Maarten J.J. Menken, «The Old Testament Quotation in Matthew 27,9-10: Textual Form and Context», Vol. 83 (2002) 305-328

The source of the fulfilment quotation in Matt 27,9-10 must be Zech 11,13, but the biblical text is distorted to a degree that is unparalleled in the other fulfilment quotations, and Matthew ascribes the quotation to Jeremiah. Another difficulty is that the quotation seems to have influenced the context to a much larger extent than in the case of the other fulfilment quotations. A careful analysis of the text shows that the peculiar textual form can be explained in a relatively simple way. The influence of the quotation on Matt 27,3-8 is limited, and is best ascribed to Matthew’s redaction. After all, this fulfilment quotation appears to be less exceptional than it is sometimes supposed to be.

"potter", but it functions in completely different ways, and is better considered as one of the reasons to combine the quotation with the narrative.

        But let us consider in detail the elements that have been supposed to be due to the influence of the quotation: the thirty silver pieces (Matt 26,15; 27,3), Judas’ throwing them into the temple (27,5), the refusal of the chief priests to put them into the temple fund (27,6) and their buying of the potter’s field (27,7). I discuss them successively, to establish the possible influence of the Zechariah text and the textual level (pre-Matthean or Matthean) at which it occurred.

        From his source Mark, Matthew could not derive more information than that money (a)rgu/rion) was involved in the deal between Judas and the chief priests, for we read in Mark 14,11: e)phggei/lanto au)tw=| a)rgu/rion dou=nai, "they promised to give him money". Matthew rewrote this clause as follows (26,15): e!sthsan au)tw=| tria/konta a)rgu/ria, "they weighed out to him thirty silver pieces". The combination of e!sthsan and the number tria/konta must be due to the influence of Zech 11,12: "they weighed out as my wages thirty silver shekels" (LXX and Aquila: e!sthsan to_n misqo/n mou tria/konta a)rgurou=j). The number thirty in Matt 27,3 (referring to Matt 26,15) will then also be due to influence of the Zechariah passage at the level of Matthew’s redaction. The outline of the traditional narrative reconstructed above does not of itself require a specification of the amount of money. We cannot exclude a pre-redactional influence of Zechariah, but there is no need to assume it, and Matt 26,15 suggests otherwise.

        That Judas throws the silver pieces into the temple (r(i/yaj ta_ a)rgu/ria ei)j to_n nao/n, 27,5), is a detail that seems to come indeed from Zech 11,13 ("I threw them into the house of the Lord"). The Greek verb r(i/ptein (or r(iptei=n) is a correct and usual rendering of the Hebrew verb Kl#$ hiphil or hophal⁴⁹, and Aquila and Symmachus actually use it twice in translating Zech 11,13. It may well have been in a revised LXX such as, in my opinion, Matthew used. The expression ei)j to_n nao/n is then a substitute for "into the house of the Lord". The echo of Zech 11,13 was not necessarily already present in the pre-Matthean story: the return of the money can have been worded in various ways. In fact, Matthew’s hand shows itself in ta_ a)rgu/ria, and ei)j to_n nao/n