SEV Biblia, Chapter 28:12
Y juntados con los ancianos, y habido consejo, dieron mucho dinero a los soldados,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 28:12
Verse 12. With the elders] That is, the senators of the great Sanhedrin or Jewish council of state, elsewhere called the elders of the people; they could now meet, as the Sabbath was over.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. And when they were assembled with the elders , etc.] Upon this the grand sanhedrim was convened together, which consisted of the chief priests, Scribes, and elders; and had taken counsel among themselves what steps to take to stifle this matter, that it might not spread and be believed by the people; they agreed upon this, as the best expedient, to bribe the soldiers to give a false account of it, as they did: they gave large money unto the soldiers , or sufficient money; they gave large sums of money, as were enough to satisfy the soldiers; they gave them whatever they would have; for though these men were very covetous, yet upon this occasion gave liberally; and that perhaps which were for the sacrifices, or for the repair of the temple, or for the supply of the poor.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-15 - What wickedness is it which men will not be brought to by the love of money! Here was large money given to the soldiers for advancing tha which they knew to be a lie, yet many grudge a little money for advancing what they know to be the truth. Let us never starve a goo cause, when we see bad ones so liberally supported. The priest undertook to secure them from the sword of Pilate, but could not secur these soldiers from the sword of God's justice, which hangs over the heads of those that love and make a lie. Those men promise more tha they can perform, who undertake to save a man harmless in doing wilful sin. But this falsehood disproved itself. Had the soldiers bee all asleep, they could not have known what passed. If any had bee awake, they would have roused the others and prevented the removal; an certainly if they had been asleep, they never would have dared to confess it; while the Jewish rulers would have been the first to cal for their punishment. Again, had there been any truth in the report the rulers would have prosecuted the apostles with severity for it. The whole shows that the story was entirely false. And we must not charg such things to the weakness of the understanding, but to the wickednes of the heart. God left them to expose their own course. The grea argument to prove Christ to be the Son of God, is his resurrection; an none could have more convincing proofs of the truth of that than thes soldiers; yet they took bribes to hinder others from believing. The plainest evidence will not affect men, without the work of the Holy Spirit.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ συναχθεντες 4863 5685 V-APP-NPM μετα 3326 PREP των 3588 T-GPM πρεσβυτερων 4245 A-GPM συμβουλιον 4824 N-ASN τε 5037 PRT λαβοντες 2983 5631 V-2AAP-NPM αργυρια 694 N-APN ικανα 2425 A-APN εδωκαν 1325 5656 V-AAI-3P τοις 3588 T-DPM στρατιωταις 4757 N-DPM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
12. Large money (arguria ikana). Lit., sufficient money. Enough to bribe them to invent a lie.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
28:12 {They gave large money} (arguria hikana edwkan). The use of the plural for pieces of silver (arguria) is common. The papyri have many instances of hikana for considerable (from hikan", to reach to, attain to). These pious Sanhedrists knew full well the power of bribes. They make a contract with the Roman soldiers to tell a lie about the resurrection of Jesus as they paid Judas money to betray him. They show not the slightest tendency to be convinced by the facts though one had risen from the dead.
