Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Judas acts immediately after Jesus is bound, handed to Pilate, and formally condemned. He approaches the chief priests and elders to return the thirty pieces of silver.
The words — The participle ἰδὼν (idōn) means "having seen," specifying Judas’s direct observation of the judicial outcome. The verb κατεκρίθη (katekrithē) translates literally to "He was condemned," marking the definitive ruling that triggers Judas’s response.
The thread — The returned silver mirrors Job 20:15’s image of wealth forced out against one’s will. Judas’s reaction stands in direct contrast to 2 Corinthians 7:10’s distinction between worldly sorrow and godly repentance, while the betrayal itself is first recorded in Luke 22:47.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to note that Judas’s remorse produced only a financial return rather than a turn toward forgiveness. It establishes a factual boundary between guilt-driven regret and repentance that accepts responsibility.
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
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,
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
- Job 20:15 He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach.
- Luke 22:47 While He was still speaking, a crowd arrived, led by the man called Judas, one of the Twelve. He approached Jesus to kiss Him.
- Job 20:5 the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
- Matthew 26:14 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
- Mark 14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.
- Mark 14:43 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and elders.
- Luke 22:2 and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they feared the people.
- John 13:2 The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
- John 13:27 And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”