Matthew 28:12 (LSB)

Passage

And when they had assembled with the elders and took counsel together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and report to My brothers to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Matthew 28:11 Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.

Matthew 28:12 And when they had assembled with the elders and took counsel together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

Matthew 28:13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’

Matthew 28:14 And if this is heard before the governor, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "assembled", "elders", "took", "counsel", "together", "gave", "large", and "money". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "assembled" and "elders", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Now while they were on their way..." into verse 13's "and said You are to say His...", so "assembled" and "elders" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "assembled" and "elders" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.