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Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me.
Matthew 26:23 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me.
  • KJV And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
  • NKJV He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.
  • NASB And He answered, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me.
  • NLT He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me 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 identifies the betrayer as one who shares the dish with Him. The closeness of table fellowship makes the betrayal more grievous.

Overview

Jesus points to a companion sharing the common dish, recalling Psalm 41:9, where a close friend lifts his heel against the sufferer. To betray after sharing a meal was the deepest breach of fellowship in that culture. The verse highlights both the tragedy of Judas and the fulfillment of Scripture in Jesus's suffering.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • John 13:18I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture: ‘The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’
  • Ps 41:9Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
  • John 13:26–28Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it.” Then He dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.
  • Luke 22:21Look! The hand of My betrayer is with Mine on the table.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

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

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 26:23YouTube · 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 MatthewMatthew 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

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 26:23 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.