There was a natural relationship between the scribes and the Pharisees. Scribes were those skilled in writing and the principal study among the Jews was the law, in which the Pharisees were so interested. As Barclay observes, “It was the scribes who worked out all these rules and regulations; it was the Pharisees who devoted their whole lives to the keeping of them.”

“caught in” = indicates that the witnesses had seen the very act. Jewish law required the actual physical movements to be seen with no other explanation possible. Compromising circumstances such as both coming out of a bedroom or even both being seen in bed together, were not enough evidence on which to convict. This, along with the fact that the man involved was not brought forth (which indicated that he escaped), would signify that this capture was the result of a deliberately set trap. There should have been 2 sinners brought before Jesus, but if the whole incident were engineered to reveal the woman’s sin, then there may have been a way made for the man to escape. The motives of the husband of the woman in helping arrange this trap could have been emotional, or material. (If he just divorced her, she could take her property with her, but if she died, he would inherit all.)

At any rate, the scribes and Pharisees do not take her to trial as they should, but bring her to Jesus for His opinion. Their motives, as we shall see, are less than pure. They had just failed at trying to openly arrest Jesus and now they were trying a different tactic. Someone said that the roar of the lion didn’t work so now they were trying the cunning of snakes.