The 30 pieces of silver of Judas Iscariot are so famous, so infamous in history, that it is a euphemism for betrayal in Western culture. Have you ever wondered what those 30 pieces of silver actually were – or how much they were worth? Scholars have debated these questions for years. let’s move forward some of his thoughts.
Details of this story are found in the Bible book of Matthew, chapters 26 and 27. Before the Last Supper, one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and Saying this, arrangements were made to hand Jesus over to them: :
“What are you willing to give me if I turn him over to you?” So they counted out thirty pieces of silver for him.
Later, Judas, filled with remorse for his betrayal, threw the coins back at the priests in the temple and went and hanged himself. The priests decided that, as blood money, it could not be added to the temple treasury, so they purchased it. potter’s field.
30 pieces of silver of Judas Iscariot
The word used by the gospel writer Matthew in Matthew 26:15 was albinismMeaning “silver coins” This, of course, is unclear as to what type of coins they were. There were several possibilities for the circulation of coins in Jerusalem in 33 AD, including:
- Tetradrachm of Tyre, or Tyrian shekel
- Tetradrachms or Staters of Antioch
- Ptolemaic tetradrachms
- roman denarii
Of these, the Tyrian shekel had the highest amount of silver – 94% – so this was what the priests required as payment for the temple tax. This coin contained 14 grams of silver. today’s spot price of silver It is $2.92 per gram. The price of silver in these 30 coins today will be $1,226.40. the coins themselves, being ancient and historicalCertainly priceless, but at the time they were just regular silver coins that regular people used to buy and sell in the market.
He $1,226.40 However, there is a value beyond time. You can’t just say that Judas betrayed Jesus for twelve hundred dollars. The above coins vary greatly depending on how much silver they contain, you also need to know what the rate for a man’s labor was in 33 AD and what the cost of living was in Jerusalem to determine how much money the chief priests gave for the life of Jesus.
Even more revealing is the intention of the gospel writer Matthew. The phrase he used, “30 pieces of silver,” mirrors a reference in the book of Zechariah. In Zechariah 11 this phrase is used for the value of a slave and is based on Jewish law. Exodus 21:32 states: :
“If the bull kills a male or female slave, the master must give thirty shekels of silver to the slave’s master, and the bull must be stoned to death.”
The prophet Zechariah asked the Israelites to pay him for the work he had done while working among them, which they paid him. It was meant to be an insult; They did not give importance to his prophecy. The Lord told Zechariah to put this slave’s wages into the treasury (in front of his face).
So when Matthew says there are 30 pieces of silver and Judas throws it back into the treasury, it’s an allusion to this story in Zechariah in which unfaithful Jews undercut a prophet of the Lord with an outrageous amount of money – what a slave is worth. Matthew is saying that the priests were unwilling to pay almost anything for Jesus. They were angry at Jesus for the scene in which he overturned the tables of the moneylenders in the temple and railed against the corrupt priests who were profiting from the sacrifices people brought to God in Jerusalem out of devotion and duty.
Thirty pieces of silver to the priests, Matthew, Zechariah, that was the price of contempt.
It is interesting that this phrase “30 pieces of silver” has had a negative connotation of contempt or betrayal for thousands of years, even though silver has been valued as a precious metal for the same or longer period.
If you would like to learn more about any of the silver coins mentioned above, call Grand Rapids Coins to make an appointment to speak with us today. 616-884-5048. We would be happy to assist you in locating any of these coins for your collection. Old coins bring history alive!