Luke 22:52

Then ¹  Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, ²  and the elders who had come out to get him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs like you would against an outlaw? ³ 

2Ki 11:15; Mt 26:55; Mr 14:48,49; Lu 22:4; Joh 17:12; Ac 5:26

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

² tn This title, literally “official of the temple” (στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ, strathgo" tou Jierou), referred to the commander of the Jewish soldiers who guarded and maintained order in the Jerusalem temple. Here, since the term is plural, it has been translated “officers of the temple guard” rather than “commanders of the temple guard,” since the idea of a number of commanders might be confusing to the modern English reader.

³ tn Or “a revolutionary.” This term can refer to one who stirs up rebellion: BDAG 594 s.v. λῃστής 2 has “revolutionary, insurrectionist, guerrilla” citing evidence from Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]). However, this usage generally postdates Jesus’ time. It does refer to a figure of violence. Luke uses the same term for the highwaymen who attack the traveler in the parable of the good Samaritan (10:30).