Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 26:67

"Then did they spit in his face and buffet him: and some smote him with the palms of their hands," — Matthew 26:67 (ASV)

Then they spit in his face — We learn from Mark 14:65 and Luke 22:63 that these acts of outrage were committed not by the members of the Sanhedrin, but by the officers who had the accused in their custody. It seems they used the time between the two council meetings to indulge in this wanton cruelty. Here, too, they were unconsciously fulfilling Isaiah’s picture of the righteous sufferer (Isaiah 50:6). The word “buffeted” describes a blow with the clenched fist, as contrasted with one with the open palm.