Matthew 27:5
And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Judas didn't just throw the money back in general; he cast it into the Temple proper, the inner sanctuary reserved for priests. This dramatic act wasn't just remorse, but a desperate, futile attempt to return the price of betrayal to the very place of God's presence, a place he was no longer worthy to enter, before his tragic end.
This passage interrupts Jesus' trial before Pilate to reveal the grim end of Judas Iscariot. Having betrayed Jesus and received his payment, Judas is overcome with remorse and tries to return the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, who cruelly reject him. Driven by guilt and despair, Judas then takes his own life, casting the silver into the temple before he departs.
Judas casts the silver 'into the temple.' Why there? Was it a place of worship, or something else for him in his final moments?
Matthew tells us Judas threw the money "in the temple" (Matthew 27:5). The Greek word used here, 'naos,' often refers specifically to the inner sanctuary, the holy place accessible only to priests. Some scholars suggest Judas flung the coins over the barrier into this sacred space.
This action isn't just about where he threw the money; it's about the why. He's not offering it back in humility or seeking forgiveness. Instead, it's a desperate, perhaps even defiant, act. Having betrayed the 'innocent blood,' he finds himself in the very heart of God's presence, yet utterly cut off. It's a scene of profound spiritual isolation, a stark contrast to the fellowship he once shared with Jesus.
Judas feels terrible and admits his sin. So, why isn't it enough? What's the difference between regretting your actions and truly repenting?
The text says Judas "repented" (Matthew 27:3) and confessed, "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). This sounds like a turning point, right? But the reaction of the chief priests is telling: "What is that to us? see thou to that" (Matthew 27:4).
Here's the crucial distinction: Judas experienced remorse, a deep sorrow and distress over his actions and their consequences. He felt the crushing weight of his guilt. However, he didn't experience repentance that leads to salvation. True repentance involves a turning to God, seeking His mercy and forgiveness, and a desire for change. Judas, instead, turned inward, consumed by despair. His confession wasn't directed to God, and his sorrow led not to transformation but to self-destruction.
Judas's final act is hanging himself. How does this desperate choice reveal the depth of his spiritual condition?
The climax of Judas's story is his suicide: "he went and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:5). This wasn't a sudden impulse but the culmination of his inner torment.
Understand the original words
naos · Greek Noun
The central place of worship for Israel and the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth; it was considered the most sacred location in the Jewish world.
Judas's suicide is a stark illustration of worldly sorrow that leads to death, contrasting sharply with the saving repentance that leads to God. His desperate act, a direct consequence of betraying Jesus and rejecting the priests' counsel, highlights the terrible weight of guilt when uncoupled from genuine faith and hope.
c. 30 AD
Judas betrays Jesus
Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, betrays Jesus to the Jewish authorities in exchange for thirty pieces of silver, leading to Jesus' arrest.
c. 30 AD, morning— this verse
Judas attempts to return the silver
After Jesus is condemned, Judas, filled with remorse, tries to return the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. They refuse to take it back, telling him it is his problem.
c. 30 AD, shortly after Jesus' condemnation
Judas hangs himself
Overwhelmed by guilt and despair, Judas throws the silver into the temple and goes away to hang himself, seeking an end to his torment.
c. 30 AD
Priests buy the potter's field
The chief priests use the thirty pieces of silver returned by Judas to purchase a field from a potter, intending it as a burial place for strangers. This fulfills prophecy.
This passage directly foretells the thirty pieces of silver being cast 'to the potter' in the house of the Lord, echoing Judas's actions and the price of betrayal.
Acts 1:18Peter describes the gruesome details of Judas's death, which, when read alongside Matthew's account, provides a fuller, albeit more horrific, picture of his end.
2 Samuel 17:23This passage records Ahithophel's suicide by hanging, a parallel that highlights the desperate and tragic end of a betrayer driven by guilt, with the same Greek word used for hanging in both accounts.
1 Samuel 15:23Saul's rejection is described as akin to the 'sin of witchcraft,' and his subsequent despair and rejection by God serve as a somber reminder of the consequences of rebellion and betrayal, echoing Judas's fate.
Hebrews 12:17This verse speaks of Esau's inability to find a place for repentance, even though he sought it with tears, paralleling Judas's remorse which, though expressed with sorrow, was ultimately without saving grace.
vincentMatthew 27:5: "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."
In the templeBut the best reading is εἰς τὸν ναόν, into the sanctuary. He cast the pieces over the barrier of the enclosure which surrounded the sanctuary, or temple proper, and within which only the priests were allowed, and therefore into the sanctuary.
barnesMatthew 27:5: "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."
And he cast down ... - This was an evidence of his remorse of conscience for his crime. His ill-gotten gain now did him no good. It would not produce relief to his agonized mind. He "attempted," therefore, to obtain relief by throwing back the price of treason; but he attempted it in vain. The consciousness of guilt was fastened to his soul; and Judas found, as all will find, that to…
Judas didn't just throw the money back in general; he cast it into the Temple proper, the inner sanctuary reserved for priests. This dramatic act wasn't just remorse, but a desperate, futile attempt to return the price of betrayal to the very place of God's presence, a place he was no longer worthy to enter, before his tragic end.
This passage interrupts Jesus' trial before Pilate to reveal the grim end of Judas Iscariot. Having betrayed Jesus and received his payment, Judas is overcome with remorse and tries to return the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, who cruelly reject him. Driven by guilt and despair, Judas then takes his own life, casting the silver into the temple before he departs.
This passage interrupts Jesus' trial before Pilate to reveal the grim end of Judas Iscariot. Having betrayed Jesus and received his payment, Judas is overcome with remorse and tries to return the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, who cruelly reject him. Driven by guilt and despair, Judas then takes his own life, casting the silver into the temple before he departs.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Matthew 27:5 is available in the Sola app.
His actions show a profound rejection of hope. He couldn't bear the weight of his guilt and the consequences of his betrayal. Instead of turning to the One he betrayed for mercy, he sought an escape through death. This act seals his fate, demonstrating that his "repentance" was not a turning toward God but a desperate flight from himself and the divine judgment he now fully perceived. It's a stark, tragic picture of a soul abandoned to its own despair, a chilling reminder that turning away from Christ ultimately leads to utter ruin.
c. 30 AD
The potter's field is called 'Field of Blood'
The field purchased with the betrayal money becomes known as the 'Field of Blood' due to the events surrounding Judas's death and its connection to Jesus' condemnation.
c. 30 AD
Peter recounts Judas's death
Later, Peter describes Judas's end, stating he 'fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out,' suggesting a more gruesome outcome possibly related to his hanging.
"And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself." — Judas didn't just throw the money back in general; he cast it into the Temple proper, the inner sanctuary reserved for priests. This dramatic act wasn't just remorse, but a desperate, futile attempt…
