Lukas 22:1-2

Judas’ Decision to Betray Jesus

22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, ¹  which is called the Passover, was approaching. 22:2 The ²  chief priests and the experts in the law ³  were trying to find some way ⁴  to execute ⁵  Jesus, ⁶  for they were afraid of the people. ⁷ 

[22:1]  ¹ sn The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long celebration that followed the day of Passover, so one name was used for both feasts (Exod 12:1-20; 23:15; 34:18; Deut 16:1-8).

[22:2]  ² tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[22:2]  ³ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[22:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “were seeking how.”

[22:2]  ⁵ tn The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” (BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).

[22:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ⁷ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.