Thirty pieces of silver
Meaning
A payment, often paltry, received for an act of betrayal or disloyalty.
Origin
The haunting phrase 'thirty pieces of silver' plunges us directly into one of history's most infamous betrayals. In the ancient texts of the New Testament, Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus Christ's twelve disciples, accepted this exact sum from the chief priests in Jerusalem to identify and hand over his master. This paltry payment, detailed in the Gospel of Matthew, became the symbol of ultimate treachery, a price for loyalty shattered. It forever etched into our language the image of a payment for betrayal, a grim reminder of the cost of selling out.
Examples
- When the journalist accepted a bribe to suppress the story, his colleagues accused him of taking thirty pieces of silver.
- Her decision to reveal her friend's secrets to the rival company felt like accepting thirty pieces of silver.