thirty pieces of silver

noun

A reward for betrayal.

“His corrupt inspections led to unsafe buildings, but what did he care? He'd gotten his thirty pieces of silver.”

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Meanings

nounthirty pieces of silver pl (plural only)

alternative 30 pieces of silver

  1. figurativelypluralplural onlyA reward for betrayal.

    His corrupt inspections led to unsafe buildings, but what did he care? He'd gotten his thirty pieces of silver.

Origin

Referring to the reward given to Judas for betraying Jesus, according to the Bible.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish tredive sølvpenge
  • tredive sølvpengereward given to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus
German Judaslohn
  • Judaslohnreward given to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus
Cite this entry
APA

thirty pieces of silver. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thirty%20pieces%20of%20silver

MLA

“thirty pieces of silver.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thirty%20pieces%20of%20silver. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thirty pieces of silver,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thirty%20pieces%20of%20silver.

Source: thirty pieces of silver on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.