Matthew 27:6 Meaning: Selective Conscience
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.”
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.
And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.
And the chief priests having taken the silverlings, said, `It is not lawful to put them to the treasury, seeing it is the price of blood;'
And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, It is not lawful to cast them into the Corban, since it is [the] price of blood.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did the chief priests refuse to put blood money in the temple treasury?
Context
Jesus has been condemned and handed over to Pilate. Judas, overcome with remorse, returns the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, confessing that he has betrayed innocent blood. He throws the money into the sanctuary and leaves to hang himself. The chief priests gather the coins and face a dilemma: the money is the price of a man's life, and they consider it too polluted for the temple treasury. So they take counsel and buy a potter's field to bury strangers. This brief scene cuts to the heart of their twisted priorities, scrupulous about ceremonial purity, yet unmoved by the murder they orchestrated.
Key Words
Three Greek words carry the weight of this scene. The treasury (korbanan) comes from the Hebrew korban, a gift offered to God. It was the most sacred place in the temple courts, where only holy offerings belonged. The leaders knew this, but they had already taken the same kind of money out of that treasury to pay for the betrayal. The word for price (timē) can also mean honor. With bitter irony, what should have honored God became the price of a man's life. And the word for lawful (exestin) appears throughout the Gospels when the Pharisees question Jesus about healing on the Sabbath. They were experts in what the law permitted in small matters, yet blind to the great crime they were committing.
How Christians Read This Verse
Across Christian traditions, this verse is read as a stark warning against religious hypocrisy. Methodist commentator Adam Clarke called it a false and superstitious tenderness of conscience. Reformed theologian John Calvin noted that hypocrites are guilty of gross trifling with God, scrupulous about ceremony while ignoring their own sin. Protestant scholar Albert Barnes observed that by calling it the price of blood, the leaders admitted Jesus was innocent, yet they pressed on with his crucifixion. Catholic and Orthodox readers likewise see here a violation of the sacred treasury (Corban) and a heart so hardened that piety itself becomes a mask for guilt. All traditions agree: this moment exposes how easily we use religious rules to cover a conscience that should be broken.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to think the chief priests were acting righteously, protecting the temple from tainted money. In fact, their scruple condemns them. As Albert Barnes noted, by calling it the price of blood, they acknowledged that Jesus was innocent. Their careful piety was a mask for murder. The mistake is to see their fussiness as virtue. In reality, it was the last layer of self-deception before they handed over an innocent man to death.
Living This Out
This verse asks you to look at your own scruples. Maybe you are quick to judge how worship is done, what songs are sung, or who leads, but slow to notice the coworker who is being treated unfairly. Maybe you avoid things that feel unclean, yet stay silent when a friend is hurting or a neighbor is in need. Jesus said the Pharisees strained out a gnat but swallowed a camel. This week, pause when you feel a surge of religious fussiness. Ask yourself: am I protecting my own image of holiness, or am I actually caring about what God cares about, justice, mercy, and the people right in front of me?
Main takeaway: Religious scruples can mask a heart that has grown comfortable with sin.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The leaders wouldn't put the money in the church box because it was blood money. But they had used that money to hurt Jesus. God wants us to care about people more than money or rules.
For ages 9, 12
The chief priests were very careful about not putting blood money in the temple treasury, but they weren't careful at all about killing an innocent man. Sometimes we can be strict about little things, like how we behave in church, but miss the big things God really cares about, like being kind and telling the truth. God sees everything, not just the parts we keep neat.
Questions People Ask
Why did the chief priests refuse to put the money in the treasury?
They said it was the price of blood, money paid for a man's life. Jewish law prohibited bringing tainted offerings into the temple treasury (Deuteronomy 23:18). But their scruple was hypocritical: they had no problem paying for the betrayal itself.
What does 'treasury' mean in this verse?
The Greek word is korbanan, from the Hebrew korban, meaning 'offering to God.' It was the sacred chest in the temple court where freewill offerings were kept. The leaders considered the silver too polluted for that holy place.
How does this verse show the chief priests' hypocrisy?
They were careful about a ceremonial rule concerning the temple treasury, but they had already violated a much greater law by condemning an innocent man to death. Their scruple did not make them righteous; it only highlighted their guilt.
What did they do with the money instead?
They took counsel and bought the potter's field to bury strangers (Matthew 27:7). This field later became known as the Field of Blood, fulfilling what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah.
Why does Matthew include this detail in his Gospel?
Matthew shows how even the chief priests' attempt to keep the treasury pure ended up fulfilling God's prophetic plan. Their twisted conscience could not stop the unfolding of redemption. It also serves as a sobering example of how religious leaders can commit great evil while maintaining a facade of piety.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study