ISB ~ Matthew 27 v8 - 10

An allusion to OT passages from both Jeremiah and Zechariah.

• The central scenario of buying a potter’s field links these prophets. (1) Jeremiah made a famous visit to a potter (Jer 18:1-11) and was commissioned by God to purchase a field (Jer 32:6-9), (2) while Zechariah narrates how the wicked shepherds of Israel valued the Lord at a mere “thirty shekels of silver” (Zech 11:12), a price so worthless it was thrown away to a “potter” (see text note q at Zech 11:13). The wider context of Jeremiah gives these oracles a geographical focus:the prophet also smashed a potter’s vessel in the gate overlooking the valley of Hinnom (i.e., Gehenna / Topheth) as a sign that Jerusalem and Judea would be destroyed for shedding innocent blood (Jer 19:1-15). Ancient tradition locates Judas’ burial site (Field of Blood) in this same valley of Hinnom, precisely where Jeremiah smashed the pot and foretold its destiny as a future graveyard (Jer 19:11). Matthew may think of the smashed vessel, originally a sign of Judea’s demise, as also a prophetic sign of Judas’ destruction.