Mark 14:56

56 Yet many bare falce witnes agaynste him but their witnes aggreed not to geder.

Mark 14:56 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 14:56

For many bare false witness against him
The word "false", is not expressed in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions: which only signify, that they bore witness against him, accused him of, and laid many things to his charge:

but their witness agreed not together;
which showed it to be false, and so not to be admitted; for witnesses were to be as one in their testimony, or not to be received: the, rules concerning them with the Jews, are these ^F12;

``the tradition is, for ever let not their testimony be joined together, unless they both see, (dxak) , "as one": says R. Joshua ben Korcha, even one after another; and their testimony is not ratified in the council, until they both witness "as one".''

Though this is not much the sense of the passage here; it was not the falsehood of their testimony, which this council was unconcerned about, or the contradiction that was in it, which does not appear; but their testimonies were not, (isai) , "equal", or answerable to the wishes of the council; they were not sufficient to prove a capital crime upon him, in order to, put him to death, which was what they wanted: they only respected some light and trivial matters, and did not amount to a charge of blasphemy, or sedition.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 30. 1. Maimon. Hilch. Eduth, c. 4. sect. 1.

Mark 14:56 In-Context

54 And Peter folowed him a greate waye of even into the pallys of the hye preste and sat with the servauntes and warmed him sylfe at the fyre.

55 And the hye prestes and all ye counsell sought for witnes agaynste Iesu to put him to death and founde noone.

56 Yet many bare falce witnes agaynste him but their witnes aggreed not to geder.

57 And ther aroose certayne and brought falce witnes agaynste him sayinge.

58 We herde him saye: I will destroye this temple made with hondes and with in thre dayes I will bylde another made with out hondes.