Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Matthew 27

Mat 27:2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

delivered him to Pontius Pilate

Mar 15:1; Luk 23:1; Jhn 18:28.

Mat 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

thirty pieces of silver

Zec 11:12-13.

Mat 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

sinned

Sin. Scofield Romans 3:23, note.

Mat 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

went and hanged himself

1Sa 31:4; 2Sa 17:23.

Mat 27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken

Luk 24:27, 44.

Jeremy

The allusion is to Jer 18:1-4; 19:1-3, but more distinctly to Zec 11:12-13.

the price of him that was valued

Christ (First Advent). Mat 27:34-35. (Gen 3:15; Acts 1:9.)

Mat 27:10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.

Lord

Jehovah. Zec 11:12-13.

Mat 27:11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

Art thou the King of the Jews?

Mar 15:2-5; Luk 23:3.

Thou sayest

Jhn 18:33-37; 1Ti 6:13.

Mat 27:12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

he answered nothing

Isa 53:7.

Mat 27:15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.

was wont to release unto the people a prisoner

Mar 15:6-15; Luk 23:17-25; Jhn 18:39-40.

Mat 27:18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

for envy they had delivered him

Mat 21:38; Jhn 15:22-25. Cf. Gen 37:11.

Mat 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

I have suffered many things this day in a dream

Gen 31:29.

Mat 27:21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.

Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?

Jhn 5:43; Act 3:14.

Mat 27:22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

Let him be crucified

Luk 23:21.

Mat 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

he took water, and washed his hands

Deu 21:6.

Mat 27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

His blood be on us

Gen 4:10; Mat 23:35; Act 5:28.

Mat 27:26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

scourged Jesus

Jhn 19:1.

Mat 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

took Jesus

Isa 53:8.

Mat 27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

they stripped him

Mar 15:16-20; Jhn 19:2-3.

a scarlet robe

Luk 23:11. Cf. Psa 69:19.

Mat 27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

crown of thorns

Gen 3:18; Gal 3:13.

a reed

Isa 36:6.

Mat 27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

they spit upon him

Mat 27:30-31; Psa 22:6; Isa 50:6; 53:3.

and smote him

Zec 13:7, Mat 26:67.

Mat 27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

bear his cross

Mar 15:21; Luk 23:26; 2Co 4:10.

Mat 27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

they were come unto a place called Golgotha

The order of events at the crucifixion:

1. The arrival at Golgotha (Mat 27:33; Mar 15:22; Luk 23:33; Jhn 19:17).
2. The offer of the stupefying drink refused (Mat 27:34; Mar 15:23).
3. Jesus is crucified between two thieves (Mat 27:35-38; Mar 15:24-28; Luk 23:33-38; Jhn 19:18-24).
4. He utters the first cry from the cross, "Father, forgive," etc. (Luk 23:34).
5. The soldiers part His garments (Mat 27:35; Mar 15:24; Luk 23:34; Jhn 19:23).
6. The Jews mock Jesus (Mat 27:39-44; Mar 15:29-32; Luk 23:35-38).
7. The thieves rail on Him, but one repents and believes (Mat 27:44; Mar 15:32; Luk 23:39-43).
8. The second cry from the cross, "To-day shalt thou be with me," etc. (Luk 23:43).
9. The third cry, "Woman, behold thy son" (Jhn 19:26, 27).
10. The darkness (Mat 27:45; Mar 15:33; Luk 23:44).
11. The fourth cry, "My God," etc. (Mat 27:46-47; Mar 15:34-36).
12. The fifth cry, "I thirst" (Jhn 19:28).
13. The sixth cry, "It is finished" (Jhn 19:30).
14. The seventh cry, "Father, into thy hands," etc. (Luk 23:46).
15. Our Lord dismisses his spirit (Mat 27:50; Mar 15:37; Luk 23:46; Jhn 19:30).

a place

the place, etc.

of a skull

Mar 15:22; Luk 23:33; Jhn 19:17.

Mat 27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

They gave him vinegar to drink

Psa 69:21; Mar 15:23; Luk 23:36.

Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

that it might be fulfilled

Christ (First Advent). Mat 27:50. (Gen 3:15; Acts 1:9.)

They parted my garments

Psa 22:18; Mar 15:24; Luk 23:34; Jhn 19:23-24.

Mat 27:37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

Cf. Mar 15:26; Luk 23:38; Jhn 19:19. These accounts supplement, but do not contradict one another. No one of the Evangelists quotes the entire inscription. All have "The King of the Jews." Luke adds to this the further words, "This is"; Matthew quotes the name, "Jesus"; whilst John gives the additional words "of Nazareth." The narratives combined give the entire inscription: "This is [Matthew, Luke] Jesus [Matthew, John] of Nazareth [John] the King of the Jews" [all].

Mat 27:38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

two thieves crucified with him

Isa 53:12.

Mat 27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

wagging their heads

Psa 22:7-8, 11-13; 109:25.

Mat 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

He saved others; himself he cannot save

Luk 15:2; Jhn 3:14-15; Heb 9:22.

believe

believe on.

Mat 27:43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

He trusted

Psa 22:8.

God

Jehovah. Psa 22:8.

Mat 27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

cast the same in his teeth

Mar 15:32; Luk 23:39-43.

Mat 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

darkness over all the land

Mar 15:33; Luk 23:44.

Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Jesus cried with a loud voice

Bible prayers (N.T.). Mar 10:47. (Mat 6:9; Rev 22:20.)

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

God. Psa 22:1; 88:14.

Psa 22:3 gives the answer to this significant and terrible cry.

Mat 27:48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

filled it with vinegar

Psa 69:21.

Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

yielded up the ghost

Literally, "dismissed his spirit." The Greek implies an act of the will. This expression, taken with Mar 15:37; Luk 23:46; Jhn 19:30, differentiates the death of Christ from all other physical death. He died by his own volition when He could say of His redemptive work, "It is finished." "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself" (Jhn 10:18).

Mar 15:37; Luk 23:46; Jhn 10:18; 19:30; 1Co 15:3.

Christ (First Advent). Mat 28:5-6. (Gen 3:15; Acts 1:9.)

Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

the veil of the temple was rent in twain

The veil which was rent was the veil which divided the holy place into which the priests entered from the holy of holies into which only the high priest might enter on the day of atonement (Scofield Exodus 26:31, note; Lev 16:1-30). The rending of that veil, which was a type of the human body of Christ (Heb 10:20) signified that a "new and living way" was opened for all believers into the very presence of God with no other sacrifice or priesthood save Christ's (cf. Heb 9:1-8; 10:19-22).

Lev 16:2, 11-14; Mar 15:38; Luk 23:45; Heb 9:7-8, 11-12; 10:19-20.

Mat 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

the graves were opened

That these bodies returned to their graves is not said and may not be inferred. The wave-sheaf (Lev 23:10-12) typifies the resurrection of Christ, but a sheaf implies plurality. It was a single "corn of wheat" that fell into the ground in the crucifixion and entombment of Christ (Jhn 12:24); it was a sheaf which came forth in resurrection. The inference is that these saints, with the spirits of "just men made perfect" (Heb 12:23) from Paradise, went with Jesus (Eph 4:8-10) into heaven.

arose

Resurrection. Mat 27:52-53; Mar 5:41. (Job 19:25; 1 Cor 15:52.)

Mat 27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

the holy city

Sanctify, holy (things) (N.T.). Act 6:13. (Mat 4:5; Rev 22:11.)

Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Truly this was the Son of God

Mar 15:39-41; Luk 23:47-49.

Mat 27:56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.

James

Son of Alphaeus. Scofield Matthew 4:21, note.

Mat 27:60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

laid it in his own new tomb

Isa 53:9.

Mat 27:61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

the other Mary

Supposed to be Mary the mother of James and Joses.

Mat 27:63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

After three days I will rise again

Mat 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 26:61; Mar 8:31; 10:34; Luk 9:22; 18:33; 24:6-7; Jhn 2:19.