Mark 14:63
New International Version
The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.

New Living Translation
Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses?

English Standard Version
And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need?

Berean Standard Bible
At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses?

Berean Literal Bible
And the high priest, having torn his garments, says, "Why have we need of witnesses?

King James Bible
Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

New King James Version
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?

New American Standard Bible
Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?

NASB 1995
Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?

NASB 1977
And tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?

Legacy Standard Bible
And tearing his tunics, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?

Amplified Bible
Then tearing his robe [to express his indignation], the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?

Christian Standard Bible
Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?

American Standard Version
And the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What further need have we of witnesses?

Contemporary English Version
At once the high priest ripped his robe apart and shouted, "Why do we need more witnesses?

English Revised Version
And the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What further need have we of witnesses?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The chief priest tore his clothes in horror and said, "Why do we need any more witnesses?

Good News Translation
The High Priest tore his robes and said, "We don't need any more witnesses!

International Standard Version
Then the high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we still need witnesses?" he asked.

Majority Standard Bible
At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, ?Why do we need any more witnesses?

NET Bible
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "Why do we still need witnesses?

New Heart English Bible
The high priest tore his clothes, and said, "What further need have we of witnesses?

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

Weymouth New Testament
Rending his garments the High Priest exclaimed, "What need have we of witnesses after that?

World English Bible
The high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need have we of witnesses?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the chief priest, having torn his garments, says, “What need have we yet of witnesses?

Berean Literal Bible
And the high priest, having torn his garments, says, "Why have we need of witnesses?

Young's Literal Translation
And the chief priest, having rent his garments, saith, 'What need have we yet of witnesses?

Smith's Literal Translation
And the chief priest, having rent his tunic, says, What further need have we of witnesses.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then the high priest rending his garments, saith: What need we any further witnesses?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then the high priest, rending his garments, said: “Why do we still require witnesses?

New American Bible
At that the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further need have we of witnesses?

New Revised Standard Version
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then the high priest tore his robe, and said, Why therefore do we need witnesses?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But The High Priest ripped his tunic and he said, “Why now do we need witnesses?”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And the chief priest rent his clothes, and said: What further need have we of witnesses?

Godbey New Testament
The high priest tearing his garments, says, Why have we yet need of witnesses?

Haweis New Testament
Then the high-priest rent his clothes, and said, What farther need have we of witnesses?

Mace New Testament
then the high priest rent his robes, and said to the council, what occasion is there for any more witnesses?

Weymouth New Testament
Rending his garments the High Priest exclaimed, "What need have we of witnesses after that?

Worrell New Testament
And the high priest, rending his clothes, says, "What further need have we of witnesses?

Worsley New Testament
Then the high priest rent his clothes and said, What farther need have we of witnesses?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin
62“I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses? 64You have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death.…

Cross References
Matthew 26:65
At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

John 19:7
“We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”

Leviticus 24:16
Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

John 10:33
“We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

Acts 7:56-57
“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” / At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.

Hebrews 10:28-29
Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. / How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

John 5:18
Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

1 Kings 21:10-13
But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” / So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had instructed in the letters she had written to them. / They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people. ...

Luke 22:71
“Why do we need any more testimony?” they declared. “We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips.”

Deuteronomy 13:9-10
Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people. / Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

John 8:58-59
“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” / At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.

2 Kings 18:37
Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.

Acts 6:11-14
Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” / So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, / where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. ...

Numbers 14:6
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes


Treasury of Scripture

Then the high priest rent his clothes, and said, What need we any further witnesses?

his.

Isaiah 36:22
Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Isaiah 37:1
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

Jeremiah 36:23,24
And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth…

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Mark 14
1. A conspiracy against Jesus.
3. Expensive perfume is poured on his head by a woman.
10. Judas sells his Master for money.
12. Jesus himself foretells how he will be betrayed by one of his disciples;
22. after the passover prepared, and eaten, institutes his last supper;
26. declares beforehand the flight of all his disciples, and Peter's denial.
43. Judas betrays him with a kiss.
46. Jesus is apprehended in the garden;
53. falsely accused and impiously condemned of the council;
65. shamefully abused by them;
66. and thrice denied by Peter.














At this
This phrase refers to the immediate context of Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin, where He was accused of blasphemy. The "this" is Jesus' affirmation of His identity as the Messiah and the Son of God. In the Greek, the word used here is "τότε" (tote), which indicates a specific moment in time, emphasizing the gravity and immediacy of the high priest's reaction.

the high priest
The high priest at this time was Caiaphas, a significant religious leader in Jerusalem. His role was not only religious but also political, as he was a key figure in maintaining the status quo with the Roman authorities. Historically, the high priest was seen as the mediator between God and the people, making his actions and words carry substantial weight in Jewish society.

tore his clothes
This act was a traditional expression of grief, horror, or outrage in Jewish culture. The tearing of clothes, or "rending," is seen in several Old Testament instances, such as when Jacob believed Joseph was dead (Genesis 37:34). In this context, Caiaphas' tearing of his garments was a dramatic gesture meant to signify his perceived blasphemy of Jesus' claim, though it also reveals the high priest's inability to recognize the truth of Jesus' identity.

and declared
The Greek word "λέγει" (legei) is used here, meaning "to say" or "to declare." This indicates a formal pronouncement, underscoring the authority of the high priest's position. His declaration was intended to sway the council and solidify the charges against Jesus, showing the high priest's role in orchestrating the trial's outcome.

Why do we need any more witnesses?
This rhetorical question implies that the high priest believed Jesus' own words were sufficient evidence of blasphemy. The Greek word "μάρτυρες" (martyres) for "witnesses" is significant, as it is the same root from which we derive the word "martyr." In the context of the trial, it highlights the irony that Jesus, the true witness to God's truth, was being condemned by those who were blind to it. The high priest's question also reveals the predetermined nature of the trial, as the leaders were not seeking truth but rather a justification for their actions against Jesus.

(63) Then the high priest rent his clothes.--It is noticeable that St. Mark uses the word for the inner garment, St. Matthew that for the outer.

Verse 63. - And the high priest rent his clothes (διαῥῤήξας τοὺς χιτῶνας); literally, his tunics.; St. Matthew (Matthew 26:65) has τὰ ἱμὰτια literally, his garments. None but people of rank wore two tunics. The Greek verb here rendered "rent" implies violent dramatic action. The Jewish tunic was open under the chin, and large enough to receive the head, so that it could easily be placed over the shoulders, by inserting the head. When the wearer wished to give this sign of indignation or grief, he would seize the garment at this opening with both hands, and violently tear it asunder down to the waist. But it was unlawful for the high priest to do this in a private grief (Leviticus 10:6). Some of the Fathers think that by this action Caiaphas involuntarily typified the rending of the priesthood from himself and from the Jewish nation.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
At this,
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

the
(Ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

high priest
ἀρχιερεὺς (archiereus)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 749: High priest, chief priest. From arche and hiereus; the high-priest; by extension a chief priest.

tore
διαρρήξας (diarrēxas)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1284: To tear asunder, burst, rend. From dia and rhegnumi; to tear asunder.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

clothes
χιτῶνας (chitōnas)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5509: A tunic, garment, undergarment. Of foreign origin; a tunic or shirt.

[and] declared,
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

“Why
Τί (Ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

do we need
χρείαν (chreian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5532: From the base of chraomai or chre; employment, i.e. An affair; also occasion, demand, requirement or destitution.

any more
ἔτι (eti)
Adverb
Strong's 2089: (a) of time: still, yet, even now, (b) of degree: even, further, more, in addition. Perhaps akin to etos; 'yet, ' still.

witnesses?
μαρτύρων (martyrōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3144: A witness (judicially) or figuratively (genitive case); by analogy, a 'martyr'.


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NT Gospels: Mark 14:63 The high priest tore his clothes (Mar Mk Mr)
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