John 18:28

“Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas, etc.] When Peter had denied him, one of the officers had smote him, the high priest had examined him, and they thought they had enough, out of his own mouth, to condemn him; they, the chief priests, elders, Scribes, and the whole multitude, led him bound as he was, from Caiaphas’s house, unto the hall of judgment; or the “praetorium”; the place where the Roman governor, who was now Pontius Pilate, used to hear and try causes in; the Romans now having matters and causes relating to life and death, in their hands: and it was early; the morning indeed was come; but it was as soon as it was day; they had been all night in taking and examining Jesus, and…”

“JESUS BEFORE PILATE. (Joh 18:28-40) Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas to the hall of judgment--but not till "in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council against Him to put Him to death, and bound Him" (Mat 27:1; and see on Mar 15:1). The word here rendered "hall of judgment" is from the Latin, and denotes "the palace of the governor of a Roman province." they themselves went not into the judgment hall lest they should be defiled--by contact with ceremonially unclean Gentiles. but that they might eat the passover--If this refer to the principal part of the festival, the eating of the lamb, the question is, how our Lord and His…”

“See Matthew 27:1-2. Hall of judgment - The praetorium - the same word that in Matthew 27:27, is translated “common hall.” See the notes on that place. It was the place where the Roman proctor, or governor, heard and decided cases brought before him. Jesus had been condemned by the Sanhedrin, and pronounced guilty of death Matthew 26:66; but they had not power to carry their sentence into execution John 18:31, and they therefore sought that he might be condemned and executed by Pilate. Lest they should be defiled - They considered the touch of a Gentile to be a defilement, and on this occasion, at least, seemed to regard it as a pollution to enter the house of a Gentile. They took care,…”

“They went not into the palace themselves, lest they should be defiled - By going into a house which was not purged from leaven, Deu 16:4. Mat 27:2; Mar 15:1; Luk 23:1. John 18:31”

“18:28 The trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Since they did not have the power of capital punishment (18:31), the Sanhedrin needed to enlist Pilate, the Roman governor, to carry out an execution. • it would defile them: They did not want to become ritually unclean by contact with Gentiles in Pilate’s headquarters. So Pilate, probably fearing a riot, went outside to meet them. • The Passover meal itself had occurred the night before (see 13:1; Mark 14:14-16). The following day, another meal began the weeklong Festival of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23:5-6).”

“led: Mat 27:1, Mat 27:2-10; Mar 15:1-5; Luk 23:1-5; Act 3:13 unto: Joh 18:33, Joh 19:9; Mat 27:27; Mar 15:16 \*Gr. hall of judgment: or, Pilate's house early: Pro 1:16, Pro 4:16; Mic 2:1; Luk 22:66 and they: Psa 35:16; Isa 1:10-15; Jer 7:8-11; Amo 5:21-23; Mic 3:10-12; Mat 23:23-28, Mat 27:6; Act 10:28, Act 11:3 eat: Joh 18:39, Joh 19:14; Deu 16:2; Ch2 30:21-24, Ch2 35:8-14, Ch2 35:17, Ch2 35:18; Eze 45:21 John 18:29”