{
  "id": "dict_005719",
  "term": "Thirty pieces of silver",
  "slug": "thirty-pieces-of-silver",
  "letter": "T",
  "entry_type": "biblical_phrase",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "The payment Judas Iscariot received for betraying Jesus. In Matthew, the phrase also echoes Old Testament passages about low valuation and rejected shepherding.",
  "simple_one_line": "The amount Judas accepted to hand Jesus over.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical phrase for the money Judas received to betray Jesus, echoing Exodus 21:32 and Zechariah 11:12–13.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Judas Iscariot",
    "Betrayal of Jesus",
    "Potter’s field",
    "Zechariah 11",
    "Fulfillment of prophecy"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Judas Iscariot",
    "Chief priests",
    "Zechariah",
    "Redemption",
    "Betrayal"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "“Thirty pieces of silver” is the biblical phrase for the payment Judas Iscariot received from the chief priests to betray Jesus. Matthew presents the amount as a shameful valuation of Christ and as part of Scripture’s fulfillment.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "The price Judas took to betray Jesus; a phrase that carries Old Testament echoes of contempt, rejection, and prophecy.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Refers most directly to Judas’s betrayal payment.",
    "Echoes Exodus 21:32, where thirty shekels is compensation for a slave.",
    "Resonates with Zechariah 11:12–13, where a rejected shepherd is valued at thirty pieces of silver.",
    "In Matthew, the phrase underscores both human guilt and God’s sovereign fulfillment of Scripture."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "The phrase “thirty pieces of silver” refers most directly to the sum Judas Iscariot received for handing Jesus over to the chief priests (Matt. 26:14–16; 27:3–10). In the Old Testament, thirty shekels appears in contexts of compensation and rejected shepherding, especially Exodus 21:32 and Zechariah 11:12–13. Matthew uses the phrase to highlight the contempt shown toward Jesus and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive purposes.",
  "description_academic_full": "The phrase “thirty pieces of silver” refers most directly to the money Judas Iscariot received in exchange for betraying Jesus to the chief priests (Matt. 26:14–16; 27:3–10). In the Old Testament, thirty shekels was the compensation set for a slave in certain circumstances (Ex. 21:32), and Zechariah 11:12–13 uses the same amount in a passage about the rejection of the shepherd God appointed. Matthew presents Judas’s payment and the later use of the returned money in connection with these earlier Scriptures, showing that Jesus was contemptuously valued and yet that God’s redemptive purposes were being fulfilled. Interpreters differ on the precise way Matthew relates Zechariah and Jeremiah in Matthew 27:9–10, so that detail should be handled carefully, but the main biblical point is clear: the betrayal of Christ for thirty pieces of silver was both a wicked act and part of the outworking of God’s foretold plan.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In the passion narratives, Judas negotiates with the chief priests and agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. After Jesus is condemned, Judas regrets the betrayal and returns the money, which is then used in connection with the potter’s field story in Matthew 27. The phrase therefore functions as both a historical detail and a theological signal of rejected Messiahship.",
  "background_historical_context": "Thirty shekels of silver was not a large sum for handing over Jesus, which makes the betrayal especially contemptible. In the ancient world, silver was a common medium of payment, and the amount itself would have suggested a low valuation rather than honor or reward.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Readers familiar with Israel’s Scriptures would hear echoes of Exodus 21:32 and Zechariah 11:12–13. The first links thirty shekels with compensation for a slave; the second places the same amount in a prophetic scene of rejected shepherding. Matthew’s use of the phrase invites readers to see Jesus as the rejected yet appointed Shepherd-Messiah.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Matthew 26:14–16",
    "Matthew 27:3–10",
    "Exodus 21:32",
    "Zechariah 11:12–13"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Matthew 27:9–10",
    "Zechariah 11:4–17"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Old Testament background uses Hebrew wording for “thirty shekels,” while Matthew’s Greek text speaks of “thirty pieces of silver.” The phrase is memorable because the amount itself carries symbolic force in context rather than because of any special wordplay.",
  "theological_significance": "The phrase highlights the grievous sin of betraying Christ, the contempt shown toward him, and God’s sovereign ability to fulfill Scripture even through wicked human actions. It also underscores Jesus’ dignity: the Messiah was treated as though he were worth little, yet he was accomplishing redemption.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The phrase illustrates the moral reality that human choices can be fully responsible and yet still fall within God’s providential purposes. Judas acted willingly and culpably, and God was not defeated by that betrayal.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Matthew 27:9–10 is a difficult fulfillment citation, and interpreters debate how Matthew combines or summarizes prophetic material. The safest reading is to keep the focus on the clear biblical point: Judas’s betrayal fulfilled Scripture in a broader, thematic sense, and Jesus was valued at a shamefully low price.",
  "major_views_note": "Some interpreters think Matthew primarily echoes Zechariah and uses Jeremiah as the leading prophetic heading; others see a deliberate composite allusion to multiple prophetic texts. The precise citation mechanics are debated, but the passage’s theological meaning is not.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Do not use this phrase to teach fatalism or to lessen Judas’s guilt. Scripture presents Judas as morally responsible for betraying Jesus, even while God sovereignly worked through the event for salvation history.",
  "practical_significance": "The phrase warns against greed, counterfeit loyalty, and the terrible cost of betraying Christ. It also calls believers to value Jesus rightly rather than treat him as something cheaply exchanged for temporary gain.",
  "meta_description": "The biblical phrase for the price Judas received to betray Jesus, with Old Testament echoes and prophetic significance.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/thirty-pieces-of-silver/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/thirty-pieces-of-silver.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}