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Judas Iscariot

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The specific apostle identified in the Gospels as Jesus’s betrayer, later replaced by Matthias among the Twelve.

Detailed Definition
Judas, keeper of the money bag, handed Jesus over to authorities, later remorseful but unrepentant. His name became synonymous with treachery. In poetry, Judas symbolizes the tragedy of proximity without transformation, the price of betrayal, and the mystery of divine sovereignty working through human failure—often evoking the horror of intimate disloyalty and the wages of greed.
Example
Example in poetry:
In John Milton’s "Paradise Lost," Judas Iscariot’s betrayal (Matthew 26) illustrates the tragedy of proximity without faith; In T.S. Eliot’s "Ash-Wednesday," Judas represents the intimate who chooses silver; In Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s "The Seraphim," Judas symbolizes the trusted who becomes traitor; In George Herbert’s "The Church-porch," Judas’s kiss warns against hypocrisy; In John Keble’s "Lyra Apostolica," Judas embodies the wages of despair; In W.H. Auden’s "For the Time Being," Judas illustrates the cost of love refused.
Additional Notes
Judas Iscariot: Apostle who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16). In poetry, Judas embodies the tragedy of proximity without transformation, the mechanics of betrayal (“kiss”), and the mystery of divine sovereignty and human guilt. His remorse and suicide (Matthew 27:3–5) add pathos—ideal for poems on regret, the price of betrayal, or the haunting question of what might have been.
Also Known As
Judas son of Simon Iscariot
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