blood money

The now commonly-used German term Blutgeld (literally “blood money”), which today is primarily used to refer to an atonement payment by a murderer as compensation to the victim’s next of kin or for a reward for reporting a murderer or criminal, was made popular in 1522 in the German New Testament translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Zetzsche)

For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

complete verse (Matthew 27:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 27:6:

  • Uma: “The leading priests picked up the money and said: ‘This money is money traded for blood. According to the laws of religion, money like this may not be put in the box putting-place for money offerings in the House of God.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then the leaders of the priests picked up the money and they said, ‘This money cannot be added to the money of the prayer-house for this money was wages for killing a man.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the chief priests, when they got the money, they said, ‘We break the law if we put it into the money container here in the worship place, because this was paid in order to kill a person.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The leaders of the priests picked up that money and they said, ‘Our law prohibits that this be added to the money of the Temple, because it used-in-paying-for the life of a person.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The chiefs of the priests picked up that money. They said, ‘It really is against the law to put this money into the storage-place here in the Templo, because as for this, it is the payment for a person’s life.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There at the church the chief priests picked up the money which Judas had thrown down and said among themselves: ‘Now we can’t mix this money with the offering because it is the wages of the person who betrayed one to death.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 27:6

Taking the pieces of silver may need to be expressed as “picked up (or, gathered) the pieces of silver.”

The treasury the priests referred to was the Temple treasury, the financial resources of the Temple. If there is no good direct translation, translators may have to use a short description, such as “put it with the money that belongs to the Temple.”

The them refers to the pieces of silver, but it is sometimes more natural to say “this money.”

Good News Translation inverts the order of the two clauses contained in the dialogue of the chief priests, thereby allowing the causative clause since they are blood money to come first. This results in a more logical and more easily understood arrangement.

Good News Translation retains the literal phrase blood money because of the anticipated play on words (see “Field of Blood” in Matthew 27.8). However, for many languages it will be impossible to speak meaningfully of blood money. One may then wish to translate the phrase otherwise (for example, “money received because a person was killed” or “the price of a man’s life,” as in Barclay) and follow it with a footnote, indicating the play on words. The principle referred to by the priests probably derives from Deuteronomy 23.18, which forbids that money earned through prostitution be accepted in the Temple treasury. Here the law is expanded to include any “unclean” money.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .