The accounts of Judas Iscariot’s death, found in Matthew and Acts, provide details that, at first glance, appear to differ, yet they can be seen as complementary aspects of the tragic end of one who betrayed Jesus.

In Matthew 27:5, it is written, “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” This verse provides a direct description of Judas’s act of suicide following his betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and his subsequent remorse.

Acts 1:18 gives us another perspective, adding details to the aftermath of Judas’s demise: “Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” Some interpret this to mean that after Judas hanged himself, his body eventually fell and suffered the gruesome fate described.

The seeming discrepancy can be resolved by understanding that the Acts account may be describing the consequence of Judas’s body hanging until it decomposed or was somehow disrupted, leading to the fall and the described outcome. Matthew focuses on Judas’s act of hanging himself, while Acts provides additional details about what happened to his body afterwards.

Thus, the two descriptions of Judas’s death can be harmonized by viewing them as different aspects of the same tragic event.