Matthew 26:66

He is worthy of death

(ενοχος θανατου εστιν). Held in the bonds of death (εν, εχω) as actually guilty with the genitive (θανατου). The dative expresses liability as in Matthew 5:21 (τη κρισε) and as εις and the accusative (Matthew 5:22). They took the vote though it was at night and they no longer had the power of death since the Romans took it away from them. Death was the penalty of blasphemy (Leviticus 24:15). But they enjoyed taking it as their answer to his unanswerable speeches in the temple that dreadful Tuesday a few days before. It was unanimous save that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus did not agree. They were probably absent and not even invited as being under suspicion for being secret disciples of Christ.