Matthew 26:14

The Plan to Betray Jesus

26:14 Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

Mark 14:10-11

The Plan to Betray Jesus

14:10 Then ¹  Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands. ²  14:11 When they heard this, they were delighted ³  and promised to give him money. ⁴  So ⁵  Judas ⁶  began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

John 6:70-71

6:70 Jesus replied, ⁷  “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” ⁸  6:71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, ⁹  for Judas, ¹⁰  one of the twelve, was going to betray him.) ¹¹ 

John 12:6

12:6 (Now Judas ¹²  said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, ¹³  he used to steal what was put into it.) ¹⁴ 

John 13:2

13:2 The evening meal ¹⁵  was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart ¹⁶  of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray ¹⁷  Jesus. ¹⁸ 

John 13:27

13:27 And after Judas ¹⁹  took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. ²⁰  Jesus said to him, ²¹  “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

Acts 5:3

5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled ²²  your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of ²³  the land?

[14:10]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:10]  ² tn Grk “betray him to them”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:11]  ³ sn The leaders were delighted when Judas contacted them about betraying Jesus, because it gave them the opportunity they had been looking for, and they could later claim that Jesus had been betrayed by one of his own disciples.

[14:11]  ⁴ sn Matt 26:15 states the amount of money they gave Judas was thirty pieces of silver (see also Matt 27:3-4; Zech 11:12-13).

[14:11]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[14:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:70]  ⁷ tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”

[6:70]  ⁸ tn Although most translations render this last phrase as “one of you is a devil,” such a translation presupposes that there is more than one devil. This finds roots in the KJV in which the Greek word for demon was often translated “devil.” In fact, the KJV never uses the word “demon.” (Sixty-two of the 63 NT instances of δαιμόνιον [daimonion] are translated “devil” [in Acts 17:18 the plural has been translated “gods”]. This can get confusing in places where the singular “devil” is used: Is Satan or one of the demons in view [cf. Matt 9:33 (demon); 13:39 (devil); 17:18 (demon); Mark 7:26 (demon); Luke 4:2 (devil); etc.]?) Now regarding John 6:70, both the construction in Greek and the technical use of διάβολος (diabolos) indicate that the one devil is in view. To object to the translation “the devil” because it thus equates Judas with Satan does not take into consideration that Jesus often spoke figuratively (e.g., “destroy this temple” [John 2:19]; “he [John the Baptist] is Elijah” [Matt 11:14]), even equating Peter with the devil on one occasion (Mark 8:33). According to ExSyn 249, “A curious phenomenon has occurred in the English Bible with reference to one particular monadic noun, διάβολος. The KJV translates both διάβολος and δαιμόνιον as ‘devil.’ Thus in the AV translators’ minds, ‘devil’ was not a monadic noun. Modern translations have correctly rendered δαιμόνιον as ‘demon’ and have, for the most part, recognized that διάβολος is monadic (cf., e.g., 1 Pet 5:8; Rev 20:2). But in John 6:70 modern translations have fallen into the error of the King James translators. The KJV has ‘one of you is a devil.’ So does the RSV, NRSV, ASV, NIV, NKJV, and the JB [Jerusalem Bible]. Yet there is only one devil…The legacy of the KJV still lives on, then, even in places where it ought not.”

[6:71]  ⁹ sn At least six explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). See D. A. Carson, John, 304.

[6:71]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:71]  ¹¹ sn This parenthetical statement by the author helps the reader understand Jesus’ statement one of you is the devil in the previous verse. This is the first mention of Judas in the Fourth Gospel, and he is immediately identified (as he is in the synoptic gospels, Matt 10:4, Mark 3:19, Luke 6:16) as the one who would betray Jesus.

[12:6]  ¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:6]  ¹³ tn Grk “a thief, and having the money box.” Dividing the single Greek sentence improves the English style.

[12:6]  ¹⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. This is one of the indications in the gospels that Judas was of bad character before the betrayal of Jesus. John states that he was a thief and had responsibility for the finances of the group. More than being simply a derogatory note about Judas’ character, the inclusion of the note at this particular point in the narrative may be intended to link the frustrated greed of Judas here with his subsequent decision to betray Jesus for money. The parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark seem to indicate that after this incident Judas went away immediately and made his deal with the Jewish authorities to deliver up Jesus. Losing out on one source of sordid gain, he immediately went out and set up another.

[13:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “Supper.” To avoid possible confusion because of different regional English usage regarding the distinction between “dinner” and “supper” as an evening meal, the translation simply refers to “the evening meal.”

[13:2]  ¹⁶ sn At this point the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. C. K. Barrett (St. John, 365) thought this was a reference to the idea entering the devil’s own heart, but this does not seem likely. It is more probable that Judas’ heart is meant, since the use of the Greek article (rather than a possessive pronoun) is a typical idiom when a part of one’s own body is indicated. Judas’ name is withheld until the end of the sentence for dramatic effect (emphasis). This action must be read in light of 13:27, and appears to refer to a preliminary idea or plan.

[13:2]  ¹⁷ tn Or “that he should hand over.”

[13:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “betray him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ²⁰ tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.

[13:27]  ²¹ tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”

[5:3]  ²² sn This is a good example of the Greek verb fill (πληρόω, plhrow) meaning “to exercise control over someone’s thought and action” (cf. Eph 5:18).

[5:3]  ²³ tn The words “from the sale of” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the meaning, since the phrase “proceeds from the land” could possibly be understood as crops rather than money from the sale.