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Thirty pieces of silver is the amount that Judas Iscariot received for betraying Jesus Christ, according to Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas had gone to the chief priests and agreed to hand over Jesus in exchange for thirty pieces of silver, but later regretted it and tried to return the money.

In the past, thirty pieces of silver was the price of a human slave during the time of slavery trade.

Matthew mentions that the purchase of the Potter's Field later - which is a field for burying strangers and is also called the Blood Field - is a fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy, where there were seven sub-prophecies contributing to its explanation. It refers to Jesus being betrayed (Psalm 9:14) by a friend (Psalm 13:55) in exchange for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 12:11), and that it will be thrown on the ground of the Temple and used to buy a Potter's Field (Zechariah 11:13).

The Matia Peretti painting is often used in artworks depicting the suffering of Jesus. The phrase is used literarily and colloquially as an allusion and symbol for someone who betrays, deceives, and negotiates with trust, friendship, and loyalty to achieve a personal interest.

Background

The background of this betrayal lies in the fact that Judas Iscariot was the only disciple from Jesus' twelve disciples who originated from a Jewish group, specifically, while the rest of his disciples originated from the Galilee region. The relationship between the Jewish religious class, represented by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, and Jesus was strained, as he constantly criticized their actions and distorted interpretations of the law. They had tried to kill him in Nazareth and Capharnaum, and conspired against him several times but failed; thus, the fear of Jewish priests increased with the growing number of Jews who believed in him and his message, and their fear of his program containing a political revolution against the Roman Empire led to the destruction of the autonomy that the Jews enjoyed. The Jewish priests at that time were known for their loyalty to the Romans, and their desire and efforts to abolish his message because it was not accepted by them, and to gain several privileges and authorities outside.

The tribe to which Judas belonged was a political-religious group calling on the Jews to rebel against Roman rule and expel them from the country with force. Therefore, Judas and his companions were waiting for Jesus to start a military uprising against the Romans, declaring the end of the Roman state; however, Judas held a secular concept, not a spiritual one, to achieve the goals of his group, considering him and his group as a means to liberate them from the Romans. When he realized that Jesus' call was spiritual, not aimed at overthrowing Roman rule, which would lead him to wealth, he took action.

This was despite his taking over the responsibility of the treasury - entrusted to him by Jesus - where he loved to steal money out of love for it. All this was a direct reason for his act in exchange for thirty pieces of silver.

The Gospel narrative

According to Matthew, Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus' disciples and one of his twelve apostles. Before the Last Supper, Judas had gone to the chief priests and agreed to hand over Jesus in exchange for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, where Judas revealed Jesus' identity to the soldiers by kissing him.

The Jewish leaders were afraid to arrest Jesus during the day, fearing a riot from the crowd who loved him; therefore, Judas agreed with the Jews to inform them about the place where the Lord would take his last supper with his disciples at night, and explained to them that the person he would kiss would be Jesus, because the Jewish soldiers did not know him or recognize him among his disciples. Thus, the soldiers arrested Jesus.

The thirty pieces of silver were given to Judas by the chief priests, who had agreed to give him more if he could find a way to return Jesus without being detected. However, when Judas realized what he had done, he was overcome with remorse and tried to return the money to the chief priests, but they refused it.

According to Matthew 27:3-5, Judas threw the thirty pieces of silver into the Temple and left; the high priest took them and bought a field in Jerusalem with them, which became known as the Field of Blood.