Judas Iscariot
Who was Judas Iscariot? The disciple who handed Jesus over for thirty pieces of silver. Matthew says he hanged himself; Acts says he fell and died.
- Manner of death
- Hanged himself (Matthew); fell (Acts) (The Bible: Matthew 27:5, Acts 1:18)
- Place of death
- Field of Blood (Akeldama), Jerusalem (The Bible: Acts 1:18-19, Matthew 27:7-8)
- Birthplace
- Unknown; perhaps Kerioth in Judea (Not stated in the Bible: John 6:71)
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve apostles Jesus chose and is called the son of Simon Iscariot (John 6:71). He kept the disciples' common money box, and John's Gospel says he stole from it. He agreed with the chief priests on thirty pieces of silver and betrayed Jesus with a kiss in Gethsemane. Seeing Jesus condemned, he was seized with remorse, took the money back and then died. He is not to be confused with Judas son of James, another of the Twelve, or with the author of Jude. His story stands in the Gospels as a sober warning about betrayal, the love of money and remorse.
Read the chapters
- Matthew 26
- Matthew 27
The chapter recounting Jesus' trial, crucifixion and death — narrating, in solemn tones, the events at the heart of the Christian faith.
- Luke 22
- John 12
- John 13
- Acts 1
A chapter recounting how Jesus gives his disciples the task of being witnesses across the world and then departs from them, picturing the waiting that comes just before the birth of the church.
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- Jerusalem
- Bethlehem
- Nazareth
- Galilee
- Jordan River
- Gethsemane
- Golgotha
- Mount of Olives
- Tarsus
- Antioch
- Pisidian Antioch
- Iconium
- Lystra
- Derbe
- Perga
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- Cappadocia
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- Haran
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- Jericho
- Damascus
- Tyre
- Sidon
- Shechem
- Samaria
- Bethany
- Cana
- Capernaum
- Red Sea
- Sodom and Gomorrah
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Love
- Bible Verses About Prayer
- Bible Verses of Comfort
- Bible Verses About Fear and Anxiety
- Bible Verses About Forgiveness
- Bible Verses About Faith
- Bible Verses About Creation
- Bible Verses About Salvation
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Money and Contentment
- Bible Verses About Humility
- Bible Verses About Generosity
- Bible Verses About Jesus
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About Loneliness
- Bible Verses About Guidance
- Bible Verses About Joy
- Bible Verses About Healing
- Bible Verses About Peace and Rest
- Bible Verses About Mercy
- Bible Verses About Friendship
- Bible Verses About Honesty
Reading plans
- Start with John — 7 Days Through the Life of Jesus
- The Bible for Beginners — 10 Days
- Holy Week — The Final Days of Jesus
- Two Weeks in the Parables of Jesus
- Advent — 24 Days to Christmas
- The Early Church Through Acts — 28 Days
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
- 30 Days with the Gospel — An Introduction to the New Testament
Related guides
- What Are Easter and the Resurrection?
What is Easter, and how does the Bible recount the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ? A short, neutral guide to the resurrection account and the origin and meaning of Easter.
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How did Judas Iscariot die?
According to Matthew, Judas was seized with remorse, threw the thirty pieces of silver into the temple, and went and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). Acts says that he fell headlong and his body burst open (Acts 1:18). Scripture sets the two accounts side by side without explaining how they relate; some early interpreters read them together, supposing that the hanged body later fell and burst.
Where did Judas Iscariot die?
According to Acts, Judas died in Jerusalem in the field that came to be called Akeldama, the 'Field of Blood' (Acts 1:18–19). Matthew likewise says that the potter's field the chief priests bought with the silver Judas returned was called the 'Field of Blood' (Matthew 27:7–8). Tradition locates the site in the Hinnom Valley south of Jerusalem's walls, where a Greek Orthodox monastery stands today.
Where was Judas Iscariot from?
The Bible does not say where Judas was born. Because his father Simon is also called Iscariot (John 6:71), the name is thought to be a family or hometown label. The most common explanation is that Iscariot means 'man of Kerioth', pointing to a settlement called Kerioth in Judea, but this interpretation is not certain.
For how much did Judas betray Jesus?
According to Matthew, the chief priests weighed out thirty pieces of silver for Judas (Matthew 26:15). Later, full of remorse, he threw the money into the temple; because it was blood money, the chief priests would not put it in the treasury and used it to buy a potter's field as a burial place for foreigners (Matthew 27:3–7).
Why did Judas betray Jesus?
The Bible gives no single reason but shows several sides together. Judas asks the chief priests what they will give him (Matthew 26:15); John says he was a thief who took from the money box (John 12:6); and Luke writes that Satan entered into Judas (Luke 22:3). Anything beyond this is interpretation.
Is Judas Iscariot the same as the Jude who wrote the letter of Jude?
No. The author of Jude introduces himself as the brother of James (Jude 1:1). Among the Twelve there was also a second Judas, not Iscariot: Judas son of James (Luke 6:16; John 14:22). The one who betrayed Jesus was Judas son of Simon Iscariot.