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Deuteronomy

About this book
Chapter 27

1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Pay attention to all the commandments I am giving you today. 2 When you cross the Jordan River to the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must erect great stones and cover them with plaster. 3 Then you must inscribe on them all the words of this law when you cross over, so that you may enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to you. 4 So when you cross the Jordan you must erect on Mount Ebal these stones⁠ about which I am commanding you today, and you must cover them with plaster. 5 Then you must build an altar there to the Lord your God, an altar of stones—do not use an iron tool on them.⁠ 6 You must build the altar of the Lord your God with whole stones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 Also you must offer fellowship offerings and eat them there, rejoicing before the Lord your God. 8 You must inscribe on the stones all the words of this law, making them clear.”⁠ 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be quiet and pay attention, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You must obey him and keep his commandments and statutes that I am giving you today.” 11 Moreover, Moses commanded the people that day: 12 “The following tribes must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 “The Levites will call out to every Israelite with a loud voice: 15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or metal image—something abhorrent to the Lord, the work of the craftsman—and sets it up in a secret place.’⁠ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 16 ‘Cursed is the one who disrespects his father and mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’⁠ 18 ‘Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 20 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his father’s former wife, for he dishonors his father.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 21 ‘Cursed is the one who commits bestiality.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 22 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his sister, the daughter of either his father or mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 23 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.’⁠ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’⁠ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 27:25 and Matthew 27:4

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Matthew 27 describes Judas confessing that he has betrayed innocent blood after taking money, language that recalls Deuteronomy 27 where a curse is pronounced on anyone who accepts a bribe to kill the innocent.

Passages

Deuteronomy 27:25

Hebrew Bible
23 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

Matthew 27:4

New Testament
2 They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor. 3 Now when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he regretted what he had done and returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You take care of it yourself!” 5 So Judas threw the silver coins into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.”
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... For some commentators, Judas’s attempt to return the money is less about Judas and more about others. For Carter, the “callous indifference” of the chief priests and elders “bears witness to their corruption…” Davies and Allison claim that in this section (27:3-10) the focus is more on the money than it is on “the fate of Judas.” The idea here that Judas “left to himself” by both the chief priests and elders, as well as by the narrative, emphasizes Judas’s relative unimportance. While the money originally symbolized Judas’s power, now it signals his lack of power. Where before he was able to get the money he wanted, now he cannot return the money he does not want. Where before he was creating options for himself by gaining wealth, now he is facing limited ones. He cannot return the money, and cannot change Jesus’s fate, so he simply throws it away. Here the overall attitude of the Gospel toward wealth is again in view, namely an understanding of wealth as an obstacle to God’s purposes. Like the rich young ruler in chapter 19, this scene involving Judas demonstrates how money can thwart discipleship, and how it can easily become associated with enemies of God. Judas’s confession of sin by betraying “innocent blood” (αἷμα ἀθῷον) recalls Deuteronomy 27:25, which curses those who take bribes that cause the death of the innocent. Judas has taken payment for handing over God’s agent, Jesus, who now faces death with Pilate ..."
Kendra Allison Mohn, Real Men: Masculinities in the Gospel of Matthew (Brite Divinity School, 2018), 255–256.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Deuteronomy 27:25 and Matthew 27:4

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