They bound HimThis phrase indicates the physical restraint of Jesus, symbolizing His submission to the will of God and the fulfillment of prophecy. Binding was a common practice for prisoners, signifying control and authority over the individual. In the context of Jesus, it reflects
Isaiah 53:7, where the suffering servant is described as being led like a lamb to the slaughter. The act of binding also highlights the irony of the situation, as the one who came to set captives free (
Luke 4:18) is Himself bound.
led Him away
This phrase suggests a transition from the Jewish authorities to the Roman authorities, marking a shift in the legal proceedings. The leading away of Jesus fulfills the prophecy ofIsaiah 53:8, which speaks of the servant being taken away by oppression and judgment. It also reflects the cultural and legal practices of the time, where a prisoner would be escorted by guards to ensure compliance and prevent escape. This movement from one place to another signifies the progression of Jesus' path to the crucifixion.
and handed Him over to Pilate the governor
Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea from AD 26 to 36. His involvement in the trial of Jesus is significant, as it fulfills the prophecy ofPsalm 2:2, where the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed. Pilate's role as governor meant he had the authority to execute capital punishment, which the Jewish leaders lacked under Roman rule. This handing over to Pilate also underscores the fulfillment of Jesus' prediction inMatthew 20:19, where He foretold that He would be delivered to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified. The involvement of a Roman official highlights the universal scope of Jesus' mission, as His death would not only be a Jewish affair but one that involved the entire world.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe central figure of the New Testament, who is being led away to face trial. His arrest and subsequent trial are pivotal events in the Passion account.
2.
Pilate the GovernorPontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea. He played a crucial role in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, as he had the authority to sentence Jesus to death.
3.
The Jewish LeadersThese were the chief priests and elders who conspired to arrest Jesus and bring Him before Pilate. They were instrumental in orchestrating the events leading to His crucifixion.
4.
JerusalemThe city where these events took place. It was the center of Jewish religious life and the location of the Temple.
5.
The Binding and Leading Away of JesusThis event signifies the beginning of Jesus' Passion, where He is treated as a criminal and subjected to Roman authority.
Teaching Points
The Fulfillment of ProphecyJesus' arrest and trial were not random events but the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. This underscores the sovereignty of God and the reliability of Scripture.
The Role of Human AuthorityPilate's involvement highlights the interaction between divine providence and human authority. Believers are reminded of the importance of submitting to earthly authorities while recognizing God's ultimate control.
The Innocence of JesusDespite being bound and led away, Jesus remained innocent. This serves as a reminder of His sinless nature and the unjust suffering He endured for humanity's sake.
The Cost of DiscipleshipJesus' willingness to be led away and handed over challenges believers to consider the cost of following Him. It calls for a commitment to stand firm in faith, even in the face of persecution.
The Power of God's PlanThe events leading to the crucifixion demonstrate that God's plan cannot be thwarted by human actions. This provides assurance to believers that God is in control, even in difficult circumstances.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Matthew 27:2?
2.Why was Jesus bound and delivered to Pilate in Matthew 27:2?
3.How does Matthew 27:2 fulfill Old Testament prophecies about Jesus' suffering?
4.What does Pilate's involvement in Matthew 27:2 reveal about Roman authority over Jews?
5.How can we trust God's plan when facing unjust treatment, like Jesus did?
6.How does Matthew 27:2 encourage us to remain faithful during trials and persecution?
7.Why did Judas betray Jesus, leading to His handover in Matthew 27:2?
8.How does Matthew 27:2 fulfill Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah?
9.What is the significance of Jesus being handed over to Pilate in Matthew 27:2?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 27?
11.Was Jesus' sacrifice historically and spiritually authentic?
12.What is the significance of Good Friday?
13.Who was Pontius Pilate in biblical history?
14.Doesn’t archaeology disprove parts of the Bible?What Does Matthew 27:2 Mean
They bound Him“they bound Him” (Matthew 27:2)
• The soldiers’ ropes could never restrain the Son of God, yet He voluntarily accepted them.John 18:12 echoes, “So the band of soldiers… seized Jesus and bound Him.” Voluntary submission fulfillsIsaiah 53:7—“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.”
• Binding a sacrifice foreshadowed this moment: “Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118:27). Now the true Lamb is tied, making visible the cost of redemption.
• Every cord around Jesus speaks freedom to us.Galatians 5:1 reminds believers, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Our liberty is purchased as He stands bound in our place.
Led Him away“led Him away”
• From the courtyard of Caiaphas to the praetorium, Jesus is marched through Jerusalem.Mark 14:53 notes, “They led Jesus away to the high priest,” andLuke 23:1 records, “The whole council rose and led Him to Pilate.”
• The route carries Him outside the city, prefiguring the cross outside the gate.Hebrews 13:12 draws the line: “Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to sanctify the people by His own blood.”
• Each step fulfills prophecy and showcases His resolve.Isaiah 50:7 pictures that determination: “I have set My face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”
Handed Him over to Pilate the governor“and handed Him over to Pilate the governor”
• Roman jurisdiction becomes the stage for prophecy.John 18:31 shows why: only Pilate can authorize crucifixion, guaranteeing Jesus will be “lifted up” (John 3:14) exactly as foretold.
• The phrase “handed Him over” highlights human responsibility—both Jew and Gentile.Acts 4:27-28 explains, “Herod and Pontius Pilate met together… to do what Your hand and Your purpose had decided beforehand.” Sovereignty and culpability run side by side.
• Pilate’s involvement fulfillsIsaiah 53:8, “By oppression and judgment He was taken away,” andPsalm 2:2, “The kings of the earth set themselves… against the LORD and against His Anointed.”
• In Pilate’s hall the contrast is stark: earthly authority interrogates ultimate Authority. Yet Jesus assures Pilate, “You would have no power over Me if it were not given you from above” (John 19:11).
summaryMatthew 27:2 unfolds the willing, purposeful march of the Savior: bound though all-powerful, led though Lord of all, delivered to Gentile authority to secure a cross that redeems every believer. Each phrase ties directly to prophecy, underscores His obedience, and magnifies the freedom now offered to all who trust Him.
(2)
Pontius Pilate.--It may be well to bring together the chief known facts as to the previous history of the Governor, or more accurately, the Procurator, of Judaea, whose name is conspicuous as occupying a solitary prominence in the creeds of Christendom. He must have belonged, by birth or adoption, to the
gens of the Pontii, one of whom, C. Pontius Telesinus, had been the leader of the Samnites in their second and third wars against Rome B.C. 321-292. The
cognomen Pilatus means "armed with the
pilum or javelin," and may have had its origin in some early military achievement. As applied, however, to Mount Pilatus in Switzerland, it has been conjectured that it is a contracted form of
Pileatus, from
pilea a cap, and is applied to the mountain as having for the most part, a cloud-capped summit. When Judaea became formally subject to the empire, on the deposition of Archelaus, a
procurator, or collector of revenue, invested with judicial power, was appointed to govern it, subject to the Governor of Syria (
Luke 2:2), and resided commonly at Caesarea. Pontius Pilate, of whose previous career we know nothing, was appointed, A.D. 25-26, as the sixth holder of that office. His administration had already, prior to our Lord's trial, been marked by a series of outrages on Jewish feelings. (1) He had removed the head-quarters of his army from Caesarea to Jerusalem, and the troops brought their standards with the image of the emperor into the Holy City. The people were excited into frenzy, and rushed in crowds to Caesarea to implore him to spare them this outrage on their religion. After five days of obstinacy and a partial attempt to suppress the tumult, Pilate at last yielded (Jos.
Ant. xvii. 3, ?? 1, 2;
Wars, ii. 9, ?? 2-4). (2) He had hung up in his palace at Jerusalem gilt shields inscribed with the names of heathen deities, and would not remove them till an express order came from Tiberius (Philo,
Leg. ad Caium, c. 38). (3) He had taken money from the Corban, or treasury of the Temple, for the construction of an aqueduct. This led to another tumult, which was suppressed by the slaughter not of the rioters only, but also of casual spectators (Jos.
Wars, ii. 9, ? 4). (4) Lastly, on some unknown occasion, he had slain some Galileans while they were in the very act of sacrificing (
Luke 13:1), and this had probably caused the ill-feeling between him and the tetrarch Antipas mentioned in
Luke 23:12. It is well to bear in mind these antecedents of the man, as notes of character, as we follow him through the series of vacillations which we now have to trace.
Verse 2. -
When they had bound him. With his hands tied by a rope behind his back. This was the treatment inflicted on condemned malefactors. During the actual official proceedings it was customary to release the accused person from bonds; hence this new binding was necessary. What passed in the council before this indignity was inflicted is, perhaps, told by St. Luke: the Sanhedrists satisfied themselves that they had a case against Jesus sufficient for their purpose, and they proceeded in a body to lay it before the governor.
Pontius Pilate the governor (
τῷ ἡγεμόνι). Some good manuscripts omit "Pontius," as in Mark and Luke; but there seems to be no doubt that he bore this
nomen gentilicium (see
e.g. Tacitus, 'Ann.,' 15:44), which connected him with the Samnite
gens of the Pontii. He was the sixth Roman Procurator of Judaea, and his title in Greek was
ἐπίτροπος rather than
ἡγεμών, which was a more general term for a commander or chief possessing more extensive powers. He held the office under the Prefect of Syria for ten years, at the end of which time he was removed for cruelty and extortion, and banished to Vienne, in Gaul, where he put an end to his own life. The turbulence and national animosity of the Jews had rendered it necessary to invest the procurator with the power of life and death, which he used in the most unscrupulous manner, so that he was universally hated and feared. The quarters of the Roman governor were called the Praetorium, and to this Christ was led. Pilate usually resided at Caesarea, but came to Jerusalem at the great festival, to be ready to quell any fanatical outbreak that might occur. So nowadays the Turks keep a body of troops in the same city to preserve the peace between Christian worshippers at Easter(!). Whether Pilate occupied the barracks at the fortress Antonia, or the magnificent palace of Herod, situated at the northwest angle of the upper city, is uncertain; but as we know that the Roman procurators did reside in Herod's palace, and as on this occasion Pilate was accompanied by his wife (ver. 19), it is most probable that he took up his abode in the latter, and that Jesus was brought before him there. Herod had a house of his own on the east of Zion, opposite the castle, which he seems to have occupied more often than his father's palace, thus leaving the latter at the pleasure of the Roman governors. Assuming this to be the case, Dr. Edersheim writes, "From the slope of the eastern angle, opposite the temple mount, where the palace of Caiaphas stood, up the narrow streets of the upper city, the melancholy procession wound to the portals of the grand palace of Herod. It is recorded that they who brought him would not themselves enter the portals of the palace, 'that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover'" ('Life and Times of Jesus,' 2:505).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
They boundδήσαντες(dēsantes)Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1210:To bind, tie, fasten; I impel, compel; I declare to be prohibited and unlawful. A primary verb; to bind.Him,αὐτὸν(auton)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.led [Him] away,ἀπήγαγον(apēgagon)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 520:To lead, carry, take away; met: To be led astray, seduced. From apo and ago; to take off.andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.handed [Him] over toπαρέδωκαν(paredōkan)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3860:From para and didomi; to surrender, i.e yield up, intrust, transmit.PilateΠιλάτῳ(Pilatō)Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4091:Pilate. Of Latin origin; close-pressed, i.e. Firm; Pilatus, a Roman.theτῷ(tō)Article - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.governor.ἡγεμόνι(hēgemoni)Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2232:From hegeomai; a leader, i.e. Chief person of a province.
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NT Gospels: Matthew 27:2 And they bound him and led him (Matt. Mat Mt) 
