Thirty pieces of silver and the rejected shepherd
Matthew relates the betrayal money and potter's field to prophetic Scripture.
Historical context
In Zechariah's enacted shepherd drama, the shepherd's work is valued at thirty pieces of silver, which are cast into the LORD's house.
Tradition note
Begin with each Old Testament passage in context, then examine the New Testament's wording and argument. Explicit fulfillment citations, apostolic applications, and typological comparisons carry different kinds of evidence; Protestant approaches to particular passages vary.
Avoid overclaiming
Matthew 27:9–10 attributes the citation to Jeremiah while its silver wording closely resembles Zechariah. A composite use involving Jeremiah's potter or field scenes is a common explanation, not a settled identification of a missing verse.
Key points
- Fulfillment citation
- Matthew 27:3–10 (Fulfillment citation) — Matthew expressly labels the disposal of Judas's betrayal money and purchase of the potter's field a fulfillment. It belongs to the betrayal's aftermath, not the moment of arrest itself.
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew expressly labels the disposal of Judas's betrayal money and purchase of the potter's field a fulfillment. It belongs to the betrayal's aftermath, not the moment of arrest itself.
Scripture
- Zechariah 11:12–13 — In Zechariah's enacted shepherd drama, the shepherd's work is valued at thirty pieces of silver, which are cast into the LORD's house.
- Matthew 27:3–10 — Matthew expressly labels the disposal of Judas's betrayal money and purchase of the potter's field a fulfillment. It belongs to the betrayal's aftermath, not the moment of arrest itself.
- Jeremiah 19:1–13 — The potter vessel, bloodshed, and burial setting enter proposed composite-citation explanations; this is comparison, not proof of a single exact source.
- Jeremiah 32:6–15 — Jeremiah's purchase of a field is another proposed part of the citation's background, while Matthew himself names Jeremiah.
Sources and further reading
- Jeremiah 19:1–13 · World English Bible
- Jeremiah 32:6–15 · World English Bible
- Matthew 27:3–10 · World English Bible
- Reviewed biblical text and context · JER19.htm
- Reviewed biblical text and context · JER32.htm
- Reviewed biblical text and context · MAT27.htm
- Reviewed biblical text and context · ZEC11.htm
- Zechariah 11:12–13 · World English Bible