And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
Parallel translations
- WEB As they were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”
- KJV And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
- NKJV Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
- NASB And as they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.”
- NLT While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
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 announces that one of them will betray Him. He shows full knowledge of the coming treachery.
Overview
In the midst of the meal Jesus solemnly reveals that a betrayer sits among them. His foreknowledge underscores that He is not taken by surprise and goes willingly to His death. The announcement also gives Judas a final, sobering opportunity to turn back, and exposes the danger of a heart unsurrendered to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- John 13:21After Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
- Heb 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- John 6:70–71Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
- Ps 55:12–14For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide.
- Rev 2:23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
- Luke 22:21–23Look! The hand of My betrayer is with Mine on the table.
- Matt 26:14–16Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
- Matt 26:2“You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 26:21 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.