Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 26:63

"But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God." — Matthew 26:63 (ASV)

I adjure thee by the living God... — The appeal was one of unusual solemnity. All else had failed to break through the silence, but this would surely rouse Him.

Technically, the oath offered to the accused was a type of oath of compurgation, similar to those recognized in the Law (Exodus 22:11; Numbers 5:19–22; 1 Kings 8:31). It was skillfully worded, however, to force our Lord to choose between denying who He truly was and making a confession that would be treated as blasphemy.

The records of St. John’s Gospel show us that they had good reason to know what answer to expect (John 5:18; John 8:58; John 9:37; John 10:24).