The scene now shifts to the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, a detail not mentioned by Mark and Luke. John also notes that Caiaphas was High Priest at this time (11.49), but elsewhere Luke (3.2; Acts 4.6) states that Annas was the High Priest. The confusion is probably due to the fact that Annas was deposed as High Priest in A.D. 15 and replaced by Caiaphas in A.D. 18. However, Annas did not die until A.D. 36, and until his death he is said to have retained a great deal of power and influence among the Jews.

It is important that readers see that verse 3 is a new episode. Then is not Jesus still talking, nor does it relate what he said in verse 2 to the fact that the chief priests and elders met to plot to kill him. Barclay has “It was then,” but “At that time” may be good too.

The chief priests and the elders of the people differs slightly from Mark (14.1) and Luke (22.2), which have “the chief priests and the scribes.” See comment at verse 47. Chief priests was discussed at 2.4. For elders of the people, see 16.21, although there of the people does not appear. High priest can be translated as the “the leader of the priests.”

Palace poses a problem for some translators, since this word is often used only for the house of a king or chief. In that case one can say simply “the house of (or, for) the leader of the priests.”

The identification of the High Priest, who was called Caiaphas, may need to be a separate sentence: “The High Priest was (named) Caiaphas.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .