Judas
The Graecized form of Judah. (1.) The patriarch (Matt 1:2, Matt 1:3).
(2.) Son of Simon (John 6:71; John 13:2, John 13:26), surnamed Iscariot, i.e., a man of Kerioth (Josh 15:25). His name is uniformly the last in the list of the apostles, as given in the synoptic (i.e., the first three) Gospels. The evil of his nature probably gradually unfolded itself till “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27), and he betrayed our Lord (John 18:3). Afterwards he owned his sin with “an exceeding bitter cry,” and cast the money he had received as the wages of his iniquity down on the floor of the sanctuary, and “departed and went and hanged himself” (Matt 27:5). He perished in his guilt, and “went unto his own place” (Acts 1:25). The statement in Acts 1:18 that he “fell headlong and burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out,” is in no way contrary to that in Matt 27:5. The sucide first hanged himself, perhaps over the valley of Hinnom, “and the rope giving way, or the branch to which he hung breaking, he fell down headlong on his face, and was crushed and mangled on the rocky pavement below.”
Why such a man was chosen to be an apostle we know not, but it is written that “Jesus knew from the beginning who should betray him” (John 6:64). Nor can any answer be satisfactorily given to the question as to the motives that led Judas to betray his Master. “Of the motives that have been assigned we need not care to fix on any one as that which simply led him on. Crime is, for the most part, the result of a hundred motives rushing with bewildering fury through the mind of the criminal.”
(3.) A Jew of Damascus (Acts 9:11), to whose house Ananias was sent. The street called “Straight” in which it was situated is identified with the modern “street of bazaars,” where is still pointed out the so-called “house of Judas.”
(4.) A Christian teacher, surnamed Barsabas. He was sent from Jerusalem to Antioch along with Paul and Barnabas with the decision of the council (Acts 15:22, Acts 15:27, Acts 15:32). He was a “prophet” and a “chief man among the brethren.”
Named in the Bible
The first 20 of 32 verses
- Matthew 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
- Matthew 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
- Matthew 10:4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
- Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
- Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
- Matthew 26:25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
- Matthew 26:47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
- Matthew 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
- Mark 3:19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
- Mark 14:10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
- Mark 14:43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
- Luke 6:16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
- Luke 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
- Luke 22:47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
- Luke 22:48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
- John 6:71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
- John 12:4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
- John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
- John 13:26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
- John 13:29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.
