Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 26:59

"Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death;" — Matthew 26:59 (ASV)

Sought false witness — The tense of the Greek verb implies a continued process of seeking. The attempt to draw the materials for condemnation from the lips of the accused had failed. The law of Moses required at least two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15), and it is natural to believe these were examined independently of each other. The haste that marked all the trial's proceedings had probably prevented any prior coordination, and the judges could not, out of sheer shame, convict in the face of a glaring discrepancy between the witnesses who offered themselves, likely concerning the time and place.