JUDAS ISCARIOT (Gr. Ιουδα-ς Ισκαριώτης), the son of Simon, also called Iscariot (John 12:4; 13:2), was one of Jesus’ disciples and betrayed Him to His enemies. The meaning of the epithet Iscariot is uncertain. It may have been a Hellenized form of אִישׁ קְרִיּﯴת, “man of Kerioth,” to indicate his origin. Other suggested interpretations are “from Kartan,” a town in Galilee (Josh 21:32); or a nickname derived from אסקרטיא (a leather bag, since he carried a bag for money); or from אַסְכְּרָא (strangling) by way of allusion to his death (see Origen, Matthew XXXV); or possibly σκαριώτης, a Sem. tr. of the Latin sicarius, a radical Zealot who carried a dagger. Probably the first-named option is the best.

Nothing is known for certain of the early life of Judas. If he came from Kerioth he may have been the only Judean among the disciples. He is first mentioned in the choosing of the Twelve (Matt 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16), at which point all the Synoptics add the clause, “which also betrayed him.” His relation to Jesus is not mentioned until the episode at Bethany when Mary anointed Jesus with a vial of expensive ointment. John notes that Judas initiated the protest of the gift as a waste, and adds the footnote that Judas’ interest was prompted by his avarice. Had the ointment been sold, the cash proceeds would have become available to Judas, who was the treasurer of the Twelve (Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-10; John 12:1-8). The synoptics leave the impression that Jesus’ rebuke evoked Judas’ displeasure, and that he immediately went to the chief priests to bargain for the betrayal (see also Luke 22:3). John 13:26-30 states that Judas withdrew from the meal in the Upper Room in order to complete his arrangement. The two accounts are not irreconcilable. He may have begun negotiations early, and have later informed the priests of the proper occasion for arrest. John implies this definitely by saying that Judas had already been motivated to betray Jesus (13:2), but that the decisive act came during the Last Supper (13:26-30).

The motive for Judas’ treachery is not stated categorically in the gospels. Probably he joined Jesus’ company because, like the rest of the disciples (cf. Matt 16:16; John 1:41, 45, 49; 11:27), he believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and that he would recover the independence of Israel from Gentile domination (Matt 19:27; 20:20-23; Luke 24:21; Acts 1:6). Jesus’ consistent refusal to make His mission political, and His open declaration at the feast of Bethany that His death was imminent, may have spurred Judas to action. If he could not be assured of a prominent place in the coming Messianic kingdom, he could at least profit by disposing of Jesus to His enemies. Disillusionment, the frustration of his expectations, and greed as John indicates, plus a definite Satanic influence (John 13:2, 27) prompted his treachery.

Not only did he arrange for the capture of Jesus, but he also identified Him in the garden of Gethsemane where the arrest took place (Matt 26:47; Mark 14:43; Luke 22:47; John 18:3-5). When Jesus was officially condemned to death, Judas was overwhelmed with remorse and attempted to undo his evil deed by returning the money, only to be contemptuously rejected (Matt 27:3-5). Matthew states that he hanged himself; Luke adds a footnote in Acts to the effect that he was killed by a fall (Acts 1:18, 19). The money was used by the priests to buy the potter’s field, later called “The Field of Blood” (Matt 27:6-8), as a burial place for strangers.

Bibliography E. F. Harrison, “Jesus and Judas,” Bibliotheca Sacra 417 (Jan-March 1948), 170-181; F. J. Foakes-Jackson and Kirsopp Lake, “The Death of Judas,” in F. J. Foakes-Jackson and K. Lake, The Beginnings of Christianity, Vol. V (1933), 22-30. For an exhaustive treatment, consult J. G. Tasker, “Judas Iscariot,” in Hastings DCG, I, pp. 907-913 (1906).