But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
Now the chief priests and elders, and all the counsel,.... Or sanhedrim, which consisted, as the Jewish writers say (u), of priests, Levites, and Israelites, of both ecclesiastics and laics; the ecclesiastics were the priests and Levites, and the laics the Israelites, or elders of the people; for if priests and Levites could not be found, a sanhedrim might consist of those only; and so...
Verse 58. Peter followed him afar off. By this he evinced two things: 1st. Real attachment to his Master; a desire to be near him, and to witness his trial. 2nd. Fear respecting his personal safety. He therefore kept so far off as to be out of danger, and yet so near as that he might witness the transactions respecting his Master.
But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. (b) The word used here properly denotes an open large room in the front of a house, as we see in kings' palaces and noblemen's houses: we call it a court, for it is open to the air, and by the use...