Matthew 26:15
And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Original Language Analysis
Τί
unto them What
G5101
Τί
unto them What
Strong's:
G5101
Word #:
2 of 15
an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)
θέλετέ
will ye
G2309
θέλετέ
will ye
Strong's:
G2309
Word #:
3 of 15
to determine (as an active option from subjective impulse; whereas g1014 properly denotes rather a passive acquiescence in objective considerations),
δοῦναι
give
G1325
δοῦναι
give
Strong's:
G1325
Word #:
5 of 15
to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection)
κἀγὼ
and
G2504
κἀγὼ
and
Strong's:
G2504
Word #:
6 of 15
so also the dative case ????? <pronunciation strongs="kam-oy'"/>, and accusative case ???? <pronunciation strongs="kam-eh'"/> and (or also, even, etc.
παραδώσω
I will deliver
G3860
παραδώσω
I will deliver
Strong's:
G3860
Word #:
8 of 15
to surrender, i.e yield up, entrust, transmit
αὐτῷ
him
G846
αὐτῷ
him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
9 of 15
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
οἱ
G3588
οἱ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
10 of 15
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
ἔστησαν
they covenanted
G2476
ἔστησαν
they covenanted
Strong's:
G2476
Word #:
12 of 15
to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively)
Historical Context
The thirty pieces of silver were likely Tyrian shekels, required for temple transactions. After Jesus's death, Judas will return this blood money to the priests (27:3-10), who use it to buy the potter's field for burying foreigners, precisely fulfilling Zechariah 11:13. God's sovereignty operates through human treachery.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Judas's valuation of Jesus at thirty silver pieces contrast with Mary's 'waste' of 300 denarii in worship?
- What 'price' have you placed on Christ—is He worth your costliest sacrifice or only your leftover convenience?
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Analysis & Commentary
What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?—Judas's transactional question reveals his mercenary heart. The Greek ti thelete moi dounai (τί θέλετέ μοι δοῦναι) means 'What are you willing to give me?' He negotiates Christ's price like a commodity. The verb paradoso (παραδώσω), 'I will deliver/betray,' is the same word Jesus used prophesying His being 'delivered up' (v. 2).
And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver—The triakonta arguria (τριάκοντα ἀργύρια) fulfills Zechariah 11:12-13, where God's prophet is valued at thirty shekels, the price of a gored slave (Exodus 21:32). This insultingly low sum—about four months' wages compared to Mary's year's wages—reveals Christ's 'worthlessness' to the religious establishment. Judas sells God incarnate for the price of a slave.