3Then Judas, who had betrayed him, having regretted it when he saw that Jesus had been condemned, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, [27:4] saying, 'I have sinned, having betrayed innocent blood.' But they said, 'What is that to us? See to it yourself.' [27:5] And having thrown the silver pieces into the sanctuary, he departed, and going away he hanged himself. [27:6] The chief priests took the silver pieces and said, 'It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.' [27:7] So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. [27:8] Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. [27:9] Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, 'And they took the thirty silver pieces, the price of the one who had been priced, on whom the sons of Israel had set a price, [27:10] and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.'
MAT 27:3-10
Judas Hangs Himself
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Judea, the temple treasury was a sacred institution, holding funds dedicated to God’s service. The chief priests’ refusal to return Judas’ thirty pieces of silver to the treasury reflects their strict adherence to purity laws, as the money was considered ‘blood money’—tainted by betrayal and death. Judas’ act of casting the silver into the temple and his subsequent suicide would have been understood as a profound gesture of remorse , though it carried no legal or ritual remedy for his guilt. His acknowledgment of betraying ‘innocent blood’ invoked the legal and moral weight of shedding unpunished, guiltless life, a grave offense in Jewish thought. The purchase of the potter’s field for burying foreigners highlights the marginalized status of non-Jews, who lacked access to Jewish burial grounds. This act, funded by Judas’ silver, ironically provided a place of rest for those excluded from the temple’s sacred economy.
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How other translations render this
MAT 27:3
- KJV
- Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
- BSB
- When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
- Koinōnos
- Then Judas, who had betrayed him, having regretted it when he saw that Jesus had been condemned, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
MAT 27:4
- KJV
- Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
- BSB
- “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
- Koinōnos
- saying, 'I have sinned, having betrayed innocent blood.' But they said, 'What is that to us? See to it yourself.
MAT 27:5
- KJV
- And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
- BSB
- So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
- Koinōnos
- And having thrown the silver pieces into the sanctuary, he departed, and going away he hanged himself.
MAT 27:6
- KJV
- And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
- BSB
- The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
- Koinōnos
- The chief priests took the silver pieces and said, 'It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.
MAT 27:7
- KJV
- And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
- BSB
- After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potterʼs field as a burial place for foreigners.
- Koinōnos
- So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners.
MAT 27:8
- KJV
- Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
- BSB
- That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
- Koinōnos
- Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
MAT 27:9
- KJV
- Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
- BSB
- Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel,
- Koinōnos
- Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, 'And they took the thirty silver pieces, the price of the one who had been priced, on whom the sons of Israel had set a price,
MAT 27:10
- KJV
- And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
- BSB
- and they gave them for the potterʼs field, as the Lord had commanded me.”
- Koinōnos
- and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
MAT 27:3
- having regretted [it]:The word translated 'having regretted it' indicates a change of feeling or remorse, but not necessarily a change of mind or direction in life, which a stronger term for repentance would convey.
MAT 27:4
- innocent.:The term translated 'innocent' here literally means 'unpunished' or 'scot-free,' emphasizing freedom from penalty rather than moral blamelessness.
MAT 27:6
- treasury:The word translated 'treasury' is a transliteration of a Hebrew term meaning 'offering' or 'gift to God,' specifically referring to the temple treasury where such offerings were kept.
MAT 27:7
- strangers.:The word translated 'strangers' refers to foreigners or aliens, often implying those without citizenship or local rights, rather than just unfamiliar people.