Text -- Luke 22:2 (NET)

22:2 The chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find some way to execute Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 22:2

¹ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

³ tn Grk “were seeking how.”

⁴ tn The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” (BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).

⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.