Luk 23:6-16 | Clarke

‏ Luke 23:6-16

Verse 7. Herod's jurisdiction] The city of Nazareth, in which Christ had continued till he was thirty years of age, and that of Capernaum, in which he principally resided the last years of his life, were both in Lower Galilee, of which Herod Antipas was tetrarch. Pilate was probably glad of this opportunity to pay a little respect to Herod, whom it is likely he had irritated, and with whom he now wished to be friends. See Lu 23:12.

Verse 10. The chief priests-vehemently accused him.] Corrupt priests and teachers are generally the most implacable enemies of Christ and his truth. Evil passions betray those who are slaves to them. An affected moderation would have rendered these accusers less suspected, their accusations more probable, and the envy less visible than this vehemence: but envy seldom or never consults prudence: and God permits this to be so for the honour of truth and innocence. Quesnel.

Verse 11. A gorgeous robe] εσθηταλαμπραν. It probably means a white robe, for it was the custom of the Jewish nobility to wear such. Hence, in Re 3:4, it is said of the saints, They shall walk with me in WHITE (garments,) because they are WORTHY. In such a robe, Herod, by way of mockery, caused our Lord to be clothed; but, the nobility among the Romans wearing purple for the most part, Pilate's soldiers, who were Romans, put on Jesus a purple robe, Mr 15:17; Joh 19:2; both of them following the custom of their own country, when, by way of mocking our Lord as a king, they clothed him in robes of state. See Bishop PEARCE.

Verse 12. Pilate and Herod were made friends] I do not find any account of the cause of the enmity which subsisted between Herod and Pilate given by ancient authors; and the conjectures of the moderns on the subject should be considered as mere guesses. It is generally supposed that this enmity arose from what is related Luke 13, of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate hath mingled with that of their sacrifices. These were Herod's subjects, and Pilate seems to have fallen on them at the time they were offering sacrifices to God at the temple. Wicked men cannot love one another: this belongs to the disciples of Christ. But when Christ, his truth, or his followers are to be persecuted, for this purpose the wicked unite their counsels and their influence. The Moabites and Ammonites, who were enemies among themselves, united against poor Israel, and, as Rabbi Tanchum says, may be likened to two contending dogs, who, when the wolf comes, join together to destroy him; each knowing that, if he do not, the wolf will kill both in succession: whereas, by their union, they may now kill or baffle him. There is a proverb among the rabbins, that, when the cat and weasel marry together, misery becomes increased.

Verse 15. No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him] That is, to see whether he could find that Christ had ever attempted to raise any disaffection or sedition among the Galileans, among whom he had spent the principal part of his life; and yet Herod has not been able to find out any evil in his conduct. Your own accusations I have fully weighed, and find them to the last degree frivolous.

Instead of ανεπεμψαγαρυμαςπροςαυτον, for I sent you to him, BHKLM, and many other MSS., with some versions, read ανεπεμωενγαρ αυτονπροςημας, for he hath sent him to us. As if he had said, Herod hath sent him back to us, which is a sure proof that he hath found no blame in him."

Nothing worthy of death is done unto him.] Or rather, nothing worthy of death is committed by him, πεπραγμενοναυτω, not, done unto him. This phrase is of the same sense with ουδενπεπραχεν αυτος, he hath done nothing, and is frequent in the purest Attic writers. See many examples in Kypke.