Matthew 28:12 (YLT)

Passage

and having been gathered together with the elders, counsel also having taken, they gave much money to the soldiers,

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:10 Then saith Jesus to them, `Fear ye not, go away, tell to my brethren that they may go away to Galilee, and there they shall see me.'

Matthew 28:11 And while they are going on, lo, certain of the watch having come to the city, told to the chief priests all the things that happened,

Matthew 28:12 and having been gathered together with the elders, counsel also having taken, they gave much money to the soldiers,

Matthew 28:13 saying, `Say ye, that his disciples having come by night, stole him--we being asleep;

Matthew 28:14 and if this be heard by the governor, we will persuade him, and you keep free from anxiety.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "having", "been", "gathered", "together", "elders", "counsel", and "taken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "having" and "been", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And while they are going on lo..." into verse 13's "saying Say ye that his disciples having...", so "having" and "been" 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 "having" and "been" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.