Acts 1:18

(Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Peter addresses the gathered disciples in Jerusalem to explain the vacancy left by Judas’s betrayal. He recounts the circumstances of Judas’s death to justify the selection of a replacement apostle.

The words — The Greek ἐκτήσατο (ektēsato) means “acquired,” showing Judas used his betrayal payment to purchase a plot of land. The word μισθοῦ (misthou) translates literally as “reward,” referring directly to the thirty pieces of silver he received for his treachery.

The thread — The location’s designation as Akeldama, or Field of Blood, aligns with the judgment pronounced in Psalms 55:15 and Psalms 55:23 against men of bloodshed and deceit. Matthew 27:3 supplies the prior account of Judas returning the silver, which provides the narrative foundation for this purchase.

Why it lands — The text states that Judas bought a field with his betrayal money and died there in a gruesome manner, offering tangible evidence of his guilt. A reader must recognize that this historical detail confirms the necessity of restoring the apostolic number rather than serving as a moral lesson on suicide.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

Cross-references

Matthew 27:3 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.
Psalms 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
Psalms 55:15 Let death seize them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their homes.
Matthew 26:14 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
Numbers 22:7 The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.
Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
2 Kings 5:20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
Job 20:12 Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
2 Peter 2:15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
Matthew 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.