The Meaning of Matthew 26:21 Explained

Matthew 26:21

KJV: And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

YLT: and while they are eating, he said, 'Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up.'

Darby: And as they were eating he said, Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up.

ASV: and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  as they  did eat,  he said,  Verily  I say  unto you,  that  one  of  you  shall betray  me. 

What does Matthew 26:21 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 26:14-25 - A False Friend Exposed
While Mary sacrificed a large sum of money to show her love to Jesus, Judas sold Him for the hire of a slave. See Zechariah 11:12.
The Lord had a great desire to eat this last meal with His own; and it was a proof of His loving anticipation of the strain to which they were to be exposed in soul and body, that He had made arrangements for it with some secret disciple. How glad this loving soul must have been to make the loan of that guest chamber!-but have you placed your heart at His disposal? See 1 Corinthians 5:7.
It was a time of testing as well as of fellowship. None of us should sit at the table of the Lord without careful self-examination and confession. We all need to say, Lord, is it I? and to ask that we may be clad in the white robes through His precious blood. Remember, also, that they who in all humility and self-distrust fear lest they should commit the deed of treachery, are always the ones to whom it will be impossible. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 26

1  Jesus foretells his own death
3  The rulers conspire against him
6  The woman anoints his feet
14  Judas bargains to betray him
17  Jesus eats the Passover;
26  institutes his holy supper;
30  foretells the desertion of his disciples, and Peter's denial;
36  prays in the garden;
47  and being betrayed by a kiss,
57  is carried to Caiaphas,
69  and denied by Peter

Greek Commentary for Matthew 26:21

One of you [εις εχ υμων]
This was a bolt from the blue for all except Judas and he was startled to know that Jesus understood his treacherous bargain. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 26:21

Mark 14:20 One of the twelve [εις των δωδεκα]
It is as bad as that. The sign that Jesus gave, the one dipping in the dish with me (ο εμβαπτομενος μετ εμου εις το τρυβλιον — ho embaptomenos met' emou eis to trublion), escaped the notice of all. Jesus gave the sop to Judas who understood perfectly that Jesus knew his purpose. See Matthew 26:21-24 for further details. [source]
John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover [προ δε της εορτης του πασχα]
Just before, John means, not twenty-four hours before, that is our Thursday evening (beginning of 15th of Nisan, sunset to sunset Jewish day), since Jesus was crucified on Friday 15th of Nisan. Hence Jesus ate the regular passover meal at the usual time. The whole feast, including the feast of unleavened bread, lasted eight days. For a discussion of the objections to this interpretation of John in connexion with the Synoptic Gospels one may consult my Harmony of the Gospels, pp. 279-84, and David Smith‘s In the Days of His Flesh, Appendix VIII. The passover feast began on the 15th Nisan at sunset, the passover lamb being slain the afternoon of 14th Nisan. There seems no real doubt that this meal in John 13:1-30 is the real passover meal described by the Synoptics also (Mark 14:18-21; Matthew 26:21-25; Luke 22:21-23), followed by the institution of the Lord‘s Supper. Thus understood John 13:1 here serves as an introduction to the great esoteric teaching of Christ to the apostles (John 13:2-17:26), called by Barnas Sears The Heart of Christ. This phrase goes with the principal verb ηγαπησεν — ēgapēsen (loved). Knowing Second perfect active participle, emphasizing the full consciousness of Christ. He was not stumbling into the dark as he faced “his hour” See John 18:4; John 19:28 for other examples of the insight and foresight (Bernard) of Jesus concerning his death. See on John 12:23 for use before by Jesus. That he should depart Sub-final use of ινα — hina with second aorist active subjunctive of μεταβαινω — metabainō old word, to go from one place to another, here (John 5:24; 1 John 3:14) to go from this world (John 8:23) back to the Father from whom he had come (John 14:12, John 14:28; John 16:10, John 16:28; John 17:5). His own which were in the world His own disciples (John 17:6, John 17:9, John 17:11), those left in the world when he goes to the Father, not the Jews as in John 1:11. See Acts 4:23; 1 Timothy 5:8 for the idiom. John pictures here the outgoing of Christ‘s very heart‘s love (chs. John 13-17) towards these men whom he had chosen and whom he loved “unto the end” (εις τελος — eis telos) as in Matthew 10:22; Luke 18:15, but here as in 1 Thessalonians 2:16 rather “to the uttermost.” The culmination of the crisis (“his hour”) naturally drew out the fulness of Christ‘s love for them as is shown in these great chapters (John 13-17). [source]
John 13:21 He was troubled in the spirit [εταραχτη τοι πνευματι]
First aorist passive indicative of ταρασσω — tarassō and the locative case of πνευμα — pneuma See note on John 11:33 and note on John 12:27 for this use of ταρασσω — tarassō for the agitation of Christ‘s spirit. In John 14:1, John 14:27 it is used of the disciples. Jesus was one with God (John 5:19) and yet he had our real humanity (John 1:14). Testified First aorist active indicative of μαρτυρεω — martureō definite witness as in John 4:44; John 18:37. One of you shall betray me Future active of παραδιδωμι — paradidōmi to betray, the word so often used of Judas. This very language occurs in Mark 14:18; Matthew 26:21 and the idea in Luke 22:21. Jesus had said a year ago that “one of you is a devil” (John 6:70), but it made no such stir then. Now it was a bolt from the blue sky as Jesus swept his eyes around and looked at the disciples. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 26:21 mean?

And [as] they were eating to them He said Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me
καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με

καὶ  And  [as] 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
ἐσθιόντων  they  were  eating 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἐσθίω 
Sense: to eat.
αὐτῶν  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Ἀμὴν  Truly 
Parse: Hebrew Word
Root: ἀμήν  
Sense: firm.
λέγω  I  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὑμῖν  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
εἷς  one 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: εἷς  
Sense: one.
παραδώσει  will  betray 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: παραδίδωμι  
Sense: to give into the hands (of another).
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.