30 Pieces of Silver
Zechariah
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
[And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver] God predicted the sale of the Messiah by apostate Israel for 30 pieces of silver—$75, counting each piece to be worth $2.50. This was fulfilled by Judas and the leaders of Israel (Mt. 25:14–16; 27:3).
3 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, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
3 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, 4
[thirty pieces of silver] $75 at $2.50 each—about 115 days’ wages of a common laborer at 65 cents a day.
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
[I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood] Many go this far in regret, but they never get forgiveness because they do not go to God and renounce sin.
Six witnesses affirmed His innocence:
1. Judas (Mt. 27:4)
2. Pilate’s wife (Mt. 27:19)
3. Pilate (Mt. 27:24)
4. Herod (Lk. 23:15)
5. Criminal (Lk. 23:41)
6. Centurian (Lk. 23:47)
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
b [hanged himself] The earthly end of one of the first of the Lord’s original apostles. He could have spent a lifetime of service for God, winning souls and healing multitudes. He could have inherited eternal life and a throne over a tribe in Israel and all the other glories of the redeemed, but he would not pay the price of going back to the ones he had failed. He hanged himself and then fell headlong in the valley below where his bowels gushed out (Acts 1:18). Lightfoot says that the devil caught up Judas and then threw him down dashing him to pieces on the ground.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
a [It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood] Putting blood money into the treasury was unlawful, but shedding that same betrayed and innocent blood was lawful in the sight of these hypocrites.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
a [Jeremy] Some MSS and versions read “Zechariah” and others do not have either name. Jeremiah could have been added by a copyist (cp. Zech. 11:12–13; Jer. 32:6–9).
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.