Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. Now when the centurion - the military superintendent of the execution,
And they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake - or felt it and witnessed its effects,
And those things that were done - reflecting upon the entire transaction,
They feared greatly - convinced of the presence of a Divine Hand,
Saying, Truly this was the Son of God. There cannot be a reasonable doubt that this expression was used in the Jewish sense, and that it points to the claim which Jesus made to be the Son of God, and on which His condemnation expressly turned. The meaning, then, clearly is, that He must have been what He professed to be; in other words, that He was no impostor. There was no medium between those two. See, on the similar testimony of the penitent thief - "This man hath done nothing amiss" - at Luke 23:41.