Why does Matthew attribute a prophecy about thirty pieces of silver to Jeremiah when it actually comes from Zechariah?

Overview of the Issue

Matthew 27:9–10 reads, “Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.’” Yet the closest Old Testament parallel to these words seems to come from Zechariah 11:12–13. This observation has led many to ask why Matthew attributes the prophecy to Jeremiah. Below is a comprehensive exploration of the issue, examining both textual and contextual considerations, common interpretative proposals, and the unity of Scripture.

1. Old Testament Background and Textual Passages

Zechariah 11:12–13 states:

“I said to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ So they weighed out my pay—thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—this magnificent price at which they valued Me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter.”

In Jeremiah (notably Jeremiah 18–19 and 32), imagery is used involving clay, potters, and fields:

• Jeremiah 18:2: “Go down at once to the potter’s house, and there I will reveal My message to you.”

• Jeremiah 19:1–2: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Go and buy a clay jar from a potter … and proclaim the words I tell you.’”

• Jeremiah 32:6–9 includes a scene involving a field purchase.

While Zechariah explicitly presents the thirty pieces of silver cast to the potter in the house of the Lord, Jeremiah features prominent references to a potter, clay jars, and fields purchased in obedience to the Lord’s command.

2. Composite Prophecy Explanation

A longstanding explanation suggests that Matthew was combining thematic elements found in Jeremiah and Zechariah into one summary reference. Jeremiah addresses prophetic acts involving a potter, a field, and the dire circumstances of God’s people. Zechariah directly addresses the thirty pieces of silver and the potter’s house.

Because Matthew’s words in 27:9–10 refer both to the thirty pieces of silver (from Zechariah) and to a “potter’s field” (echoing the imagery of Jeremiah 18–19), some scholars propose that Matthew’s statement about “what was spoken through Jeremiah” covers the entire cluster of Old Testament allusions. By naming a more prominent prophet—Jeremiah—Matthew might be highlighting the broader context of judgment upon Israel and the theme of the potter’s field, while still utilizing Zechariah’s specific mention of thirty pieces of silver.

3. Rabbinic and Scroll Arrangement Considerations

In certain Jewish and early Christian traditions, scriptural citations sometimes highlight a major prophet who represents a longer prophetic section. From ancient times, the prophetic books were at times clustered in a collection, and Jeremiah, being one of the Major Prophets, could be employed as a reference point for the entire section containing shorter prophetic writings (including Zechariah).

No significant early manuscript of Matthew omits “Jeremiah” to replace it with “Zechariah.” The integrity of the Gospel’s text is affirmed in various early documents (e.g., manuscripts such as Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus), indicating that “Jeremiah” was part of Matthew’s wording from the beginning. Such consistency in the manuscripts suggests that Matthew’s reference to Jeremiah was not a copyist error but an intentional nod to the broader prophetic tradition.

4. Thematic Connection with Jeremiah

Apart from the mention of thirty pieces of silver in Zechariah, the central concepts of potter, field, and judgment are strongly tied to the language of Jeremiah 18 and 19. In these chapters, the prophet Jeremiah goes to a potter’s house, buys an earthenware jar, and demonstrates that Israel, like clay, is subject to God’s shaping and judgment. Jeremiah 19:11 says: “You are to shattered it … just as one shatters a potter’s jar, which can never again be mended.” This imagery resonated strongly in Matthew’s account of God’s sovereign judgment in the Passion narrative.

By citing Jeremiah, Matthew underscores the larger theme of divine judgment and the heartbreak of betrayal. Tying it with Zechariah’s specific prophecy about throwing thirty pieces of silver to the potter’s house weaves the messages of judgment and betrayal into one stark fulfillment during the events of Jesus’ suffering.

5. Ancient Citational Practices

It was not unusual for New Testament authors to cite one prophet’s name but weave in multiple Old Testament texts. Similar overlaps can be found in Mark 1:2–3, which introduces a blended quote from Malachi and Isaiah by mentioning only Isaiah. The expectation was that the hearers would recognize the fuller scriptural tapestry, rather than isolate a single verse.

Historical sources, such as the Talmud and writings from the Dead Sea Scrolls community, also reveal an approach to Scripture in which dominant prophetic voices served as headings for entire sections. This practice lends credence to the idea that Matthew’s audience would have understood the amalgam of prophecies, even though he explicitly named only Jeremiah.

6. Unifying Inerrancy and Fulfillments

Scripture’s unity and integrity remain intact under this view. Rather than seeing a contradiction, most interpreters from a high view of Scripture see convergence between Jeremiah’s theology of the potter’s field and Zechariah’s prophecy of the thirty pieces of silver.

• There is no scriptural conflict because Matthew did not claim that every single line of the prophecy was from Jeremiah alone.

• The potter motif in Jeremiah 18–19 and the field purchase in Jeremiah 32 blend naturally with the Zechariah 11 prophecy depicting God’s shepherd rejected for thirty pieces of silver.

• Matthew references the well-known Major Prophet Jeremiah, whose words about a “potter” and “field” frame the events detailed by the prophet Zechariah.

When viewed in context, both books point to the same doctrinal truth: Israel rejecting God’s chosen representative (ultimately Christ), symbolized by the contemptuous valuation of thirty pieces of silver and the potter’s field.

7. Possible Historical Tradition of Jeremiah’s Oral Teachings

Some have suggested that Jeremiah may also have orally spoken something along these lines—subsequently the minor prophet Zechariah wrote it more explicitly. Although this remains a speculative approach, it underscores the tradition that prophets delivered messages over extended periods, and some orations might not have been penned until fittingly placed in the text of a later prophet.

Regardless of how each specific portion came to be recorded, the overarching faith conviction is that the Holy Spirit superintended the prophets’ words, ensuring their ultimate harmony and preservation across various manuscripts, as evidenced by the consistent witness of the Dead Sea Scrolls and later Masoretic traditions.

8. Practical Takeaway

The citation in Matthew 27:9–10 does not challenge the Bible’s reliability; rather, it shows the expositional richness of how prophecies can converge. Matthew’s attribution to Jeremiah highlights the dominant theme from Jeremiah’s writings—God’s people and their shepherd-leaders are tested like clay in the hands of the Divine Potter. Zechariah pinpoints the precise sign of betrayal and cost—the thirty pieces of silver.

The entire New Testament insistently anchors Jesus’ passion in the prophetic heritage of Israel, thereby reinforcing the role of fulfilled prophecy as a testament to the Messiahship of Christ. Matthew, aware of his primarily Jewish audience, integrates covenantal references spanning multiple prophets and uses Jeremiah’s name to evoke the deeper narrative of judgment and redemption.

Conclusion

Matthew’s reference to Jeremiah can be understood as a deliberate merging of themes from both Jeremiah and Zechariah. It was common in ancient citation to name a major prophet who symbolized a relevant scriptural section where multiple prophets’ writings resonated with the same message. Jeremiah addresses potter imagery and God’s warning to His people, while Zechariah explicitly mentions thirty pieces of silver. Together, these Old Testament prophecies unify to portray a cohesive biblical witness that climactically points to the suffering, betrayal, and redemptive work of the Messiah.

By recognizing that Jeremiah’s broader context involved the prophetic sign of the potter’s field and that Zechariah directly invokes the thirty silver coins, we see that Matthew is not confused nor in error. Instead, he underscores a harmonized prophecy that vividly ties Old Testament imagery to Christ’s redemptive narrative—reminding believers that God’s sovereign hand orchestrates every detail of salvation history, just as promised in Scripture.