Matthew 26:48-49

26:48 (Now the betrayer 1  had given them a sign, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. 2  Arrest him!”) 3  26:49 Immediately 4  he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi,” and kissed him. 5 

Luke 22:47-48

Betrayal and Arrest

22:47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd appeared, 6  and the man named Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He walked up 7  to Jesus to kiss him. 8  22:48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 9 

1 tn Grk “the one who betrays him.”

2 tn Grk “The one I kiss is he.”

3 sn This remark is parenthetical within the narrative and has thus been placed in parentheses.

4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

5 sn Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.

6 tn Grk “While he was still speaking, behold, a crowd, and the one called Judas…was leading them.” The abrupt appearance of the crowd on the scene is indicated in the translation by “suddenly” and “appeared.”

7 tn Grk “drew near.”

8 tc Many mss (D Θ Ë13 700 pm as well as several versional mss) add here, “for this is the sign he gave to them: Whoever I kiss is [the one].” This addition is almost certainly not original, since most of the important mss lack it. It may be a copyist’s attempt to clarify the text, or the accidental inclusion of a marginal gloss.

9 sn Jesus’ comment about betraying the Son of Man with a kiss shows the hypocrisy and blindness of an attempt to cover up sin. On “misused kisses” in the Bible, see Gen 27:26-27; 2 Sam 15:5; Prov 7:13; 27:6; and 2 Sam 20:9.