19:47 Jesus 1 was teaching daily in the temple courts. The chief priests and the experts in the law 2 and the prominent leaders among the people were seeking to assassinate 3 him, 19:48 but 4 they could not find a way to do it, 5 for all the people hung on his words. 6
1 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn Grk “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
3 tn Grk “to destroy.”
sn The action at the temple was the last straw. In their view, if Jesus could cause trouble in the holy place, then he must be stopped, so the leaders were seeking to assassinate him.
4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
5 tn Grk “they did not find the thing that they might do.”
6 sn All the people hung on his words is an idiom for intent, eager listening. Jesus’ popularity and support made it unwise for the leadership to seize him.