And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
Parallel translations
- WEB When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,
- KJV And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
- BSB And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money
- NKJV When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
- NLT A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe.
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 chief priests and elders meet, take counsel, and bribe the soldiers with a large sum of money. They scheme to cover up the resurrection.
Overview
Faced with clear testimony, the leaders choose conspiracy over repentance, using money to manipulate the truth. Their deliberate plotting shows that unbelief is often a matter of the will rather than lack of evidence. The same authorities who paid Judas now pay again to bury the news of the risen Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Matt 27:62–64Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate,
- Matt 27:1–2Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
- Matt 26:3–4Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.
- Acts 4:5–22In the morning, their rulers, elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem.
- Acts 5:33–34But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were determined to kill them.
- Ps 2:1–7Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?
- John 12:10–11But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also,
- John 11:47The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs.
- Acts 5:40They agreed with him. Summoning the apostles, they beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 28:12 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.