Only Matthew indicates that the men sat down and kept watch over him after gambling for his clothes. The meaning is not that they sat there simply to stare at Jesus (Good News Translation “watched him”), but rather to “keep watch” (New English Bible, Moffatt, An American Translation) so that they might prevent any rescue attempt on the part of Jesus’ friends or followers.

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 .