Matthew 27:4

Matthew 27:4, in plain English

Judas cries out: I have sinned — I have betrayed innocent blood! But the priests coldly reply: what is that to us? That is your problem.

Why it's here

The people who paid him to betray Jesus now want nothing to do with him or his guilt. They used him and discarded him.

Who's speaking

Judas confesses his sin to the priests, who refuse to share any responsibility.

Where it sits in the story

Judas reaches out for help to the very people who corrupted him, and they slam the door in his face. The loneliness of that moment is unbearable.

The scholarly reading

Judas confesses his sin of betraying 'innocent blood' (haima athoon), but the priests dismiss him with cold indifference — 'What is that to us? You bear the responsibility.'

Language and setting

The phrase haima athoon echoes Deuteronomy 27:25 ('cursed is he who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood'). The priests' callous response transfers moral burden to Judas while retaining their own guilt.

Voice

Judas confesses to the chief priests, who reject any shared responsibility.

Significance

The men who paid for betrayal now disown their accomplice. Judas is left alone with his guilt — the co-conspirators offer neither absolution nor sympathy.

2They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

3When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

4“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.

5So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

6The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”

Read all of Matthew 27 — The climax of the story. Every thread — sacrifice, covenant, prophecy, promise — converges at a cross outside Jerusalem.