Matthew 28:12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,

◄ Matthew 28:12 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,

English Standard Version
And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers

New American Standard Bible
And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

King James Bible
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
After the priests had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money

International Standard Version
So they met with the elders and agreed on a plan to give the soldiers a large amount of money.

American Standard Version
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money unto the soldiers,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they being assembled together with the ancients, taking counsel, gave a great sum of money to the soldiers,

Darby Bible Translation
And having assembled with the elders, and having taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

Young's Literal Translation
and having been gathered together with the elders, counsel also having taken, they gave much money to the soldiers,

Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

28:11-15 What wickedness is it which men will not be brought to by the love of money! Here was large money given to the soldiers for advancing that which they knew to be a lie, yet many grudge a little money for advancing what they know to be the truth. Let us never starve a good cause, when we see bad ones so liberally supported. The priests undertook to secure them from the sword of Pilate, but could not secure these soldiers from the sword of God's justice, which hangs over the heads of those that love and make a lie. Those men promise more than they can perform, who undertake to save a man harmless in doing a wilful sin. But this falsehood disproved itself. Had the soldiers been all asleep, they could not have known what passed. If any had been awake, they would have roused the others and prevented the removal; and certainly if they had been asleep, they never would have dared to confess it; while the Jewish rulers would have been the first to call for their punishment. Again, had there been any truth in the report, the rulers would have prosecuted the apostles with severity for it. The whole shows that the story was entirely false. And we must not charge such things to the weakness of the understanding, but to the wickedness of the heart. God left them to expose their own course. The great argument to prove Christ to be the Son of God, is his resurrection; and none could have more convincing proofs of the truth of that than these soldiers; yet they took bribes to hinder others from believing. The plainest evidence will not affect men, without the work of the Holy Spirit.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

12. And when they were assembled with the elders—But Joseph at least was absent: Gamaliel probably also; and perhaps others.

and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers—It would need a good deal; but the whole case of the Jewish authorities was now at stake. With what contempt must these soldiers have regarded the Jewish ecclesiastics!