John Gill 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)

But Jesus held his peace
Knowing it would signify nothing, whatever he should say, they being set upon his death, the time of which was now come; and therefore he quietly submits, and says nothing in his own defence to prevent it. To be silent in a court of judicature, Apollonius Tyanaeus ^F3 says, is the fourth virtue; this Christ has, and all others:

and the high priest answered and said to him ;
though Christ had said nothing, a way of speaking very frequent among the Jews, and in the sacred writings:

I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are
the Christ, the Son of God ;
the Christ; the anointed, that David speaks of in the second Psalm, and who is there said to be the Son of God, (Psalms 2:2Psalms 2:7) , to which the high priest seems to have respect; since there is no other passage, in which both these characters meet; and which was understood by the ancient Jews of the Messiah, as is owned by modern ones ^F4 . Jesus was given out to be the Messiah, and his disciples believed him to be the Son of God, and he had affirmed himself to be so; therefore the high priest, exerting his priestly power and authority, puts him upon his oath; or at least with an oath made by the living God, charges him to tell the truth, and which whenever anyone heard the voice of swearing, he was obliged to do, (Leviticus 5:1) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F3: Philostrat. Vita Apollouii, l. 8. c. 1.
• F4: Jarchi & Aben Ezra in Psal. ii. 1. & Kimchi in ver. 12.