The day of Preparation is the technical Jewish term for the day immediately preceding the Sabbath. Commentators generally agree that Matthew introduced the phrase here because he had dropped it earlier from verse 57, where it is included in the Marcan parallel (15.42). Most translations perpetuate a fairly literal rendering of the text, though Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar to the restructuring of Good News Translation: (“The next day, which was a Sabbath”). Bible en français courant renders “After the day of preparation for the sabbath,” and New English Bible “the morning after that Friday.”

The only other place in Matthew’s Gospel where the chief priests and the Pharisees are grouped together is in 21.45, where they are representative of the leading opponents of Jesus. It is strange that on the day of the Sabbath they would have defiled themselves by gathering before Pilate, the Roman governor. According to John 18.28, the chief priests refused to enter the governor’s residence so as not to defile themselves before Passover.

To say they gathered before Pilate may give the false impression that they formed a big crowd in front of him, but the meaning really is that they “met with Pilate” or “went together to see Pilate.”

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 .