Mark 14:11
in Mark 14They were delighted to hear this, and they promised to give him money. So Judas began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they, when they heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently deliver him unto them.
KJV
And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
⋯
This verse in Mark 14
Commentary
16 notes on this verseHe is sold, and cheap was the price—thirty pieces of silver; yet he buys back the world at the mighty cost of his own blood. A sheep, he is led to the slaughter—yet he shepherds Israel and now the whole world as well.
This site's exposition
went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them
on Mark 14:10-11
Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus, so the betrayer came from inside the inner circle. Mark sets his sale directly after the woman’s costly gift.
This site's exposition
look for an opportunity to
Theophylact explains what Judas offered: word of a time when Jesus would be alone, away from the crowds the priests feared. Matthew gives thirty pieces of silver, and Gregory of Nazianzus sets that cheap sale beside the blood by which Jesus buys back the world.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
And Judas Iscariot, who was one of us, rose up and went his way to betray him. And Judas came with the scribes and with the priests of the people, and betrayed our Lord Jesus.Now this was done on the fourth day of the week. …
(de Prod. Jud. Hom. 1) Why dost thou tell me of his country? would that I could also have been ignorant of his existence. But there was another disciple called Judas the zealot, the brother of James, and lest by calling him by this name there should arise a confusion between the two, he separates the one from the other. But he says not Judas the traitor, that he may teach us to be guiltless of detraction, and to avoid accusing others. In that however he says, one of the twelve, he enhanced the detestable guilt of the traitor; for there were seventy other disciples, these however were not so intimate with Him, nor admitted to such familiar intercourse. But these twelve were approved by Him, these were the regal band, out of which the wicked traitor came forth. (ubi sup.) Oh! the madness, yea, the avarice of the traitor, for his covetousness brought forth all the evil. For covetousness retains the souls which it has taken, and confines them in every way when it has bound them, and makes them forget all things, maddening their minds. Judas, taken captive by this madness of avarice, forgets the conversation, the table of Christ, his own discipleship, Christ's warnings and persuasion. For there follows, And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
The Medieval Church3 voices
(ὁ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα χορὸς ap. Chrys.) But he was one of the twelve in number, not in merit, one in body, not in soul. But he went to the Chief Priests after he went out and Satan entered into him. Every living thing unites with what is like itself. And he promises to betray Him, as his master the devil said before, All this power I will give thee. (Luke 4:6) It goes on, And when they heard it they were glad, and promised to give him money.
Upon hearing this, they rejoiced and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might opportunely betray Him. Many today are horrified by Judas's crime of selling his Lord and Master, and God with money, as something monstrous and wicked, yet they do …
What does the expression "to betray Him" mean? It means: to inform them when Christ would be alone. They were afraid to seize Him while He was teaching, lest they bring trouble upon themselves from the people; therefore Judas promised to betray Him to them …
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
(ubi sup.) The unhappy Judas wishes to compensate with the price of his Master for the loss which he thought he had made by the pouring out of the ointment; wherefore it is said, And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the Chief Priests to betray him unto them. But by the words, he went out, it is shown that he was not invited by the Chief Priests, nor bound by any necessity, but entered upon this design from the spontaneous wickedness of his own mind. (ubi sup.) Many in this day shudder at the crime of Judas in selling his Master, his Lord and his God, for money, as monstrous and horrible wickedness; they however do not take heed, for when for the sake of gain they trample on the rights of charity and truth, they are traitors to God, who is Charity and Truth.
It is said, to betray him unto them, that is, to announce to them when He should be alone. But they feared to rush upon Him when He was teaching, for fear of the people.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Covetousness was Judas's master-lust, his own iniquity, and that betrayed him to the sin of betraying his Master; the devil suited his temptation to that, and so conquered him. It is not said, They promised him preferment (he was not ambitious of that), but, they promised him money. See what need we have to double our guard against the sin that most easily besets us.
And when they heard it, they were glad,.... That such an opportunity offered, and from such a quarter, by one of his own disciples; so that it might be done more secretly and effectually, and with less blame to themselves: and promised to give him money; any sum he should ask; and what was agreed upon were thirty pieces, or shekels of silver; and so the Ethiopic version here, instead of money, reads, "thirty pieces of silver"; See Gill on Mat 26:
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
In these verses, Mark tells us how our Lord was delivered into the hands of His enemies. It came to pass through the treachery of one of His own twelve disciples. The false apostle, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Him. We ought to mark, firstly, in this passage, to what lengths a man may go in a false profession of religion . It is impossible to conceive a more striking proof of this painful truth, than the history of Judas Iscariot.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money--Matthew alone records the precise sum, because a remarkable and complicated prophecy, which he was afterwards to refer to, was fulfilled by it.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
In these verses, Mark tells us how our Lord was delivered into the hands of His enemies. It came to pass through the treachery of one of His own twelve disciples. The false apostle, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Him. We ought to mark, firstly, in this passage, to what lengths a man may go in a false profession of religion . It is impossible to conceive a more striking proof of this painful truth, than the history of Judas Iscariot. If ever there was a man who at one time looked like a true disciple of Christ, and bade fair to reach heaven, that man was Judas. He was chosen by the Lord Jesus Himself to be an apostle. He was privileged to be a companion of the Messiah, and an eye-witness of His mighty works, throughout His earthly ministry. He was an associate of Peter, James and John. He was sent forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to work miracles in Christ's name. He was regarded by all the eleven apostles as one of themselves. He was so like his fellow disciples, that they did not suspect him of being a traitor. And yet this very man turns out at last a false-hearted child of the devil — departs entirely from the faith — assists our Lord's deadliest enemies, and leaves the world with a worse reputation than any one since the days of Cain. Never was there such a fall, such an apostasy, such a miserable end to a fair beginning — such a total eclipse of a soul! And how can this amazing conduct of Judas be accounted for? There is only one answer to that question. "The love of money" was the cause of this unhappy man's ruin. That same groveling covetousness, which enslaved the heart of Balaam, and brought on Gehazi a leprosy, was the destruction of Iscariot's soul. No other explanation of his behavior will satisfy the plain statements of Scripture. His act was an act of base covetousness, without a redeeming feature about it.
They were glad - The joy that arises from the opportunity of murdering an innocent person must be completely infernal.
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οἱ | hoi | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | And | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἀκούσαντες | akousantes | having heard | G191 → | 425 times |
| ἐχάρησαν | echaresan | they rejoiced | G5463 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐπηγγείλαντο | epengeilanto | they promised | G1861 → | |
| αὐτῷ | auto | to him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἀργύριον | argurion | money | G694 → | |
| δοῦναι· | dounai | to give; | G1325 → | 412 times |
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐζήτει | ezetei | he was seeking | G2212 → | 117 times |
| πῶς | pos | how | G4459 → | 103 times |
| αὐτὸν | auton | Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| εὐκαίρως | eukairos | conveniently | G2122 → | |
| παραδοῖ.¶ | paradoi | he may deliver up. | G3860 → | 119 times |
οἱ<the>
hoiG3588 →19766 times
δὲAnd
deG1161 →2765 times
ἀκούσαντεςhaving heard
akousantesG191 →425 times
ἐχάρησανthey rejoiced
echaresanG5463 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐπηγγείλαντοthey promised
epengeilantoG1861 →
αὐτῷto him
autoG846 →5565 times
ἀργύριονmoney
argurionG694 →
δοῦναι·to give;
dounaiG1325 →412 times
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐζήτειhe was seeking
ezeteiG2212 →117 times
πῶςhow
posG4459 →103 times
αὐτὸνHim
autonG846 →5565 times
εὐκαίρωςconveniently
eukairosG2122 →
παραδοῖ.¶he may deliver up.
paradoiG3860 →119 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Timothy 6:10For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
it leads to
- Proverbs 1:19
Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.
- 1 Timothy 6:9
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
- Psalms 32:10
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.
- Proverbs 1:31
So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
- Titus 1:11
who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.
- Proverbs 1:19
Through
2 Kings 5:26But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and…
it leads to
- Colossians 2:5
For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 5:3
Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
- 2 Kings 6:12
But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
- Colossians 2:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies23
- The Son of Man in 1 Enoch
- Abba, Father
- The Major Prophets
- Daniel the Prophet
- Gethsemane (The Garden Called the Oil Press)
- Jesus on Himself
Show the next 6 titles
About Mark

This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Bede, On the Gospel of Mark; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Didascalia Apostolorum, DIDASCALIA APOSTOLORUM 21; Gregory of Nazianzus, ORATION 29, ON THE SON 20; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Pseudo-Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.
