Then did they spit in his face
Not the judges, the members of the sanhedrim, but the servants of
the high priest, and the officers that had Jesus in hold, and
were the guard upon him; see ( Luke 22:63 ) , who
seeing him condemned as guilty of death, thought they might
insult him at pleasure, and use him in the most indecent and
barbarous manner; and therefore, in a way of contempt, spit in
his face; than which nothing was more reproachful and
disgraceful: the Jews F24 say, that he that spits before, or
in the presence of his master, is guilty of death, so nauseous
and filthy was it accounted; and how much more must it be so, to
spit in the face of anyone? hereby a prophecy was fulfilled, (
Isaiah 50:6 )
, "I hid not my face from shame and spitting": and hereby,
together with his sweat and blood, his visage was more marred
than any man's, and his form than the sons of men:
and buffeted him;
cuffed, or boxed him with their double fists:
and others smote him, with the palms of their
hands;
gave him many a slap on the face with their open hands, or struck
him on the face with rods, as the word will bear to be rendered:
they rapped him with the wands they had in their hands, and
struck him on the head with the rods or staves they had with
them; whereby was accomplished the prophecy, in ( Micah 5:1 ) , "they shall
smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek". This was
very injurious treatment, the Jews themselves being witnesses;
who have in their canons enjoined {y}, that
``if a man strikes his neighbour with his double fist, he must give him a shekel; R. Judah says, on account of R. Jose the Galilean, a pound: if he gives him a slap of the face, he must pay him two hundred zuzims, or pence; and if with the back of his hand (which was accounted F26 the more ignominious) four hundred zuzims: if he plucked him by his ear, or plucked off his hair, or spit, so as that the spittle came upon him, or took away his cloak--he must pay four hundred zuzims, and all according to his honour or dignity.''All these indignities were done to Christ; see ( Isaiah 50:6 ) .