In Matthew 27:9, the prophecy is attributed to Jeremiah, but it seems to quote Zechariah; is this a textual error?

I. Overview of the Passage

Matthew 27:9 states: “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.’” The question arises because the prophet most directly associated with a “thirty pieces of silver” reference appears to be Zechariah (Zec 11:12–13), not Jeremiah. Some suggest a direct quotation from Zechariah rather than Jeremiah, creating an apparent discrepancy. However, a broad look at the Old Testament context—and at the way the Gospel writers cited Scripture—reveals a cohesive, intentional reference rather than a textual error.

II. Jeremiah’s Relevant Prophecies

Jeremiah prophesied about a potter’s earthenware jar and a field that would become a burial ground. Jeremiah 19:1–2 says, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take some of the elders of the people and leaders of the priests and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom…’” In verses 11–13, Jeremiah declares that this area would become a place of devastation and ruin.

Jeremiah 32:6–9 also describes the purchase of a field, specifically the field of Anathoth, for a sum of money—an event signifying prophetic action mirroring the eventual restoration of Judah. These passages contain themes of judgment and redemption involving a potter’s vessel, a field, and a specific purchase price.

III. Zechariah’s Prophecy of Thirty Pieces of Silver

Zechariah 11:12–13 reads: “Then I said to them, ‘If it seems good to you, pay 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.”

This passage explicitly mentions the thirty pieces of silver and the potter, closely paralleling events in Matthew 27:3–10, where Judas Iscariot returns the silver to the chief priests, leading to the purchase of the potter’s field. Clearly, there is a direct thematic link between Zechariah 11 and Matthew 27.

IV. Potential Explanations of the Attribution

1. Combined or Composite Prophecy

It is common in the New Testament that several Old Testament passages are brought together under the name of one prominent prophet. Early rabbinical writings and other Jewish traditions sometimes grouped prophetic books or combined quotes without individually citing each source. By citing Jeremiah—one of the major prophets—Matthew underscores the broader context of buying the potter’s field and the ensuing judgment, which indeed involves major themes from Jeremiah (chapters 19 and 32).

2. Jeremiah as Representative of the Prophets

In ancient Jewish tradition, the prophetic writings were often referred to according to a primary figure. Jeremiah, being quite prominent, could stand in for the wider section that includes Zechariah. There is evidence of this in other Second Temple and rabbinic writings, where a heading might attribute a collective witness to a single well-known prophet.

3. Reference to Multiple Old Testament Themes

Matthew’s quotation may be engaging the potter-field imagery from Jeremiah (especially Jeremiah 19) and the thirty silver coins allusion from Zechariah 11:12–13. By compressing both references into a single citation, Matthew highlights how Christ’s betrayal by Judas and the purchase of the potter’s field fulfill the combined Old Testament testimonies of judgment and redemption.

4. Ancient Citation Practices

In the first century, citation standards were different from modern academic footnotes. Especially in a homiletic or midrashic style, an author could sum up two or more texts as spoken by a recognized prophet. The readers or listeners, being intimately familiar with the Old Testament, would understand the wider scriptural echoes.

V. Scriptural and Manuscript Consistency

Despite the apparent challenge, there is no manuscript tradition that offers a different attribution—ancient texts of Matthew unanimously reference Jeremiah. Biblical manuscripts including early papyri, such as Papyrus 45 (third century) and Codex Sinaiticus (fourth century), contain the attribution to Jeremiah. There is no textual variant suggesting a scribal correction to Zechariah. This strengthens the argument that Matthew’s original text intentionally cites Jeremiah as a recognized source, fully aware of the Zechariah passage referenced.

VI. Historical and Archaeological Corroboration

1. Potter’s Field Location

Archaeological surveys around Jerusalem have identified areas near the Hinnom Valley consistent with descriptions of potter’s clay deposits. The “Field of Blood” (Akeldama) tradition goes back many centuries, supporting the idea that a field meeting the biblical description was indeed purchased.

2. Jewish Citation Methods

Documents such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and later Rabbinic writings show similar patterns of citation, sometimes ascribing a cluster of ideas to a major prophet. This implies a recognized hermeneutical method rather than an erroneous attribution.

VII. Resolving the Question of Textual Error

From the above considerations, there is no contradiction in attributing the passage to Jeremiah. Instead, Matthew merges the broad prophetic tradition—primarily associated with Jeremiah’s potter-field imagery and Zechariah’s thirty pieces of silver—to spotlight the unified testimony pointing to Christ’s betrayal, the purchase of the potter’s field, and the ultimate fulfillment of prophecy.

VIII. Conclusion

The attribution of the prophecy to Jeremiah rather than Zechariah in Matthew 27:9 constitutes a thoughtful interpretive choice by Matthew, bringing together vital Old Testament threads in a single citation. Given Jeremiah’s themes of field purchases, potter imagery, and redemptive judgment, and Zechariah’s precise detail about thirty pieces of silver, the Gospel weaves these references into a cohesive fulfillment motif. Neither the manuscript evidence nor the practices of ancient citation undermine the accuracy or reliability of the biblical text.

There is no genuine textual error. Instead, Matthew 27:9 demonstrates the integrated nature of biblical prophecy—where Jeremiah’s broader framework and Zechariah’s direct mention of thirty silver coins align in pointing to the Messiah’s suffering, betrayal, and redemptive purpose.