The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Now he who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, “Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.”
- KJV Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
- BSB Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.”
- NKJV Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.”
- NASB Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign previously, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him.”
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
Judas arranges to identify Jesus by a kiss. He turns a sign of affection into the mark of betrayal.
Overview
Judas prearranges a kiss, a customary greeting of respect, as the signal to the arresting party. The perversion of a loving gesture into treachery deepens the horror of his act. It reveals how sin corrupts even tokens of friendship, and how Jesus was betrayed by one who feigned devotion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 55:20–21He raises his hands against his friends. He has violated his covenant.
- Mark 14:44Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I will kiss, that is he. Seize him, and lead him away safely.”
- 2 Sam 3:27When Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
- Ps 28:3Don’t draw me away with the wicked, with the workers of iniquity who speak peace with their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.
- 2 Sam 20:9–10Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
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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 26:48 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
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