What does Ἰσκαριώτης (Iskariṓtēs) mean in the Bible?
Iskariotes identifies Judas by the name usually rendered Iscariot. The word matters pastorally because it marks a particular Judas in scenes where several people can share the same personal name.
Greek · G2469
Ἰσκαριώτης
Inhabitant of Kerioth; Iscariotes (i.e. Keriothite), an epithet of Judas the traitor
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Ἰσκαριώτης G2469
Pronunciation Iskariṓtēs
What does Ἰσκαριώτης (Iskariṓtēs) mean in the Bible?
Iskariotes identifies Judas by the name usually rendered Iscariot. The word matters pastorally because it marks a particular Judas in scenes where several people can share the same personal name.
Reader summary
Full entry for Ἰσκαριώτης (G2469) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2469?
The BSB source-word alignment has 11 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Iscariot (10), Iscariot) (1).
Where does Ἰσκαριώτης (Iskariṓtēs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 10:4. Its strongest book concentrations include John (5), Luke (2), Mark (2), Matthew (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Iskariotes identifies Judas by the name usually rendered Iscariot. The word matters pastorally because it marks a particular Judas in scenes where several people can share the same personal name. It does not itself mean betrayer, villain, or traitor. The betrayal is taught by the Gospel narratives, not by the epithet alone. In the New Testament, the label keeps readers from confusing Judas Iscariot with other men named Judas and also presses the sobering fact that the betrayer was one of the Twelve.
Teachers should let the local text do its work: the name identifies the man, the narrative exposes the sin, and Jesus' own knowledge and patience give the scene its theological weight.
How the Bible Uses It
Iskariotes appears in the Gospels as a referent marker for Judas Iscariot and as a distinction from another Judas. The word helps readers identify the person in view while the surrounding scene explains betrayal, warning, and Jesus' sovereign knowledge.
- Matt.10.4
Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
Matthew lists Judas Iscariot among the Twelve and immediately names his betrayal, showing the closeness of privilege and treachery.
- Luke.22.3
Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve.
Luke locates the satanic pressure in Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, so the epithet supports identification within a solemn betrayal scene.
- John.6.71
He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.
John identifies Judas as the son of Simon Iscariot and explains that he would betray Jesus, keeping the claim tied to the narrative.
- John.13.2
The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
The supper scene names Judas son of Simon Iscariot while describing the devil's work in the heart, so the epithet distinguishes the man without making the word itself carry the evil.
- John.13.26
Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it.” Then He dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.
Jesus gives the morsel to Judas son of Simon Iscariot, showing His knowledge and control at the table.
- John.14.22
Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”
John distinguishes Judas not Iscariot, which proves why referent control matters whenever the name Judas appears.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Iscariot 10× Matthew 10:4, Matthew 26:14, Mark 3:19, Mark 14:10
Iscariot) 1× John 14:22
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 10:4 Ἰσκαριώτης to Iscariot Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 26:14 Ἰσκαριώτης to Iscariot Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Mark 3:19 Ἰσκαριώθ to Iscariot Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Mark 14:10 Ἰσκαριὼθ to Iscariot Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 6:16 Ἰσκαριὼθ to Iscariot Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Luke 22:3 Ἰσκαριώτην to Iscariot Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular John 6:71 Ἰσκαριώτου to Iscariot Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular John 12:4 Ἰσκαριώτης to Iscariot Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular John 13:2 Ἰσκαριώτου to Iscariot Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular John 13:26 Ἰσκαριώτου to Iscariot Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 10:4
Aligned rows 11
Books represented 4
Matthew 2 Mark 2 Luke 2 John 5
Source forms
Ἰσκαριώτης 4x Iskariōtēs Matthew 10:4, Matthew 26:14, John 12:4, John 14:22
Ἰσκαριώτου 3x Iskariōtou John 6:71, John 13:2, John 13:26
Ἰσκαριὼθ 2x Iskariōth Mark 14:10, Luke 6:16
Ἰσκαριώθ 1x Iskariōth Mark 3:19
Ἰσκαριώτην 1x Iskariōtēn Luke 22:3
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 5x Matthew 10:4, Matthew 26:14, Mark 14:10, John 12:4
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular 3x Mark 3:19, Luke 6:16, Luke 22:3
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular 3x John 6:71, John 13:2, John 13:26
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use Judas Iscariot scenes to warn against false nearness to Christ without turning the name into a slur.
- When teaching betrayal, keep responsibility personal and textual rather than attaching guilt to a place, family, or people.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim Iskariotes lexically means betrayer.
- Do not claim Judas Iscariot should be confused with Judas not Iscariot or other men named Judas.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. inhabitant of Kerioth; Iscariotes (i.e. Keriothite), an epithet of Judas the traitor
Strong's G2469
Lexical occurrences 8 verses Greek text appearances 11 times Word forms 3 forms 8 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
inhabitant of Kerioth; Iscariotes (i.e. Keriothite), an epithet of Judas the traitor
Extended definition
:--Iscariot.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
11 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 10:4 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτης iskariwthv
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse Matthew 26:14 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτης, iskariwthv
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse Mark 3:19 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτην, iskariwthn
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse Mark 14:10 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτης, iskariwthv
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse Luke 6:16 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτην, iskariwthn
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse Luke 22:3 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτην, iskariwthn
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse John 6:71 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτην· iskariwthn
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse John 12:4 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτης, iskariwthv
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse John 13:2 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτου iskariwtou
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse John 13:26 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτῃ. iskariwth
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verse John 14:22 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰσκαριώτης, iskariwthv
Iscariot, a man of Kerioth
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 8 Case pattern Nominative (4) Number pattern Singular (8)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 10:4 · Matt 26:14 · John 12:4 · John 14:22 4×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine John 6:71 · John 13:2 · John 13:26 3×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Luke 22:3 1×
Cross-Language Connections
Hebrew roots and equivalents that share conceptual or etymological ground with this Greek word.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The core insight of Iskariotes is that Scripture often does deep pastoral work through precise identification. Judas is not a vague symbol of treachery; he is a named man, counted among the Twelve, present at the table, and known by Jesus before the betrayal unfolds. That precision guards both interpretation and application. It prevents teachers from making the epithet itself carry the moral meaning, and it prevents readers from turning Judas into a distant category untouched by ordinary discipleship warnings.
The Gospels press a more searching truth: proximity to holy things does not save, and Jesus is not surprised by hidden betrayal.
Anchor passage
John.13.26
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew.10.4: Judas Iscariot is listed among the Twelve, so betrayal is set inside visible discipleship privilege.
- Luke.22.3: Satan enters Judas, but Luke still identifies him as one of the Twelve.
- John.6.71: John joins the Iscariot identification to Jesus' knowledge of the coming betrayal.
- John.13.2: the supper scene shows evil intent moving in a place of fellowship.
- John.13.26: Jesus' giving of the morsel shows His knowledge and control, not confusion.
- John.14.22: Judas not Iscariot proves the need to distinguish shared personal names.
Iskariotes is a proper epithet. Its interpretive value is referential: it tells readers which Judas is in view, while the verbs and narrative clauses supply betrayal, satanic influence, and Jesus' response.
From Old to New Testament
Scripture repeatedly warns that covenant nearness can be despised by unbelief and treachery. Iscariot belongs to that warning pattern when the Gospels show a named disciple near Jesus while turning against Him.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain