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But Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:48 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
  • KJV But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
  • NKJV But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
  • NASB But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
  • NLT But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Jesus asks, 'Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?' He exposes the hypocrisy of the betrayal.

Overview

Jesus' question lays bare the contradiction of betraying love with a sign of love. He addresses Judas by name, offering a final, sorrowful confrontation rather than mere condemnation. The title 'Son of Man' recalls the dignity of the One being handed over to suffering.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Mark 14:44–46Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and lead Him away securely.”
  • 2 Sam 20:9–10“Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
  • Matt 26:48–50Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.”
  • Prov 27:6The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
  • Ps 55:21His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 22:48YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 22:48 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.