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An Unexpected Betrayal
Uncover the Hebrew Roots of Scripture
An Unexpected Betrayal

Judas Iscariot is one of the most despised figures in the Bible. Not only did he sell out his teacher, but he did so by kissing him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus reacts to his disciple’s treachery by asking, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?” (Luke 22:48). Although it seems straightforward, this is in fact a very interesting question.


A Biblical Sign of Love and respect

The Bible has many stories where a kiss is given as a sign of love and respect. For example, Joseph kisses his father Jacob after not seeing him for 20 years (Gen. 50:1). To coronate the first king of Israel, the prophet Samuel kisses Saul, after anointing him with oil (1 Sam. 10:1). According to Paul, the kiss was one of the earliest signs of brotherhood among the first Christian believers (Rom. 16:16).


Understand the Kisses of an Enemy

Jesus is essentially asking, how Judas can use a sign of love to commit the ultimate act of betrayal? The Hebrew root neshek (נשק) meaning “kiss” is also “weapon”, indicating the hidden power that kisses have to perform evil. This word demonstrates how clarifying it is to read the Bible in the original Hebrew. Enroll in our live online courses and discover new meanings in Hebrew.