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Translation
World English Bible Messianic
and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
Young's Literal Translation
and gave them for the field of the potter, as the Lord did appoint to me.'
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In the KJVVerse 24,140 of 31,102
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Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers . Public domain.
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Pseudo-Augustine (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(Hil. Quæst. V. et N. Test. q. 94.) Since the Chief Priests were employed about the murder of the Lord from the morning to the ninth hour, how is this proved that before the crucifixion Judas returned them the money he had received, and said to them in the temple, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed innocent blood? Whereas it is manifest that the Chief Priests and Elders were never in the temple before the Lord's crucifixion, seeing that when He was hanging on the Cross they were there to insult Him. Nor indeed can this be proved hence, because it is related before the Lord's Passion, for many things which were manifestly done before, are related after, that, and the reverse. It might have been done after the ninth hour, when Judas, seeing the Saviour dead and the veil of the temple rent, the earthquake, the bursting of the rocks, and the elements terrified, was seized with fear and sorrow thereupon. But after the ninth hour the Chief Priests and Elders were occupied, as I suppose, in the celebration of the Passover; and on the Sabbath, the Law would not have allowed him to bring money. Therefore it is to me as yet unproved on what day or at what time Judas ended his life by hanging.
Papias of Hierapolis (as quoted by Apollinaris of Laodicea, AD 382)AD 130
Catenae Graecorum patrum in Novum Testamentum (AD 1844)
Judas did not die by hanging, but lived on, having been cut down before he was suffocated. And the acts of the apostles show this, that falling head long he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. This fact is related more clearly by Papias, the disciple of John, and the fourth book of the Expositions of the Oracles of the Lord as follows:
Judas walked about in this world a terrible example of impiety; his flesh swollen to such an extent that, where hay wagon can pass with ease, he was not able to pass, no, not even the mass of his head merely. They say that his eyelids swelled to such an extent that he could not see the light at all, while as for his eyes they were not visible even by a physician looking through an instrument, so far have they sunk from the surface.
His genitals appeared entirely disfigured, nauseous and large. When he carried himself about discharge and worms flowed from his entire body through his private areas only, on account of his outrages. After many agonies and punishments, he died in his own place. And on account of this the place is desolate and uninhabited even now. And to this day no one is able to go by that place, except if they block their noses with their hands. Such judgment was spread through his body and upon the earth.
John Chrysostom (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 407
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
The Chief Priests knowing that they had purchased a murder were condemned by their own conscience; they said, It is the price of blood.
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 85
What then did that man? When he saw that he was laboring to no profit, and that they would not consent to receive the pieces of silver, "he cast them down in the temple, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, it is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, the field of blood, unto this day. 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, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me."
Seest thou them again self-condemned by their conscience? For because they knew that they had been buying the murder, they put them not into the treasury, but bought a field to bury strangers in. And this also became a witness against them, and a proof of their treason. For the name of the place more clearly than a trumpet proclaimed their blood-guiltiness. Neither did they it at random, but having taking counsel, and in every case in like manner, so that no one should be clear of the deed, but all guilty. But these things the prophecy foretold from of old. Seest thou not the apostles only, but the prophets also declaring exactly those things which were matters of reproach, and every way proclaiming the passion, and indicating it beforehand?
This was the case with the Jews without their being conscious of it. For if they had cast it into the treasury, the thing would not have been so clearly discovered; but now having bought a piece of ground, they made it all manifest even to subsequent generations.
Hear ye as many as think to do good works out of murders, and take a reward for the lives of men. These almsgiving are Judaical, or rather they are Satanical. For there are, there are now also they, that take by violence countless things belonging to others, and think that an excuse is made for all if they cast in some ten or a hundred gold pieces.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Matthew
(Verse 9, 10) Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 'And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.' This testimony is not found in Jeremiah. But in Zechariah, who is almost the last of the twelve prophets, a certain similarity is mentioned (Zech. 11). And although the meaning does not differ much, nevertheless both the order and the words are different. I recently read in a certain Hebrew volume, which a Hebrew of the Nazarene sect offered to me, an apocryphal book of Jeremiah, in which I found the following words written verbatim. However, it seems to me more like a testimony taken from Zechariah: just like the Evangelists and Apostles commonly do, who, omitting the order of words, only present the meaning from the Old Testament as an example.
Jerome (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 420
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Truly straining out the gnat, and swallowing the camel; for if they would not put the money into the treasury, because it was the price of blood, why did they shed the blood at all?
Also we, who were strangers to the Law and the Prophets, have profited by the perverse temper of the Jews to obtain salvation for ourselves.
This is not found at all in Hieremias; but in Zacharias (Zech. 11:13.), who is the last but one of the twelve Prophets, something like it is told, and though the sense is not very different, yet the arrangement and the words are different.
(ad Pam. Ep. lvii. 7.) Far be it then from a follower of Christ to suppose him guilty of falsehood, whereas his business was not to pry into words and syllables, but to lay down the staple of doctrine.
(in loc.) I have lately read in a Hebrew book given me by a Hebrew of the Nazarene sect, an apocryphal Hieremias, in which I find the very words here quoted. After all, I am rather inclined to think that the passage was taken by Matthew out of Zacharias, in the usual manner of the Apostles and Evangelists when they quote from the Old Testament, neglecting the words, and attending only to the sense.
JeromeAD 420
COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 4.27.10
This prophecy does not come from Jeremiah but from a similar passage in Zechariah, who is almost the last of the twelve prophets. Although the meaning does not differ much, Zechariah’s word order and vocabulary do conflict with Matthew’s quotation. In a copy of the Hebrew Scriptures given to me by a member of the Nazarene sect, I recently read an apocryphal edition of the book of Jeremiah in which this quotation from Matthew appeared word for word. Nevertheless it still seems more likely to me that Matthew took this prophecy from Zechariah, since it was the ordinary practice of the Evangelists and apostles to communicate only the meaning of texts from the Old Testament while neglecting to observe their word order.
Augustine of Hippo (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 430
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(de Cons. Ev. iii. 7.) But if any one thinks this lowers the historian's credit, first let him know that not all the copies of the Gospels have the name Hieremias, but some simply by the Prophet. But I do not like this defence, because the more, and the more ancient, copies have Hieremias, and there could be no reason for adding the name, and thus making an error. But its erasure is well accounted for by the hardihood of ignorance having heard the foregoing objection urged. It might be then, that the name Hieremias occurred to the mind of Matthew as he wrote, instead of the name Zacharias, as so often happens; and that he would have straightway corrected it, when pointed out to him by such as read this while he yet lived in the flesh, had he not thought that his memory, being guided by the Holy Spirit, would not thus have called up to him one name instead of another, had not the Lord determined that it should thus be written. And why He should have so determined, the first reason is, that it would convey the wonderful consent of the Prophets, who all spake by one Spirit, which is much greater than if all the words of all the Prophets had been uttered through the mouth of one man; so that we receive without doubt whatever the Holy Spirit spake through them, each word belongs to all in common, and the whole is the utterance of each. Suppose it to happen at this day, that in repeating another's words one should mention not the speaker's name, but that of some other person, who however was the other's greater friend, and then immediately recollecting himself should correct himself, he might yet add, Yet am I right, if you only think of the close unanimity that exists between the two. How much more is this to be observed of the holy Prophets! There is a second reason why the name Hieremias should be suffered to remain in this quotation from Zacharias, or rather why it should have been suggested by the Holy Spirit. (Jer. 32:9.) It is said in Hieremias, that he bought a field of his brother's son, and gave him silver for it, though not indeed the sum stated in Zacharias, thirty pieces of silver. That the Evangelist has here adapted the thirty pieces of silver in Zacharias to this transaction in the Lord's history, is plain; but he may also wish to convey that what Hieremias speaks of the field is mystically alluded to here, and therefore he puts not the name of Zacharias who spoke of the thirty pieces of silver, but of Hieremias who spoke of the purchase of the field. So that in reading the Gospel and finding the name of Hieremias, but not finding there the passage respecting the thirty pieces of silver, but the account of the purchase of the field, the reader might be induced to compare the two together, and so extract from them the sense of the prophecy, how far it refers to what was now accomplished in the Lord. For what Matthew adds to the prophecy, Whom they of the children of Israel did value, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me, this, as the Lord appointed me, is found neither in Zacharias nor Hieremias. It must then be taken in the person of the Evangelist as inserted with a mystic meaning, that he had learned by revelation that the prophecy referred to this matter of the price for which Christ was betrayed.
Maximus of TurinAD 465
SERMONS 59.3-4
This field then is this entire world, in which we who have been dispersed and scattered bear the fruit of good work for the Lord.Yet perhaps you would inquire of me, if the field is the world, who the potter might be who could have the ownership of the world. Unless I am mistaken, the potter is the one who made the vessels of our body from clay. Scripture says of him, “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust from the earth.” The potter is the one who, with the warmth of his own breath, made alive the slimy clay of our flesh and with fiery heat put together the fluid and earthly matter of our bodies.
The potter, I say, is the one who fashioned us unto life with his own hands and who is refashioning us unto glory through his Christ. The apostle says, “We are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another.” That is to say, we who from our previous condition have broken to pieces because of our own misdeeds are restored in a second birth through the loving kindness of this same potter. We who have been struck by death because of Adam’s transgression rise anew through the grace of the Savior. Clearly this potter is the one of whom the blessed apostle says, “Will what is molded say to its molder?” And again, “Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?” For from the same clay of our body God preserves some persons for the kingdom on account of their individual merits and keeps others for punishment.
The field of this potter, then, was bought with Christ’s blood for travelers. For travelers, I say, who were without home or country and were cast about as exiles throughout the earth, rest is provided by the blood of Christ, so that those who have no possession in the world might have a burial place in Christ. Who do we say that these travelers are if not very devout Christians who, renouncing the world and possessing nothing in the world, rest in the blood of Christ? For the Christian who does not possess the world utterly possesses the Savior. Christ’s burial place then is promised to travelers so that the one who preserves himself from fleshly vices like a traveler and stranger may merit Christ’s rest. For what is Christ’s burial place if not the Christian’s rest? We therefore are travelers, in this world, and we sojourn in this life as passersby, as the apostle says: “While we are in this body we are away from the Lord.” We are travelers, I say, and a burial place has been bought for us at the price of the Savior’s blood. “We have been buried with him,” the apostle says, “through baptism in his death.” Baptism therefore is Christ’s burial place for us, in which we die to sins, are buried to evil deeds and are restored to a renewed infancy, the conscience of the old person having been dissolved in us for the sake of another birth.
Theophylact of OhridAD 1107
The corban was the treasury in the temple in which they put the gifts offered to God. See how God brings to naught their schemes by exposing their bloodstained minds. For to this day, it says, that field is called "The field of blood," as a reminder to all that they murdered the Lord. Learn this as well, that the Jews were so diligent in providing hospitality that they purchased a plot where even strangers could be buried. Let us be ashamed, then, we who think we live a more perfect life while disregarding strangers. "The price of Him that was valued," it says, that is to say, the price of Christ. He was beyond price, yet the sons of Israel set a price on Him, having agreed to give Judas thirty pieces of silver.
Glossa Ordinaria (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1274
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(non occ.) To this day means to the time when the Evangelist was then writing. He then confirms the event by the testimony of the Prophet; Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet, &c.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Matthew 27:10 details the ultimate disposition of the thirty pieces of silver that Judas Iscariot received for betraying Jesus. After Judas's remorseful return of the money to the temple, the chief priests, deeming it "blood money" and thus unfit for the temple treasury, used it to purchase a burial ground for foreigners and the poor, known as "the potter's field," thereby fulfilling a specific Old Testament prophecy concerning the price of betrayal and the acquisition of a field.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Matthew's narrative in Matthew 27:10 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound theological message. The most prominent is Fulfillment Language, explicitly stating that the events occurred "as the Lord appointed me." This direct declaration serves to underscore God's meticulous plan and Matthew's overarching theme of Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills Old Testament prophecies. There is also profound Irony present: the religious leaders, so scrupulous about not defiling the temple treasury with "blood money," are simultaneously responsible for shedding innocent blood. Their adherence to a minor point of law while violating the spirit of justice and mercy creates a stark contrast, highlighting their hypocrisy. Finally, the "potter's field" itself carries deep Symbolism. As a place associated with discarded clay and ultimately becoming a burial ground for strangers, it symbolizes death, rejection, and the marginalized. This imagery subtly foreshadows how Christ's sacrifice, though born of rejection, would ultimately provide a place of rest and salvation for all, including the outcasts of society.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Matthew 27:10 stands as a powerful testament to the meticulous fulfillment of God's prophetic word, even through the sinful actions of humanity. It underscores the divine sovereignty that orchestrates history, ensuring that God's plan for redemption unfolds precisely as foretold. The use of the "blood money" to purchase a burial ground for strangers is not merely a historical detail but a profound theological statement, demonstrating how even the price of betrayal contributes to God's broader purposes. This passage reminds us that God's will cannot be thwarted, and His ultimate plan for salvation encompasses even the darkest moments of human sin and injustice.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Matthew 27:10 offers profound reassurance of God's ultimate control and faithfulness amidst human chaos and sin. It teaches us that even the darkest acts of betrayal, injustice, and human depravity cannot derail God's sovereign purposes. For believers, this provides immense comfort, reminding us that God is actively at work in all circumstances, even those that seem chaotic, unjust, or utterly beyond our comprehension, bringing about His perfect will. It encourages us to trust in His overarching plan, even when our immediate circumstances are difficult or when we witness great evil in the world. Furthermore, the passage serves as a potent reminder of the severe consequences of sin and the profound weight of betraying sacred trust, as tragically exemplified by Judas Iscariot. It calls us to examine our own hearts, ensuring our actions align with God's righteousness and that we do not, like the chief priests, prioritize outward religious observance over true justice and mercy.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Matthew attribute this prophecy to Jeremiah when parts of it seem to come from Zechariah?
Answer: Biblical scholars have long noted that Matthew's citation in Matthew 27:9 combines elements found in both Zechariah 11:12-13 (the thirty pieces of silver, casting it to the potter in the house of the Lord) and Jeremiah 32:6-9 (the purchase of a field). There are several theories for Matthew's attribution. One common explanation is that "Jeremiah" might have been a general designation for the collection of prophetic books, with Jeremiah being the first or most prominent prophet in that collection. Another possibility is that Matthew saw a thematic connection, as Jeremiah also dealt with themes of judgment, betrayal, and the purchase of land as a sign of hope. It's also possible that Matthew is highlighting a composite fulfillment, seeing the events as a culmination of various prophetic threads. Regardless, Matthew's primary aim is to demonstrate that Jesus's life and death perfectly align with God's ancient promises.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Matthew 27:10, though detailing a dark moment of betrayal and the hypocrisy of religious leaders, profoundly points to Christ's ultimate redemptive work. The thirty pieces of silver, the price of Jesus's betrayal, ultimately purchased "the potter's field"—a burial ground for strangers and the poor. This act, born of human sin, ironically prefigures the expansive reach of Christ's sacrifice. Just as the field became a resting place for the marginalized and those without a home, so too does Christ's death on the cross provide spiritual rest and a home in God's kingdom for all who are "strangers and aliens" (Ephesians 2:19) to God, both Jew and Gentile. The "blood money" used to buy the field for the dead foreshadows the precious blood of Christ, which was shed not for a plot of land, but to purchase eternal life and reconcile humanity to God (1 Peter 1:18-19). Thus, even Judas's betrayal and the chief priests' self-righteous actions were sovereignly woven into God's grand tapestry, demonstrating that Christ's mission to save the lost and outcast would be fulfilled through His ultimate sacrifice, providing a spiritual "field" of salvation for all who believe (John 3:16).