Psalms 2:2

2:2 The kings of the earth ¹  form a united front; ² 

the rulers collaborate ³ 

against the Lord and his anointed king. ⁴ 

Matthew 27:1-2

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

27:1 When ⁵  it was early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to execute him. 27:2 They ⁶  tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate ⁷  the governor. ⁸ 

Luke 22:66

22:66 When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together, both the chief priests and the experts in the law. ⁹  Then ¹⁰  they led Jesus ¹¹  away to their council ¹² 

Acts 4:5-6

4:5 On the next day, ¹³  their rulers, elders, and experts in the law ¹⁴  came together ¹⁵  in Jerusalem. ¹⁶  4:6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who were members of the high priest’s family. ¹⁷ 

Acts 4:25-28

4:25 who said by the Holy Spirit through ¹⁸  your servant David our forefather, ¹⁹ 

‘Why do the nations ²⁰  rage, ²¹ 

and the peoples plot foolish ²²  things?

4:26 The kings of the earth stood together, ²³ 

and the rulers assembled together,

against the Lord and against his ²⁴  Christ.’ ²⁵ 

4:27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against ²⁶  your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁷  4:28 to do as much as your power ²⁸  and your plan ²⁹  had decided beforehand ³⁰  would happen.

[2:2]  ¹ sn The expression kings of the earth refers somewhat hyperbolically to the kings who had been conquered by and were subject to the Davidic king.

[2:2]  ² tn Or “take their stand.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes their action as underway.

[2:2]  ³ tn Or “conspire together.” The verbal form is a Niphal from יָסַד (yasad). BDB 413-14 s.v. יָסַד defines the verb as “establish, found,” but HALOT 417 s.v. II יסד proposes a homonym meaning “get together, conspire” (an alternate form of סוּד, sud).

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and against his anointed one.” The Davidic king is the referent (see vv. 6-7).

[27:1]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:2]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:2]  ⁷ tc Most mss (A C W Θ 0250 Ë^1,13 Ï latt) have Ποντίῳ (Pontiw, “Pontius”) before Πιλάτῳ (Pilatw, “Pilate”), but there seems to be no reason for omitting the tribal name, either intentionally or unintentionally. Adding “Pontius,” however, is a natural expansion on the text, and is in keeping with several other NT and patristic references to the Roman governor (cf. Luke 3:1; Acts 4:27; 1 Tim 6:13; Ign. Magn. 11.1; Ign. Trall. 9.1; Ign. Smyrn. 1.2; Justin Martyr, passim). The shorter reading, supported by א B L 0281 33 pc co, is thus strongly preferred.

[27:2]  ⁸ sn The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it from being used to execute Roman sympathizers.

[22:66]  ⁹ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[22:66]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[22:66]  ¹¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:66]  ¹² sn Their council is probably a reference to the Jewish Sanhedrin, the council of seventy leaders.

[4:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “It happened that on the next day.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[4:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “and scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.

[4:5]  ¹⁵ tn Or “law assembled,” “law met together.”

[4:5]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:6]  ¹⁷ sn The high priest’s family. This family controlled the high priesthood as far back as a.d. 6. Annas, Caiaphas, and Alexander were all high priests at one time (though Alexander held that office after this event).

[4:25]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).

[4:25]  ¹⁹ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[4:25]  ²⁰ tn Or “Gentiles.”

[4:25]  ²¹ sn The Greek word translated rage includes not only anger but opposition, both verbal and nonverbal. See L&N 88.185.

[4:25]  ²² tn Or “futile”; traditionally, “vain.”

[4:26]  ²³ tn Traditionally, “The kings of the earth took their stand.”

[4:26]  ²⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[4:26]  ²⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 2:1-2.

[4:27]  ²⁶ sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.

[4:27]  ²⁷ sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”

[4:28]  ²⁸ tn Grk “hand,” here a metaphor for God’s strength or power or authority.

[4:28]  ²⁹ tn Or “purpose,” “will.”

[4:28]  ³⁰ tn Or “had predestined.” Since the term “predestine” is something of a technical theological term, not in wide usage in contemporary English, the translation “decide beforehand” was used instead (see L&N 30.84). God’s direction remains as the major theme.