Maarten J.J. Menken, «The Old Testament Quotation in Matthew 27,9-10: Textual Form and Context», Vol. 83 (2002) 305-328

The source of the fulfilment quotation in Matt 27,9-10 must be Zech 11,13, but the biblical text is distorted to a degree that is unparalleled in the other fulfilment quotations, and Matthew ascribes the quotation to Jeremiah. Another difficulty is that the quotation seems to have influenced the context to a much larger extent than in the case of the other fulfilment quotations. A careful analysis of the text shows that the peculiar textual form can be explained in a relatively simple way. The influence of the quotation on Matt 27,3-8 is limited, and is best ascribed to Matthew’s redaction. After all, this fulfilment quotation appears to be less exceptional than it is sometimes supposed to be.

of the Lord had commanded him"). So the closing line of our quotation may well betray a Matthean interest in using an OT formula ³⁷.

        Summarizing, we can establish the following points:

        (1) The quotation was probably made from a Greek biblical text. This text may well have been a revised LXX. In this respect, the quotation does not differ from Matthew’s other fulfilment quotations.

        (2) Changes have been made in both the wording of the quotation and the sequence of its lines, to attune it to the preceding narrative about the chief priests buying the potter’s field with blood money. In its present form, the quotation is a typical ad hoc-creation³⁸.

        (3) Two details of the quotation have been derived not from Zech 11,13, but from analogous OT passages. The first detail is a minor one: the expression a)po_ ui(w=n 'Israh/l, used to make explicit the subject of e)timh/santo, comes from Deut 23,18-19. The second detail is a major one: the word a)gro/n comes from Jer 32(39),6-15. This word is of capital importance, because buying the potter’s field constitutes the main act of both narrative and quotation. There is no reason to assume that the quotation is based on other passages from Jeremiah as well. The ascription of the quotation to Jeremiah serves to draw attention to the source of the word a)gro/n ³⁹.