and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB They took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit, and kill him.
- KJV And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
- NKJV and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.
- NASB and they plotted together to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.
- NLT plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The leaders plot to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him. Their reliance on deceit exposes the injustice of their cause.
Overview
Knowing Jesus's popularity, the leaders resolve to seize Him secretly rather than openly. Their need for trickery reveals they have no legitimate grounds; truth does not require deceit. Yet even their scheming serves God's redemptive purpose, for through this conspiracy the Lamb of God would be offered up for sin.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 12:14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
- Acts 13:10and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
- Ps 2:2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
- Matt 23:33You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
- Acts 7:19He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
- Gen 3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
- 2 Cor 11:3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 26:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.