jerusalem usually at the great feasts, when most of the Jews were assembled, to administer justice, and to suppress tumults, if any should arise. The title which Pilate received was that of governor , or procurator . The duties of the office were chiefly to collect the revenues due to the Roman emperor, and, in certain cases, to administer justice. Pilate was appointed governor of Judea by Tiberius, then emperor of Rome. John says that they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the hall of judgment--that is, to the part of the praetorium , or governor's palace, where justice was administered. The Jews did not, however, enter in themselves, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the passover. In , it is said, that whosoever touched an unclean thing should be unclean, For this reason they would not enter into the house of a heathen , lest they should contract some defilement that would render them unfit to keep the passover. (n) "him to"

Matthew 27:2

Verse 2. And when they had bound him. He was bound when they took him in the garden, Jn 18:12. Probably when he was tried before the sanhedrim, in the palace of Caiaphas, he had been loosed from his bonds--being there surrounded by multitudes, and supposed to be safe. As they were about to lead him to another part of the city now, they again bound him. The binding consisted, probably, in nothing more than tying his hands.

Pontius Pilate the governor. The governor, appointed by the Romans, over Judea. The governor commonly resided at Caesarea; but he came up to Jerusalem usually at the great feasts, when most of the Jews were assembled, to administer justice, and to suppress tumults, if any should arise. The title which Pilate received was that of governor, or procurator. The duties of the office were chiefly to collect the revenues due to the Roman emperor, and, in certain cases, to administer justice. Pilate was appointed governor of Judea by Tiberius, then emperor of Rome. John says Jn 18:28 that they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the hall of judgment--that is, to the part of the praetorium, or governor's palace, where justice was administered. The Jews did not, however, enter in themselves, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the passover. In Nu 19:22, it is said, that whosoever touched an unclean thing should be unclean, For this reason they would not enter into the house of a heathen, lest they should contract some defilement that would render them unfit to keep the passover.

(n) "him to" Mt 20:19

Matthew 27:27-30

Verses 27-31. See also Mk 15:15-20, Jn 19:1-3.

Verse 27. Into the common hall. Tho original word here means, rather, the governor's palace, or dwelling. The trial of Jesus had taken place out of the palace. The Jews would not enter in; and it is probable that courts were held often in a larger and more public place than would be a room in his dwelling. Jesus, being condemned, was led by the soldiers away from the Jews, within this palace, and subjected to their profane mockery and sport.

The whole band. The band or cohort was a tenth part of a Roman legion, and consisted of from four hundred to six hundred men, according to the size of the legion.

(1) "common hall" or, "governor's house" Verse 28. And they stripped him. That is, they either took off all his upper garments, or removed all his clothing, probably the former.

A scarlet robe. Mark says they clothed him in purple. The scarlet colour was obtained from a species of fruit; purple from shell-fish. The ancients gave the name purple to any colour that had a mixture of red in it, and consequently these different colours might be some- times called by the same name. The robe here used was the kind worn by Roman generals, and other distinguished officers of the Roman army, and also by the Roman governors. It was made so as to be placed on the shoulders, and was bound around the body so as to leave the right arm at liberty. As we cannot suppose that Pilate would array him in a new and splendid robe, we must suppose that this was one which had been worn and cast off as useless, and was now used to array the Son of God as an object of ridicule and scorn! Verse 29. Had platted. The word platted here means woven together, or having made a wreath of a thorn-bush.

A crown. Or perhaps, rather, a wreath. A crown was worn by kings, commonly made of gold, and precious stones. To ridicule the pretensions of Jesus, that he was a king, they probably plucked up a thorn-bush growing near, made it into something resembling, in shape, a royal crown, so as to correspond with the old purple, and to complete the mockery.

Of thorns. What is the precise species of shrub denoted here is not certainly known. It was, however, doubtless one of that species that has sharp points of very hard wood. They could therefore be easily pressed into the skin, and cause considerable pain. Probably they seized upon the first thing in their way that could be made into a crown, and this happened to be a thorn: thus increasing the sufferings of the meek Redeemer.

And a reed in his right hand. A reed is a straight slender herb, growing in marshy places, and abundant on the banks of the Jordan. It was often used for the purpose of making staves for walking; and it is not improbable that this was such a staff in the possession of some person present. The word is several times thus used. See 2Kgs 18:21; Isa 36:6, Eze 29:6. Kings commonly carried a sceptre, made of ivory or gold, as a sign of their office or rank, Est 4:11, 8:4. This reed or staff they put in his hand, in imitation of a sceptre, to deride also his pretensions of being a king.

And they bowed the knee. This was done for mockery. It was an act of pretended homage. It was to ridicule his saying that he was a king. The common mode of showing respect or homage for kings was by kneeling or prostration. It shows amazing forbearance on the part of Jesus, that he thus consented to be ridiculed, and set at naught. No mere human being would have borne it. None but Him who loved us unto death, and who saw the grand results that would come from this scene of sufferings, could have endured such cruel mockery.

Hail, king of the Jews! The term hail was a common mode of salutation to a king, or even to a friend. It implies, commonly, the highest respect for office, as well as the person, and is an invocation of blessings on the person. Here it was used to carry on what they thought to be the farce of his being a king; to ridicule in every possible way the pretensions of a poor, unattended, unarmed man of Nazareth, as if he had been a weak impostor, or had been deranged.

(a) "mocked him" Ps 69:19,20 Verse 30. And they spit upon him. This was a token of the deepest contempt and insult. Mt 26:67.

And took the reed. The cane, probably so large as to inflict a heavy blow.

And smote him on the head. Not merely to injure him by the force of the blow, but to press the thorns into his head, and thus to add cruelty to insult.

(b) "spit" Is 49:7, 50:6, 53:3,7