Matthew 26:21

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

And while they were eating, He said to them, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
While they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

King James Version (1611)
And as they did eate, he said, Uerely I say vnto you, that one of you shal betray me.

King James Version
And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

English Standard Version
And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me."

New American Standard Bible
And as they were eating, He said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me."

New Century Version
As they were eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me."

Amplified Bible
And as they were eating, He said, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you that one of you will betray Me."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
As they were eating, He said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me."

Legacy Standard Bible
And as they were eating, He said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me."

Complete Jewish Bible
and as they were eating, he said, "Yes, I tell you that one of you is going to betray me."

Darby Translation
And as they were eating he said, Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up.

Easy-to-Read Version
They were all eating. Then Jesus said, "Believe me when I say that one of you twelve here will hand me over to my enemies."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And as they did eate, he sayde, Verely I say vnto you, that one of you shall betraie me.

George Lamsa Translation
And while they were eating he said, Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray me.

Good News Translation
During the meal Jesus said, "I tell you, one of you will betray me."

Lexham English Bible
And while they were eating he said, "Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray me."

Literal Translation
And as they were eating, He said, Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.

American Standard Version
and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Bible in Basic English
And while they were taking food, he said, Truly I say to you that one of you will be false to me.

Hebrew Names Version
As they were eating, he said, "Most assuredly I tell you that one of you will betray me."

International Standard Version
While they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me."

Etheridge Translation
And while they were eating, he said, Amen I say unto you, that one from you betrayeth me.

Murdock Translation
And as they were eating, he said: Verily I say to you, That one of you will betray me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And as they dyd eate, he sayde: Ueryly I say vnto you, that one of you shall betray me.

English Revised Version
and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

World English Bible
As they were eating, he said, "Most assuredly I tell you, that one of you will betray me."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they were exceeding sorrowful and began each of them to say to him,

Weymouth's New Testament
and the meal was proceeding, when Jesus said, "In solemn truth I tell you that one of you will betray me."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to hem, as thei eten, Treuli Y seie to you, that oon of you schal bitraye me.

Update Bible Version
and as they were eating, he said, Truly I say to you, that one of you shall betray me.

Webster's Bible Translation
And as they were eating, he said, Verily I say to you, that one of you will betray me.

New English Translation
And while they were eating he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."

New King James Version
Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."

New Living Translation
While they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."

New Life Bible
As they were eating, Jesus said, "For sure, I tell you, one of you will hand Me over."

New Revised Standard
and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, as they were eating, he said - Verily, I say unto you, One from among you, will deliver me up.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And whilst they were eating, he said: Amen I say to you that one of you is about to betray me.

Revised Standard Version
and as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And as they dyd eate he sayde: Verely I saye vnto you that one of you shall betraye me.

Young's Literal Translation
and while they are eating, he said, `Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And as they ate, he sayde: Verely I saye vnto you: One of you shal betraye me.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and as they were eating, he said, 'tis indeed true that one of this company shall betray me.

Simplified Cowboy Version
While they were eatin' he said, "Y'all listen up! One of you is a dirty double-crosser and will betray me."

Contextual Overview

¹⁷On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?" ¹⁸He answered, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, 'My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.'" ¹⁹So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. ²⁰When evening came, Jesus was reclining with the twelve disciples. ²¹And while they were eating, He said to them, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me."²²They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" ²³Jesus answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. ²⁴The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born." ²⁵Then Judas, who would betray Him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "You have said it yourself."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Verily: Matthew 26:2, Matthew 26:14-16, Psalms 55:12-14, John 6:70, John 6:71, John 13:21, Hebrews 4:13, Revelation 2:23

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 5:25 - stood before Proverbs 29:1 - General Matthew 24:10 - betray Mark 14:18 - as Luke 22:21 - General John 18:4 - knowing Acts 20:30 - of your 2 Corinthians 7:8 - though I made

Cross-References

Ezra 4:6
At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And as they did eat,.... The passover lamb, the unleavened bread, and bitter herbs: he said it was usual, whilst they were thus engaged, to discourse much about the reason and design of this institution. What they talked of may be learnt from what follows y:

"it is an affirmative precept of the law, to declare the signs and wonders which were done to our fathers in Egypt, on the night of the fifteenth of Nisan, according to

Exodus 13:3, "remember this day", c. and from whence on the night of the fifteenth? from Exodus 13:8, "and thou shalt show thy son", c. at the time that the unleavened bread, and bitter herbs lie before thee. And though he has no son, or though they are wise, and grown up, they are bound to declare the going out of Egypt and everyone that enlarges, or dwells long on the things that happened and came to pass, lo! he is praiseworthy. It is a command to make known to children, even though they do not ask as it is said, "and thou shalt show thy son": according to the son's knowledge, his father teaches him; how if he is a little one, or foolish? he says to him, my son, all of us were servants, as this handmaid, or this servant, in Egypt; and on this night the holy, blessed God redeemed us, and brought us into liberty: and if the son is grown up and a wise man, he makes known to him what happened to us in Egypt, and the wonders which were done for us by the hands of Moses, our master; all according to the capacity of the son. And it is necessary to make a repetition on this night, that the children may see, and ask, and say, how different is this night from all other nights? until he replies to them, and says to them, so and so it happened, and thus and thus it was.--If he has no son, his wife asks him; and if he has no wife, they ask one another, how different is this night? and though they are all wise men, everyone asks himself alone, how different is this night? and it is necessary to begin with reproaches, and end with praise, how? he begins and declares, how at first our fathers were in the days of Terah, and before him, deniers (of the divine being), and wandering after vanity, and following idolatrous worship; and he ends with the law of truth, how that God brought us near to himself, and separated us from the nations, and caused us to draw nigh to his unity; and so begins and makes known, that we were servants to Pharaoh in Egypt, and all the evils he recompensed us with; and ends with the signs and wonders which were wrought for us, and with our liberties: and he that expounds from--"a Syrian was my father, ready to perish": till he has finished the whole section: and every one that adds and enlarges in expounding this section, lo! he is praiseworthy. And everyone that does not say these three words on the night of the fifteenth, cannot be excused from blame; and they are these, the passover, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs: "the passover", because God passed over the houses of our fathers in Egypt, as it is said, Exodus 12:27, "the bitter herbs", because the Egyptians made bitter the lives of our fathers in Egypt: "the unleavened bread", because they were redeemed: and these things all of them are called the declaration, or showing forth.''

Christ now took up some part of the time, at least, whilst they were eating, in discoursing with his disciples about the traitor:

he said, verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me; meaning to the chief priests and Scribes, who should condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles, to be mocked, scourged, and crucified, as he had told them some time before, Matthew 20:18, though he did not tell them as now, that it should be done by one of them; he had indeed signified as much as this two days before, at the supper in Bethany, but none seemed to understand whom he meant, but Peter and John, and the thing wore off their minds; and therefore he mentions it again to them, with great seriousness, and in the most solemn manner, declaring it as a certain and undoubted truth.

y Maimon. ib. c. 7. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Vid. c. 8. 2, 3, 4, 5. & Haggadah Shel. Pesach. p. 5, 6, 7, 8.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As they did eat ... - The account contained in these verses is also recorded in Mark 14:18-21; Luke 22:21-23; John 13:21-22. John says that before Jesus declared that one of them should betray him, “he was troubled in spirit, and testified;” that is, he “felt deeply” in view of the greatness of the crime that Judas was about to commit, and the sufferings that he was to endure, and “testified,” or gave utterance to his inward feelings of sorrow.

Matthew 26:22

They were exceeding sorrowful - John says John 13:22 “they looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake” - that is, they anxiously looked one at another, conscious each one, except Judas, of no such intention, and each one beginning to examine himself to find whether he was the person intended.

This showed their innocence, and their attachment to Jesus. It showed how sensitive they were to the least suspicion of the kind. It showed that they were willing to know themselves, thus evincing the spirit of the true Christian. Judas only was silent, and was the last to make the inquiry, and that after he had been plainly pointed out Matthew 26:25, thus showing:

1.That guilt is slow to suspect itself;

2.That it shrinks from the light;

3.That it was his purpose to conceal his intention; and,

4.That nothing but the consciousness that his Lord knew his design could induce him to make inquiry.

The guilty would, if possible, always conceal their crimes. The innocent are ready to suspect that they may have done wrong. Their feelings are tender, and they inquire with solicitude whether there may not be something in their bosoms, unknown to themselves, that may be a departure from right feeling.

Matthew 26:23

He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish - The Jews, at the observance of this ordinance, used a bitter sauce, made of bunches of raisins, mixed with vinegar and other seasoning of the like kind, which they said represented the clay which their fathers were compelled to use in Egypt in making brick, thus reminding them of their bitter bondage there.

This was probably the dish to which reference is made here. It is not improbable that Judas reclined near to our Saviour at the feast, and by his saying it was one that dipped “with him” in the dish, he meant one that was near to him, designating him more particularly than he had done before. John adds (John 13:23-30; see the notes at that place), that “there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved” - referring to himself; that Simon Peter beckoned to him to ask Jesus more particularly who it was; that Jesus signified who it was by giving “Judas a sop” - that is, a piece of “bread” or “meat” dipped in the thick sauce; and that Judas, having received it, went out to accomplish his wicked design of betraying him. Judas was not, therefore, present at the institution of the Lord’s Supper.

Matthew 26:24

The Son of man, goeth - That is, the Messiah - the Christ. See the notes at Matthew 8:20.

Goeth - Dies, or will die. The Hebrews often spoke in this manner of death, Psalms 39:13; Genesis 15:2.

As it is written of him - That is, as it is “written” or prophesied of him in the Old Testament. Compare Psalms 41:9 with John 13:18. See also Daniel 9:26-27; Isaiah 53:4-9. Luke Luke 22:22 says, “as it was determined.” In the Greek, as it was “marked out by a boundary” - that is, in the divine purpose. It was the previous intention of God to give him up to die for sin, or it could not have been certainly predicted. It is also declared to have been by his “determinate counsel and foreknowledge.” See the notes at Acts 2:23.

Woe unto that man ... - The crime is great and awful, and he will be punished accordingly. He states the greatness of his misery or “woe” in the phrase following.

It had been good ... - That is, it would have been better for him if he had not been born; or it would be better now for him if he was to be as “if” he had not been born, or if he was annihilated. This was a proverbial mode of speaking among the Jews in frequent use. In relation to Judas, it proves the following things:

1.That the crime which he was about to commit was exceedingly great;

2.That the misery or punishment due to it would certainly come upon him;

3.That he would certainly deserve that misery, or it would not have been threatened or inflicted; and,

4.That his punishment would be eternal.

If there should be any period when the sufferings of Judas should end, and he be restored and raised to heaven, the blessings of that “happiness without end” would infinitely overbalance all the sufferings he could endure in a limited time, and consequently it would not be true that it would have been better for him not to have been born. Existence, to him, would, on the whole, be an infinite blessing. This passage proves further that, in relation to one wicked man, the sufferings of hell will be eternal. If of one, then it is equally certain and proper that all the wicked will perish forever.

If it be asked how this crime of Judas could be so great, or could be a crime at all, when it was determined beforehand that the Saviour should be betrayed and die in this manner, it may be answered:

1. That the crime was what it was “in itself,” apart from any determination of God. It was a violation of all the duties he owed to God and to the Lord Jesus - awful ingratitude, detestable covetousness, and most base treachery. As such it deserved to be punished.

2. The previous purpose of God did not force Judas to do this. In it he acted freely. He did just what his wicked heart prompted him to do.

3. A previous knowledge of a thing, or a previous purpose to permit a thing, does not alter its “nature,” or cause it to be a different thing from what it is.

4. God, who is the best judge of the nature of crime, holds all that was done in crucifying the Saviour, though it was by his determinate counsel and foreknowledge, “to be by wicked hands,” Acts 2:23. This punishment of Judas proves, also, that sinners cannot take shelter for their sins in the decrees of God, or plead them as an excuse. God will punish crimes for what they “are in themselves.” His own deep and inscrutable purposes in regard to human actions will not change “the nature” of those actions, or screen the sinner from the punishment which he deserves.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 26:21. One of you shall betray me. — Or, will deliver me up. Judas had already betrayed him, Matthew 26:15, and he was now about to deliver him into the hands of the chief priests, according to the agreement he had made with them.