Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 27:23
And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
Verse 23. What evil hath he done?] Pilate plainly saw that there was nothing laid to his charge for which, consistently with the Roman laws, he could condemn him.
But they cried out the more] What strange fury and injustice! They could not answer Pilate’s question, What evil hath he done? He had done none, and they knew he had done none; but they are determined on his death.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And the governor said, why, what evil hath he done?…. What reason can be given, why he should be crucified? what sin has he committed, that deserves such a death? From whence it is clear, that of all the things they had accused him, they had not, in Pilate’s account, given proof of one single action, that was criminal, nor had he done any: he came into the world without sin, he did none in it; he knew no sin, nor could any be found in him, by Satan, nor his accusers, nor his judge:
but they cried out the more, saying, let him be crucified: the more they saw Pilate inclined to favour him, and pleaded for him, and attested his innocence; the more clamorous, outrageous, and urgent they were to have him crucified.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Why, what evil hath he done? ( ;). This was a feeble protest by a flickering conscience. Pilate descended to that level of arguing with the mob now inflamed with passion for the blood of Jesus, a veritable lynching fiasco. But this exhibition of weakness made the mob fear refusal by Pilate to proceed. So they “kept crying exceedingly” ( , imperfect tense of repeated action and vehemently) their demand for the crucifixion of Jesus. It was like a gladiatorial show with all thumbs turned down.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
(23) Why, what evil hath he done?The question attested the judges conviction of the innocence of the accused, but it attested also the cowardice of the judge. He was startled at the passionate malignity of the cry of the multitude and the priests, but had not the courage to resist it. We find from Luk. 23:22. that he had recourse to the desperate expedient of suggesting a milder punishmentI will chastise, i.e., scourge, Him, and let Him go; but the suggestion itself showed his weakness, and therefore did but stimulate the crowd to persist in their demand for death.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified.” ’
Pilate protested Jesus’ innocence, but that was enough to guarantee that they would have no mercy. They liked to think that they had Pilate on the ropes, and as Jerusalemites or zealot sympathisers they had little sympathy for Jesus. Thus they repeated their demand even more strongly, “Let him be crucified.”
This cry makes clear that we are not talking about an average crowd. This was not just calling for the death sentence on a blasphemer, but for a curse on someone so that He would be totally despised. No ordinary Jewish crowd would have asked for this kind of punishment for Jesus. This was a crowd which saw Him as a traitor, which fits in with the idea that they were either close supporters of the Chief Priests or supporters of the insurrectionists, and thus saw Jesus with His peace loving ways as an enemy of the people.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 27:23. Why, what evil hath he done? So bent were the chief-priests and elders to have Jesus put to death, that though the governor urged them again and again to desire his release, declaring his innocence, and offering there several times to dismiss him, they would not hear him; to such a pitch was their enmity carried against the Lord of life! They insisted upon his crucifixion, as being the most ignominious death; they insisted upon his being sentenced to this death by a Roman governor; and among the Romans it was inflicted only upon the vilest of slaves. To have inflicted such a punishment as this upon any free Jew, would probably have been sufficient to have thrown the whole city and nation into an uproar. But now they were deaf to every thing but the clamour of passion; and in their madness forgot with how dangerous a precedent they might furnish the Roman governor: and indeed it turned dreadfully on themselves, when such vast numbers of them were crucified for their opposition to the Romans during the time of their last war. See on Mat 27:25 and Inferences on ch. 24:
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 27:23 ] does not presuppose a “ non faciam ,” or some such phrase (Grotius, Maldonatus, Fritzsche), but denotes an inference from the existing state of matters, and throws the whole emphasis upon : quid ergo . See on Joh 9:30 and 1Co 11:22 .
Chrysostom appropriately points out how Pilate behaved.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
Ver. 23. Why? What evil hath he done? ] Why? but if he have done no evil, wherefore doth not Pilate pronounce him innocent, contra gentes, facing the people, and not guilty him by proclamation? which because he did not, but the contrary, was he not therefore, by a just judgment of God upon him, kicked off the bench by the Emperor Tiberius? Judge Hales came to an evil end for crossing his conscience. And Judge Morgan, who gave the sentence of that peerless Lady Jane Grey’s death, presently fell mad; and in all his distracted fits, cried out continually, Take away the Lady Jane, take away the Lady Jane from me. It is reported of Nevessan, a better lawyer than an honest man, that he should say, He that will not venture his body, shall never be valiant; he that will not venture his soul, never rich.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
23. ] implies a sort of concession a placing one’s self in the situation of the person addressed, and then requiring a reason for his decision: and is generally found in this connexion, , in the utterance of impassioned feeling. See Hartung, Partikellehre, i. 479.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 27:23 . : elliptical, implying unwillingness to carry out the popular will. (Fritzsche, Grotius.) Some, Palairet, Raphel, etc., take as redundant. , they kept crying out more loudly. Cf. Mk., where the force of comes out more distinctly.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
evil. Greek. kakos. App-128.
cried = kept crying
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
23.] implies a sort of concession-a placing ones self in the situation of the person addressed, and then requiring a reason for his decision: and is generally found in this connexion, , in the utterance of impassioned feeling. See Hartung, Partikellehre, i. 479.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Why: Gen 37:18, Gen 37:19, 1Sa 19:3-15, 1Sa 20:31-33, 1Sa 22:14-19
But: Mat 21:38, Mat 21:39, Act 7:57, Act 17:5-7, Act 21:28-31, Act 22:22, Act 22:23, Act 23:10, Act 23:12-15
Reciprocal: 1Sa 20:32 – what hath Pro 16:30 – moving Pro 24:28 – not Jer 26:16 – General Dan 6:6 – assembled together Dan 6:16 – the king Mat 27:4 – the innocent Mar 9:30 – through Mar 15:12 – What Mar 15:14 – And Joh 18:29 – What Act 22:7 – why Act 25:10 – as thou 1Pe 2:22 – did 1Jo 3:12 – And
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7:23
There is nothing in the text that indicates any knowledge on the part of Pilate as to the charge upon which Jesus had been brought into his court. It is true the crowd accused him of perverting the nation (Luk 23:2), but that was not any authoritative testimony for it was made by this mob at the moment. According to Mat 26:64-66 the point at which the Sanhedrin voted Jesus guilty was when he claimed to be the Son of God. Pilate, however, did not know anything about that (as far as we know), hence it was logical for him to ask the crowd the question stated. They refused to answer Pilate’s question although they knew the pretense the Sanhedrin used in rendering its verdict. But they also knew that such a decision would not have much weight in a secular court, hence they ignored the question of the governor and repeated their wicked demand instead.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 27:23. What evil hath he done? Pilate repeated this question three times, joining with it the proposal to chastise Him and let Him go (Luk 23:22). The only answer is a more excited demand, leading to an uproar. The persistence of Pilate shows his real desire to release Jesus. But the multitude felt that Pilate, by his previous proposal, was committed to a decision against Jesus. Hence a governor, representing the proud Roman power, the nation of legal enactments, was forced to parley with a mob, which at another time he would have crushed with the severest measures. When Christ is to be crucified, no alliance of godless men is impossible, Comp. Luk 23:12.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mat 27:23. The governor said, Why? what evil hath he done? A proper question to be asked before we censure any in common discourse, much more for a judge to ask, before he pass a sentence of death. It is much for the honour of the Lord Jesus, that, though he suffered as an evil doer, yet neither his judge nor his prosecutors could find that he had done any evil. Had he done any evil against God? No: he always did those things that pleased him. Had he done any against the civil government? No: as he did himself, so he taught others to render to Cesar the things that were Cesars. Had he done any against the public peace? No: he did not strive or cry, nor was his kingdom of this world. Had he done any evil to particular persons? Whom had he defrauded, or otherwise injured? Not one: so far from it, that he continually went about doing good. But they cried the more, LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED. They do not go about to show any evil he had done, but, right or wrong, he must be crucified. Quitting all pretensions to the truth of the premises, they resolved to hold fast the conclusion, and what was wanting in evidence to make up in clamour.