Bible Strands
Matthew 26:63
But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — During the nighttime hearing, the high priest stands and directly charges Jesus under oath by the living God, demanding a public declaration of whether He is the Christ, the Son of God.
The words — The Greek verb ἐσιώπα (esiōpa) literally means "was silent," recording Jesus' initial refusal to respond to the high priest's oath-bound interrogation.
The thread — The high priest's sworn demand mirrors the legal procedure in Leviticus 5:1, Jesus' silence aligns with the suffering servant's pattern in Isaiah 53:7, and the title "Christ, the Son of God" recalls Peter's confession in Matthew 16:16.
Why it lands — The text records Jesus withholding an immediate answer to a binding oath, requiring the reader to observe the contrast between the high priest's coercive demand and Jesus' subsequent declaration in Matthew 26:64.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 5:1 “If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.
- Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
- Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
- Matthew 27:12 And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.
- 1 Samuel 14:26 And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.
- John 6:69 We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
- 1 Samuel 14:28 Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.”
- 1 Kings 22:16 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
- 2 Chronicles 18:15 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
- Psalms 2:6 “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”