Did Judas hang himself or explode?

Matthew 27:3-5 KJV "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."

Acts 1:16-18 KJV "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 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."

I'm beginning to think this stuff is all made up...

2012-09-12T22:58:36Z

@Somewhat Enlightened - You'd think the person who watched it happen would have done something when he saw a guy hang himself rather than let him hang out there a few days to get good and explodey

2012-09-12T23:07:27Z

@Damocles - Lots of verbal kung fu there... Not sure I'm buying it. Maybe you can explain how someone can hang themselves by falling "headlong".

2012-09-13T08:22:07Z

@Coronet Blue - Cliff? I thought this was a field. What kind of field has a cliff? That doesn't make any sense at all.

sprite2012-09-12T22:56:48Z

Favorite Answer

It's not made up because it was written in the Holy Scriptures! The Bible is always right! Jesus is King... Queen... the Almighty Spirit of the Holy Moly! The Trinity of Apple Pie, Ice Cream, and Coffee! Praise to Judas for being a snitch, realizing it, then hanging himself... probably going to hell, no? Hell... if ye only existed... if Sin were the only truth... if Faith was for the numb-numbs...

rowen2016-10-18T08:30:40Z

Judas Hanging

Elijah2012-09-12T23:02:00Z

It appears that it is the same account. The combination of the accounts just need to be taken into consideration. It seems as though Judas tried to hang himself over a cliff and then something happened so that he fell to burst open on the rocks below. While Matthew writes about THE WAY that Judas took his life, Acts describes THE RESULT of it.

Anonymous2012-09-12T23:26:15Z

BOTH are correct. No contradiction.

He hung himself, the rope broke at some stage and the body fell down the cliff causing his bowels to "gush out"

My opinion was that he was left hanging until the rope rotted away and the rotting corpse fell down the cliff and his maggot infested bowels burst out. The details are not important though.

Damocles2012-09-12T23:03:20Z

KJV really isn't the best translation for this. Realize that the Jews realized children would be hearing/reading this, so some things they kind of "sanitized" (you'll see references to shaving people's feet - it's not their feet, but their testicles that are being shaved).

Judas hung himself. When one hangs oneself, one "falls", the fall being broken by reaching the end of one's rope. Executioners generally arrange hangings so that the neck is snapped, but when someone is hanging themselves, they often do something like climb a tree, tie the rope and jump. There can be enough whiplash effect to say rip open one's abdomen, etc. Alternatively, when you die, you go into rigamortus, and the body (particularly in the heat of a desert area, like Israel) can swell, to the point of bursting. At any rate the "falling" was part of hanging.

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