Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Judas Iscariot approaches the chief priests after departing from Jesus to negotiate terms for his arrest. He directly asks them what payment they will provide in exchange for handing Jesus over to their custody.
The words — The Greek verb παραδώσω (paradōsō) literally means "I will hand over" or "I will betray," framing the act as a deliberate transfer of control. The phrase τί θέλετε μοι δοῦναι (ti thelete moi dounai) translates directly to "what are you willing to give me?"
The thread — This silver negotiation mirrors Zechariah 11:12, where prophetic wages are weighed out, and aligns with the thirty shekels of silver prescribed in Exodus 21:32 for the death of a slave. It also echoes the profit calculus in Genesis 37:26 regarding the betrayal of a brother.
Why it lands — The text records a cold commercial exchange that reduces a divine mission to a negotiated price. It requires the reader to confront how readily sacred trust is commodified and how readily individuals initiate their own compromise.
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 said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
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.
- Genesis 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
- Exodus 21:32 If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
- 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.
- 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.
- Genesis 38:16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.
- Judges 16:5 The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
- Judges 17:10 “Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Levite went in
- Judges 18:19 “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
- 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.