Bible Strands
Luke 22:5
They were delighted and agreed to give him money.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The chief priests and temple officers respond to Judas’s proposal to hand Jesus over to them. Their reaction occurs at the conclusion of the initial negotiation described in Luke 22:4.
The words — συνέθεντο (sunethento) denotes a binding agreement, and ἀργύριον (argurion) specifies the payment as silver coinage. These terms record the concrete commercial terms that formalize the betrayal pact.
The thread — The transaction mirrors Zechariah 11:12, where silver is weighed out as wages, and aligns with Matthew 26:15, where the leaders fix a price for the betrayal. Matthew 27:3 later notes Judas returning that same silver after Jesus is condemned.
Why it lands — The text records a calculated bargain between religious authorities and a disciple, reducing a messianic claim to a negotiated sale. It demands recognition that betrayal proceeds through deliberate terms rather than sudden impulse.
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
And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
Cross-references
- Zechariah 11:12 Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
- Matthew 26:15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1 Timothy 6:9 Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
- Acts 8:20 But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
- 2 Peter 2:3 In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
- 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.
- Jude 1:11 Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed for profit into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.