The Meaning of Matthew 26:23 Explained

Matthew 26:23

KJV: And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

YLT: And he answering said, 'He who did dip with me the hand in the dish, he will deliver me up;

Darby: But he answering said, He that dips his hand with me in the dish, he it is who shall deliver me up.

ASV: And he answered and said, He that dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he answered  and said,  He that dippeth  [his] hand  with  me  in  the dish,  the same  shall betray  me. 

What does Matthew 26:23 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus" answer did not identify the betrayer specifically. His response meant that the betrayer was someone who had dipped into the same bowl as Jesus had, namely, one of the Twelve, someone close to Jesus. This reply stressed the heinousness of the betrayal and the graciousness of Jesus.
"The whole incident must be interpreted as a gracious attempt on the part of Jesus to make Judas realize his terrible sin and turn from it before it was too late." [1]
If this was the main course of the meal, the bowl would have contained herbs and a fruit pure that everyone would have been scooping out with bread to eat with the lamb.
"Toward midafternoon of Thursday, 14Nisan, the lambs (one per "household"-a convenient group of perhaps ten or twelve people) would be brought to the temple court where the priests sacrificed them. The priests took the blood and passed it in basins along a line till it was poured out at the foot of the altar. They also burned the lambs" fat on the altar of burnt offerings. The singing of the Hallel ( Psalm 113-18) accompanied these steps.
"After sunset (i.e, now15 Nisan), the "household" would gather in a home to eat the Passover lamb, which by this time would have been roasted with bitter herbs. The head of the household began the meal with the thanksgiving for that feast day (the Passover Kiddush) and for the wine, praying over the first of four cups. A preliminary course of greens and bitter herbs was, apparently, followed by the Passover haggadah-in which a boy would ask the meaning of all this, and the head of the household would explain the symbols in terms of the Exodus (cf. M[2] Pesahim Matthew 10:4-5)-and the singing of the first part of the Hallel ( Psalm 113or Psalm 113-14). Though the precise order is disputed, apparently a second cup of wine introduced the main course, which was followed by a third cup known as the "cup of blessing," accompanied by another prayer of thanksgiving. The participants then sang the rest of the Hallel ( Psalm 114-18 or115-18) and probably drank a fourth cup of wine." [3]

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 26:23

He that dipped [ο εμβαπσας]
They all dipped their hands, having no knives, forks, or spoons. The aorist participle with the article simply means that the betrayer is the one who dips his hand in the dish (εν τωι τρυβλιωι — en tōi trubliōi) or platter with the broth of nuts and raisins and figs into which the bread was dipped before eating. It is plain that Judas was not recognized by the rest as indicated by what Jesus has said. This language means that one of those who had eaten bread with him had violated the rights of hospitality by betraying him. The Arabs today are punctilious on this point. Eating one‘s bread ties your hands and compels friendship. But Judas knew full well as is shown in Matthew 26:25 though the rest apparently did not grasp it. [source]
The dish [τρυβλίῳ]
Wyc.,platter. A dish containing a broth made with nuts, raisins, dates, figs, etc., into which' pieces of bread were dipped. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 26:23

Mark 14:20 Dish [τρυβλίου]
See on Matthew 26:23. [source]
John 13:26 Dipped the sop []
Compare Matthew 26:23; Mark 14:20. The regular sop of the Paschal supper consisted of the following things wrapped together: flesh of the Paschal lamb, a piece of unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. The sauce into which it was dipped does not belong to the original institution, but had been introduced before the days of Christ. According to one authority it consisted of only vinegar and water (compare Rth 2:14 ); others describe it as a mixture of vinegar, figs, dates, almonds, and spice. The flour which was used to thicken the sauce on ordinary occasions was forbidden at the Passover by the Rabbins, lest it might occasion a slight fermentation. According to some, the sauce was beaten up to the consistence of mortar, in order to commemorate the toils of the Israelites in laying bricks in Egypt. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 26:23 mean?

- And answering He said The [one] having dipped with Me the hand in the dish he Me will betray
δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν ἐμβάψας μετ’ ἐμοῦ τὴν χεῖρα ἐν τῷ τρυβλίῳ οὗτός με παραδώσει

  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀποκριθεὶς  answering 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
  The  [one] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἐμβάψας  having  dipped 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐμβαπτίζω 
Sense: to dip in.
ἐμοῦ  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
χεῖρα  hand 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: χείρ  
Sense: by the help or agency of any one, by means of any one.
τρυβλίῳ  dish 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Singular
Root: τρύβλιον  
Sense: a dish, a deep dish.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
παραδώσει  will  betray 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: παραδίδωμι  
Sense: to give into the hands (of another).

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