John 19:23

The four Enemies and the four Friends

23. Then the soldiers Better, The soldiers therefore. The -therefore" looks back to John 19:18.

his garments The loose, outer garment, or toga, with the girdle and fastenings. This was large enough to be worth dividing, and in some cases was the only garment worn.

four parts A mark of accurate knowledge; a quaternion of soldiers has charge of the prisoner, as in Acts 12:4; but there the prisoner has to be guarded and kept alive, so four quaternions mount guard in turn, one for each watch. The clothes of executed criminals were the perquisite of the soldiers on duty.

his coat Better, the coat or shirt: it fitted somewhat close to the body, reaching from the neck to the knees or ancles.

without seam Josephus tells us that that of the high-priest was seamless, whereas in other cases this garment was commonly made of two pieces (Ant.iii. vii. 4).