The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.”
Parallel translations
- WEB The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, “It’s not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.”
- KJV And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
- BSB The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
- NKJV But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.”
- NLT The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.”
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
The priests scruple to put the blood money in the treasury, calling it the price of blood. They are meticulous about ritual law while guilty of murder.
Overview
The chief priests recognize the returned silver as tainted 'blood money' unfit for the temple treasury. Their careful legal scruple stands in glaring contrast to their willingness to engineer an innocent man's death. The irony exposes a religion of outward precision that is inwardly blind to grave moral evil.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 6:7–9The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him.
- Deut 23:18You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a male prostitute, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.
- Isa 61:8“For I, Yahweh, love justice. I hate robbery and iniquity. I will give them their reward in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
- John 18:28They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. It was early, and they themselves didn’t enter into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
- Matt 23:24You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!
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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.'
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Original language
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