25 Powerful Bible Verses About Betrayal (With Commentary)

Betrayal, a profound breach of trust, is deeply painful and is addressed numerous times in the Bible. From stories of personal treachery to teachings on loyalty and forgiveness, the Bible provides insight into handling betrayal and understanding its impact. Here are 25 Bible verses about betrayal, each with a brief commentary.

25 Bible Verses About Betrayal

Psalm 55:12-14

“If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.”

Betrayal by a close friend is especially painful and disheartening.

Proverbs 25:9-10

“If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand.”

Betraying trust, especially in disputes, leads to shame and dishonor.

Jeremiah 12:6

“Your relatives, members of your own family—even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.”

Betrayal can come from even the closest family members, causing deep wounds.

Micah 7:5-6

“Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace guard the words of your lips. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—your enemies are the members of your own household.”

Betrayal can infiltrate even the most intimate relationships, causing division.

Matthew 26:14-16

“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”

Judas’s betrayal of Jesus for money highlights the depths of human treachery.

Matthew 26:21-22

“And while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, ‘Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?'”

Jesus predicted his betrayal, and the disciples’ reactions show their shock and sorrow.

Bible Verses About Betrayal

Luke 22:48

“But Jesus asked him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?'”

Judas’s act of betrayal with a kiss symbolizes false affection and ultimate deceit.

John 13:21

“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.'”

Jesus’s foreknowledge of betrayal brought deep emotional distress.

John 13:26-27

“Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.'”

Judas’s betrayal was a significant, orchestrated event in the fulfillment of prophecy.

Psalm 41:9

“Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.”

Betrayal by a trusted friend is a recurring theme in the scriptures.

Proverbs 20:19

“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.”

Gossip often leads to betrayal, breaking trust and causing harm.

Job 19:19

“All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me.”

Job’s lament shows the pain and isolation that come from being betrayed.

2 Timothy 3:1-4

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

Betrayal is part of the broader moral decline in the last days.

Acts 7:52

“Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him.”

Betraying prophets and righteous individuals is condemned as historical treachery.

Mark 14:18

“While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.'”

Jesus reveals the imminent betrayal during a moment of fellowship.

Matthew 27:3-4

“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility.'”

Judas’s remorse highlights the profound regret that often follows betrayal.

Luke 6:16

“Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

Judas Iscariot’s legacy as a traitor is forever marked in scripture.

Genesis 37:28

“So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.”

Joseph’s brothers’ betrayal set the stage for a greater plan of redemption.

Judges 16:18

“When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, ‘Come back once more; he has told me everything.’ So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.”

Delilah’s betrayal of Samson for silver exemplifies personal and moral treachery.

Psalm 55:20-21

“My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.”

Smooth words often conceal betrayal and hidden malice.

Jeremiah 9:4

“Beware of your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer.”

Betrayal and deceit can be pervasive, even among close acquaintances.

Mark 14:44

“Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.'”

Judas’s prearranged signal for betrayal emphasizes planned deceit.

Matthew 24:10

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.”

Betrayal will be a sign of the end times, causing division and enmity.

Psalm 109:4

“In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.”

The psalmist expresses the pain of betrayal despite offering friendship.

Isaiah 33:1

“Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.”

Divine justice ensures that betrayers will eventually face betrayal themselves.