Luke 22:4 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And captains— The captains with whom Judas communed, are here and elsewhere called captains of the temple, (see Luke 22:52.) and are joined with the priests as their companions; a circumstance, which proves that they were Jews, and not heathens. See Acts 4:1. From David's time the priests and Levites kept watch, first in the tabernacle, and then in the temple, night and day, as appears from 2 Chronicles 8:14. The guards of priests were stationed at three places; but those of the Levites at one-and-twenty. The Levites, while they performed this office according to their courses, under the first temple, were called porters, 2 Chronicles 8:14 and each of the watches had a chief or captain,—στρατηγος; and over then all was one called, by way of eminence, αρχηγος, the chief leader or captain. That these names of military men should have been given to the priests and Levites, who were no soldiers, neither had soldiers under them, will not seem strange, when it is remembered, that the attendance of the Levites is called the warfare of the service; (see Numbers 8:24-25 in the original;) and that they performed all the offices of soldiers in garrisons. They kept guard at the gates of the temple, preserved the peace within its precincts, and brought such as were disorderly before the high-priests and council. But besides the Levite porters, there was another guard belonging to the temple, namely, the Roman garrison, in the tower or castle of Antonia, which was built very near the temple. Of this castle or garrison there is mention made, Acts 21:31-34. St. Matthew calls a detachment from it, appointed to guard our Lord's sepulchre, by the word κουστωδια, which was the proper name of such a body of Roman soldiers. But was not with the captains of the garrison of Antonia that Judas bargained to deliver up his Master; neither were they the persons to whom Jesus spake, when he addressed them who came to apprehend him, Luke 22:52. In both passages these captains are called by the name στρατηγοι; whereas the captains of garrisons are termed by Josephus φρουραρχοι, and by St. Luke, Acts 21:22. χιλιαρχοι. Besides, no heathens were ever admitted into the supreme ecclesiastical court of the Jews; not to mention that the latter shunned the company of the former as much as possible. It is plain therefore that the persons with whom Judas communed, and who are called the captains, and captains of the temple, were the priests who commanded the temple guard, and who were at the devotion of the high-priest and council, to execute whatever orders they thought fit to give them.