What's In Your Bible?
…for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. – Psalms 138:2
Death of Judas Iscariot
There are two accounts in Acts and Matthew that tell about how Judas Iscariot died. They seem contradictory, but are they?
How did Judas Iscariot die?
Acts 1:18 says he fell and burst, but Matthew 27:5 says he hanged himself.
Acts 1:18 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.
Matthew 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Frequently Asked Questions
For this specific topic
If both accounts were word for word, agnostics and dishonest skeptics would say they just copied each other.
Having two separate eye witness accounts is more validating confirmation.
“One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
Deuteronomy 19:15
It is also good motivation to fulfill the command to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God.”
General
Yes. Yes it does.
Additional Documentation
There are two accounts in Acts and Matthew that tell about how Judas died. They seem contradictory, but are they?
How did Judas die?
Acts 1:18 says he fell and burst, but Matthew 27:5 says he hanged himself.
Acts 1:18 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.
Matthew 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
When contemplating whether two verses are contradictory, consider first that they are both true and research how this could be so.
Here we have two different people telling the story about Judas and how he died.
Both are correct, they merely provide different information about the same event.
Matthew 27 Judas goes and hangs himself.
Acts 1:18 After Judas hung himself, he fell and his guts splattered all over the place.
Is it impossible to believe that while Judas was hanging dead that he started to decompose and bloat in the hot sun?
Then for whatever reason, a branch broke, or the tree fell over, or a poorly tied knot, or the rope broke or an earthquake shook, he fell from where he was hanging onto the rocks below.
The next time an alleged contradiction comes up, give the Bible the benefit of the doubt and see if you can come up with a way that it does not contradict.
Just another piece of the puzzle.
I hope this dispels any notion of how Judas died being a contradiction.