66When day came, the council of elders of the people — both chief priests and scribes — assembled, and they led him into their council chamber. [22:67] They said: "If you are the Christ, tell us." Jesus said to them: "If I tell you, you will certainly not believe; [22:68] and if I ask, you will certainly not answer. [22:69] But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." [22:70] They all said, "So you are the Son of God?" Jesus said to them: "You yourselves are saying that I am." [22:71] They said, "What further need do we have of testimony? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth."
LUK 22:66-71
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
In the world it was spoken into
In the first century, the Sanhedrin was the supreme Jewish council in Jerusalem, composed of chief priests, elders, and scribes. It held religious, legal, and political authority, particularly in matters of Jewish law and Temple governance. The Sanhedrin’s role in questioning Jesus reflects its function as a judicial body, tasked with maintaining religious orthodoxy and social order under Roman oversight. The emphatic use of '' (you yourself) in their question underscores the gravity of the accusation: claiming to be the Messiah (Christ) was not merely a theological assertion but a political challenge to both Jewish and Roman authorities. Jesus’s response, marked by the double negative ' ' (certainly not), signals an emphatic rejection of their authority to judge Him. His reference to the Son of Man seated at the right hand of God draws on Daniel 7:13-14, a messianic and apocalyptic image that would have been familiar to His Jewish audience but provocative to the Sanhedrin, as it implied divine authority and judgment over them. This exchange highlights the collision of Jesus’s messianic claims with the Sanhedrin’s institutional power.
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How other translations render this
LUK 22:66
- KJV
- And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,
- BSB
- At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, met together. They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin and said,
- Koinōnos
- When day came, the council of elders of the people — both chief priests and scribes — assembled, and they led him into their council chamber.
LUK 22:67
- KJV
- Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:
- BSB
- “If You are the Christ, tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe.
- Koinōnos
- They said: "If you are the Christ, tell us." Jesus said to them: "If I tell you, you will certainly not believe;
LUK 22:68
- KJV
- And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
- BSB
- And if I ask you a question, you will not answer.
- Koinōnos
- and if I ask, you will certainly not answer.
LUK 22:69
- KJV
- Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
- BSB
- But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
- Koinōnos
- But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.
LUK 22:70
- KJV
- Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.
- BSB
- So they all asked, “Are You then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.”
- Koinōnos
- They all said, "So you are the Son of God?" Jesus said to them: "You yourselves are saying that I am.
LUK 22:71
- KJV
- And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
- BSB
- “Why do we need any more testimony?” they declared. “We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips.”
- Koinōnos
- They said, "What further need do we have of testimony? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
LUK 22:66
- elderhood:The word translated 'elderhood' refers to the entire body or council of elders, emphasizing their collective authority and position within the community.
LUK 22:67
- You yourself:The term 'You yourself' is emphatic in the original, highlighting the directness and personal nature of the question being put to Jesus.
- certainly:The word translated 'certainly' is a strong, objective negative, indicating a definitive denial of fact rather than a subjective refusal or doubt.
LUK 22:70
- He was saying;:The phrase 'He was saying' implies a continuous or repeated action, suggesting that Jesus was in the process of making this statement or had just done so.