Matthew 27:3

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Matthew 27:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Matthew 27:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Matthew 27

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
3Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, etc.] Before, he is described as he that shall, or should, or doth betray him; but now having perpetrated the horrid sin, as he that had done it. When he saw that he was condemned; that is, that Jesus was condemned, as the Syriac and Persic versions read, either by the Jewish sanhedrim, or by Pilate, or both; for this narrative concerning Judas may be prophetically inserted here, though the thing itself did not come to pass till afterwards; and the sense be, that when he, either being present during the whole procedure against Christ; or returning in the morning after he had received his money, and had been with his friends; finding that his master was…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Then Judas, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself - This shows that Judas did not suppose that the affair would have resulted in this calamitous manner. He probably expected that Jesus would work a miracle to deliver himself, and not suffer this condemnation to come upon him. When he saw him taken, bound, tried, and condemned - when he saw that all probability that he would deliver himself was taken away - he was overwhelmed with disappointment, sorrow, and remorse. The word rendered “repented himself,” it has been observed, does not of necessity denote a change “for the better,” but “any” change of views and feelings. Here it evidently means no other change than that produced…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then Judas seeing that he was condemned - Which probably he thought Christ would have prevented by a miracle. Matthew 27:4”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“27:3-10 There are two accounts of Judas’s death—this one and Acts 1:18-19. There are differences between the two: (1) Matthew states that the priests bought the field (Matt 27:6-7), while Acts seems to suggest that Judas bought it (Acts 1:18); (2) Matthew reports that Judas committed suicide by hanging himself (Matt 27:5), while Acts enigmatically refers to a fall and an abdominal rupture (Acts 1:18); (3) Matthew implies that the field of blood was so named because it became a place of burial (Matt 27:7-8), while Acts suggests that it was because of Judas’s violent death there (Acts 1:19). The two accounts are compatible if one takes the account in Acts as describing the effects of the…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Judas: Mat 26:14-16, Mat 26:47-50; Mar 14:10, Mar 14:11, Mar 14:43-46; Luk 22:2-6, Luk 22:47, Luk 22:48; Joh 13:2, Joh 13:27; Joh 18:3 repented: Job 20:5, Job 20:15-29; Co2 7:10 Matthew 27:4”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification