Luke 22:49

οἱ περὶ αὐτόν. Specially Peter, but the Synoptists suppress his name from obviously prudential reasons which no longer existed when St John wrote.

εἰ πατάξομεν ἐν μαχαίρῃ. On εἰ with the future in a dubious question see Winer pp. 348, 639. Ionic forms like μαχαίρῃ are common in Hellenistic Greek, Winer p. 71. Since it was illegal to carry swords on a feast-day, we have here another sign that the Last Supper had not been the Passover. The bringing of the sword was part of the misconception which Jesus had not cared further to remove at the supper; and if Judas had pressed into the enclosure they may have been entirely unaware as yet of the number of the captors. Future years would teach them that Christ’s cause is served by dying, not by killing. The full reply of our Lord on this incident must be found by combining Matthew 26:53; John 18:10-11. St Peter—perhaps stung by our Lord’s previous warnings to him—impetuously acted “non expectato Domini responso.” Grotius.