Matthew 27
T. Farnham
27:5 “And he cast the thirty pieces of silver into the Temple and hanged himself with a rope (halter).”
Acts 1:18 “This is he who purchased for himself a field from the reward of sin and fell on his face upon the ground and burst from his middle, and all his bowels poured out.”
Due to the purity laws discouraging contact with a corpse, rather than detach the corpse hanging from a tree at all, it was the custom to cut the tree down, corpse and all. According to Maimonides, Sanhedrein XV,9: In order that it should not serve as a sad reminder, people saying: “This is the tree in which so and so was hanged” the tree was cut down that had a corpse hanging from it.
Apparently Judas (Y’hudah) by the time his body was discovered, his belly was either distended or bloated. Apparently following the normal custom, the tree in which he hanged himself was cut down with his body still attached, with intent of burying them both together, therefore not having to touch the body per the laws. It is feasible that when the tree was cut down Judas’s body fell on it’s face upon the ground and burst from his middle, and all his bowels poured out (Act. 1:18).
27:9 “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet the prophet…” Matthew 27:9 quotes Zech.11:12-13 but falsely credits the quote to Jeremiah (perhaps because of a similar prophecy in Jer. 18:2; 19:2, 11; 32:6-9). The Shem Tob Herbrew correctly attributes the quote to Zechariah while the Aramaic (Old Syriac and Peshitta) simply attribute the quote to “the prophet.” This is another example where there is a minor translation issue but nothing substantial.
“And they took the thirty pieces of silver; the value of Him who was priced…” Taken from the prophecy in Zech. 11:12-13, Yeshua (Jesus) was sold for the Torah designation price if a slave (Ex. 21:32) thus fulfilling his role as suffering servant. Thus as “Messiah ben Joseph (Jesus)” he fulfilled the typology of the life of Josep who was sold be his own brothers for thirty pieces of silver (Gen. 37:28) cast into a pit, but was later raised out and eventually saved his brothers.
27:16-26 “The governor answered and said to them, Which of the two do you want me to release3 to you? They said Barabbas!” Barabbas can mean Bar (son) Abba (father) – son of a father. It can also be read as Bar (son) Rabba (master / great one). The story of the release of Bar Rabba and the death of Yeshua has been taken by some to parallel the scapegoat Lev. 16:6-26.
27:34 “they gave him wine mingled with gall, and when he had tasted, he would not drink.” (Hebrew Matthew and the Old Syriac have “wine” while the Peshitta has “Vinegar.”
Psalm 69:22: “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
In the Talmud; “When one is led out to execution, he is given a goblet of wine containing a grain of frankincense, in order to benumb his senses, for it is written, Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in should. (b. San. 43a).
The reading of the Hebrew and Old Syriac would best support a connection to the custom mentioned in the Talmud, while the Peshitta would better support a connection to Psalm 29:22). Perhaps to some degree both connections are intended.
27:46: “My El (Lord), my El, why have you forsaken me?” Yeshua is quoting Psalm 22:2: “My El, my El, why have You forsaken me, and are far from my help at the words of my cry?” Psalm 2:6-7; “But I am a worm, and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people, All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head….. “
27:51 “the veil of the Temple was rent (torn) in two…” In ancient Israel, it was the custom of a father to mourn the death of his son by renting his garment in two. In this beautiful imagery the Father rent his garment in two at the death of his Son.
In the Goodnews According to the Hebrews: “But in the Gospel which is written in Hebrew letters we read not that the veil of the Temple was rent, but that the lintel of the Temple of wonderous size collapsed (Jerome; Letter 120 to Hedibia and in his Commentary on Mt. 27:51).
The lintel was a crossbeam over the doorway to the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The lintel stood atop two pillars eight stories high forming a doorway. The lintel was some thirty fit across and made of solid stone. It would have weighted about thirty tons. At the death of Yeshua, there was an earthquake. This earthquake seems to have caused the lintel to break in the middle. I would have been no small event when these two pieces of the thirty ton lintel came crashing down eight stories. The veil hung from the lintel on the outside of this doorway. The doors were attached to the pillars. When the lintel broke it cause the veil to be rent in two from top to bottom.